HAPPY HALLOWEEN * insert creaking house and whistling wind effect *
I bet you’re quaking in your boots waiting for my super scary book reveal. Mwahahaha. That you can’t wait to sink your teeth into something utterly chilling. Well here it is, a book the kids utterly devoured. It’s DRACULA SPECTACULAR! And you want to know the most terrifying thing about this book… the kids very nearly tore it in half. After the first reading, my little monsters had to be separated because they couldn’t agree on who was taking Drac to bed. After the second reading (and second bout of wrestling), the cover got all bent up and I had to put Dracula Spectacular away for the night.
The Draculas lived in a house in the park.
It was creaky and crooked and dusty and dark.
Dracula Boy is more giggles and glitter than beastly and bitter and isn’t keen to follow in Mum and Dad’s frightening footsteps. Instead of swooping into town each night to give sleeping girls and boys a scare… he’d much rather raid their wardrobes!
Dracula Spectacular positively shimmers. The kids are obsessed with the monstrous end pages set out like an Addam’s Family portrait.
They play “who’s your favourite one?” and then flick to the back to see the technicolour transformation, as The Draculas go from revolting to resplendent! (PS mine’s the creepy cyclops twins).
Ben Mantle’s illustrations are frighteningly good, full of creeping shadows and ghoulish haunted mansion details. Yet for every lashing of spooks there’s an even bigger lollop of sparkles! Lucy Rowland’s rhymes are top notch too. She packs loads of atmosphere and detail in without ever missing a beat.
Dracula Spectaular is a sure-fire Halloween Hit. It has so much heart and is a glorious way to empower kids to be proud of who they are.
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