Creeper Files: The Root of All Evil

Plants are sprouting where no plant should be, and they are behaving in ways that suggest something rather less innocent than gardening is going on. The Creeper Files books trade in creeping unease undercut by jokes, and this one keeps the balance: the situation is genuinely odd, the investigation moves fast, and Lucie Ebrey's black-and-white drawings puncture the tension whenever it threatens to get too thick. Short chapters and a brisk narrator make the book approachable for a child who likes the idea of a scary story but has no wish to be kept awake by one. A quick rundown: • Horror pitched at a level that stays comfortable for younger readers • Black-and-white illustration running throughout the text • A fast investigation plot with regular reveals • Suits readers of seven to eleven who enjoy spooky series fiction A fit for children who like mysteries with a supernatural edge, and for classroom and home libraries alike; published by Oxford University Press and available through Boipoka.