I received a review copy from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinion.
Genre: Horror
Age Range: MG
Star Rating: 4 stars
Series: standalone
Blurb:
When Olive and some of her year 6 friends find themselves locked overnight inside Flatpack – a new IKEA-style superstore – they quickly realise that they are not alone. A number of things hitched a ride from the forest where Flatpack sources its wood and in every dark nook, they’ve been multiplying…
After several of the group get themselves dragged off to who knows where, Olive knows she was right all along – monsters are definitely real.
After that, she’s forced to face her fears and come up with a plan: 1) rescue her friends, 2) avoid being apprehended by overly efficient store employees, and 3) hack into the store’s delivery system and send the monsters back where they came from. Oh, and don’t get eaten.
Whatever you do, don’t look under the beds. And if you hear a wardrobe creaking open behind you, RUN!
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
THINGS THAT GO BUMP is a MG horror that is the right blend of creepiness, action, and humour.
I have read and loved Kathryn Foxfield’s YA novels, which, being for older readers, are a lot darker in tone and theme. This book showcases the fun side of horror, where humour and scares coincide. You get to be unsettled by strange noises, and then laugh at the next escapade. It’s a nice blend.
There’s also a lot of heart to this book. It’s a story about friendships and the rocky patches they can go through. Olive and her best friend aren’t really speaking to one another, so Olive has made a new friend – but does that friend really like her or is she just being nice? I liked that this tackled friendship insecurity head on, letting the stress of the situation pull out arguments the characters might not otherwise have had.
I loved the IKEA-esque setting. Who hasn’t wanted to play about with the IKEA sets in real life? Well, these kids do – and Kathryn Foxfield makes the most of the setting. Chases across beds by jumping from one to another, climbing furniture towers, and having meals in the display kitchens. I love it when books bring day dreams to life.
THINGS THAT GO BUMP was a great transition from YA to MG horror, and there’s another MG horror by the author out later this year!
Read my reviews of other books by Kathryn Foxfield:
Young Adult:
Standalones:
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 