The Crowham Martyrs by Jane McLoughlin

A silver wisp of ghost hovers on the ceiling and a raspy voice rattles the timbers of my narrow staircase.

‘Maddy Deeprose! You’re ten minutes late.’

I run a brush through my tangled hair and look in the mirror. Pale skin, round face - shouldn’t I have cheekbones by now? I’m nearly thirteen. I rummage through my dresser drawer, dig out the make-up Mum sent fromn the States. Maybe lipstick would help.Or some blusher. I lean into the mirror for a closer look. Thick black eyeliner?’

‘Seriously, Maddy, this is beyond a joke.’

Published by Catnip books in 2015

316 pages in paperback

Cover design and illustration by Pip Johnson

Summary from Mulcahy Associates Agents’ website

When there's nowhere left to run, you'll need somewhere to hide...

Ghosts don't scare Maddy Deeprose. She's seen them all her life.

And so when her mum sends her to creepy old boarding school Crowham Martyrs, Maddy isn't worried.

But when her friends start disappearing, Maddy knows it's time to be scared.

Something is lurking at Crowham Martyrs. Something evil. Is the place that is supposed to keep Maddy safe about to become the hunting ground?

******

Reviewed by K. M. Lockwood

I’ll be honest - I am a bit biased. I went to the book launch for this at the wonderful Book Nook in Hove (well worth a visit for readers of all ages) and had a great time with the charming and talented Jane. She has a distinctive personality - and so does our heroine in Crowham Martyrs.

I think it’s fair to say that you have to like Maddy Deeprose as a central character to enjoy this book - her attitude and sense of humour are right there in the middle of everything. If you take a shine to her then this makes the unnerving mystery and downright horror at various points in the story all the more intense.

Whilst it is contemporary, and 12 year old Maddy is definitely a modern girl, it has all the features you’d want from a creepy classic. The rather striking cover gives exactly the right feel. The unsettling intense yellow, the distorted ancient and shadowy house and one lone girl against it all.

Although it’s quite a long book, there’s lots of conversation and Maddy’s own thoughts as well as action so it doesn’t seem overstretched. The writing style is accessible for any reasonably confident reader - but it might be too frightening for young or sensitive children. 

In short, a modern gothic story with a fine mix of relationships, scares and twists.

Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll

I was proper fed up with waiting. I’d been on look-out now for two whole hours and there was still no sign of Pa. At every noise my spirits rose, only to be dashed as a I glanced at the clock.

Published by Faber and Faber in October 2013

Pages - 359

Goodreads Summary

Tilly's heart sinks. Will's at the door of their cottage, daring her to come ice-skating up at Frost Hollow Hall. No one goes near the place these days. Rumour has it that the house is haunted . . . Ten years ago the young heir, Kit Barrington, drowned there in the lake. But Tilly never turns down a dare.
Then it goes horribly wrong. The ice breaks, Tilly falls through and almost drowns. At the point of death, a beautiful angel appears in the water and saves her. Kit Barrington's ghost.
Kit needs Tilly to solve the mystery of his death, so that his spirit can rest in peace. In order to discover all she can, Tilly gets work as a maid at Frost Hollow Hall. But the place makes her flesh crawl. It's all about the dead here, she's told, and in the heart of the house she soon discovers all manner of dark secrets . . .

******

It’s so lovely to read a book that can transport you back to childhood. Frost Hollow Hall is one of those book as it reminded me of the books that kept me company as a child, such as Tom’s Midnight Garden and The Children of Green Knowe. It has a real classic feel to it, that you don’t often find in children’s books these days.

Tilly Higgins is a really headstrong girl who stands up for herself and doesn’t let anyone walk over her. After nearly drowning in the frozen lake of Frost Hollow Hall she discovers that she has made a connection with the ghost of Kit Barrington and she must help him to put things right. The connection between them is an interesting plot point within the story.

I loved the inclusion of séances which were all the rage during that time period. The author highlights how many people desperately believed in these while others were more sceptical.

Under the main plot, there is a romantic subplot weaving through the story as Will shows his true feelings for Tilly. I found that rather sweet, as Will had a bit of a reputation with the girls.

The chapters are interspersed with shorter snippets of Tilly’s dreams where you see her in contact with Kit, which gives you a clearer picture of why he is communicating with her.

You can’t review this book without mentioning the gorgeous cover, which has a real Christmas feel to it.

A beautiful debut, that touches on the classics of childhoods gone by.