Chill

by Alex Nye

"He stared up at the dark mass of the house. Then he thought he saw movement in the library window to the right of the drawing room. A shadow moving, backwards and forwards ... then it was gone." Samuel is trapped by huge snow drifts in an old, remote house. And that’s not the only thing causing a cold shiver to creep down his spine. He feels like the ghostly figure in the locked library has a message ... but who is it for? Fiona lives in the big house, but will that help the two of them to break the curse on her family? As the ice sets in, they uncover a centuries-old tale of betrayal and revenge. Set on bleak Sheriffmuir near Stirling, this is a spooky tale of the past returning to haunt the present. (Ages 9–12)

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Ghosts, Young Adult

167 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Alex Nye is the author of EVEN THE BIRDS GROW SILENT, and is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund at the University of Glasgow. She grew up in Norfolk by the sea, but has lived in Scotland for most of her adult life where she finds much of her inspiration in Scottish history. At the age of 16 she won the W H Smith Young Writers' Award out of 33,000 entrants, and has been writing ever since. Her first children's novel, CHILL, won the Royal Mail Award. Previous titles include FOR MY SINS about Mary Queen of Scots, ARGUING WITH THE DEAD, a novel about the life of Mary Shelley, WHEN WE GET TO THE ISLAND, DARKER ENDS, and the classic Kelpies series CHILL and SHIVER. She divides her time between walking the dog, swimming, scribbling in notebooks in strange places, staring at people without meaning to, and tapping away on her laptop. She also teaches and delivers atmospheric candlelit workshops on creative writing/ghost stories/Scottish history. She studied at King's College, London more years ago than she cares to remember.

Reviews

[Andria Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing felt forced, the characters were annoying and the ghosts weren't scary. 2.5 ⭐

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

How in the world did this book win an award? It was one of the slowest and most repetitive stories I've read in a long time. Characters say and do the same thing over and over, chapter after chapter, rarely advancing the plot forward. The dialogue was disjointed and often random. The entire book felt like the author had a beginning and an end, but absolutely no idea what to do with the middle.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first horror related books I read. Had me hooked from the get go.

[Zoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the book that got me into reading! loved it
good short read.

[Sharron Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good second time I read it. Really interesting ghost story, set in Scotland with a nod to 1715 Jacobite uprising. Great intro for young horror fans.

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. My 7 year old son did find this quite scary but that still didn't stop him from wanting to know what happened, or from wanting to read the second book.

[Savanna Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book highly recommend

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middle grade (4-6) ghost story about two children living on a remote Scottish estate, who encounter a ghost of a weeping woman - a ghost who may be responsible for the death of the girl's father. The children - Samuel and Fiona - begin to investigate who or what is haunting the house, and deal with Fiona's brother, who may be possessed by a centuries old curse. About on a level with Mary Downing Hahn for scariness, entirely appropriate for 4th-6th graders looking for a creepy read.

[Sherica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific snow bound ghost story. Renewed my desire to visit the Scottish moors, albeit perhaps not in winter.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two children encounter a ghost.

I thought the story was OK but overall it was a bit bland.