Chris Priestley – författare

Award-winning master of scary stories Chris Priestley returns with a spine-tingling collection of ghostly tales to chill you to the bone …When Maya and her classmates are asked to write a creepy story with a winter theme, they come up with some brilliant ideas. Rising floodwaters uncover long-buried bodies and ghostly children take to the ice on a frozen canal. But as each of the stories is read out in class, Maya grows more and more uncomfortable. She features in each of her friends’ creepy tales and they start to feel a little too real. Finally, when a mysterious new girl stands up to read the last story of the day, the light outside dims and it starts to snow. The classroom starts to freeze but everyone is trapped. Can Maya stop the story before the nightmare comes true?Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

The year is 1584 and fourteen-year-old Kit is living by his wits as a thief on the streets of Elizabethan London - a far-cry from his early childhood, when he lived a privileged life with his rich Catholic parents, who died when he was very small. The memory of his parents haunts Kit: his father was executed for plotting to kill the Queen but went to his death proclaiming his innocence. When Kit meets John White, a mapmaker and associate of Walter Raleigh, on the streets and White offers him a place in his household, Kit accepts.Soon Kit finds himself with White on board The Tiger, bound for the New World as part of a voyage to found a new colony in Virginia. After surviving the many weeks at sea, a great storm and contact with the Spanish along the American coast, The Tiger finally reaches Virginia and the settlers establish a colony at Roanoake. Life in the colony is hard, the relationship with the Indian tribes made precarious by the aggression of some of the English colonists. As trading with the tribes break down and winter sets in, food becomes scarce and the colonists struggle to survive. And Kit's past comes back to haunt him when an enemy suddenly reveals himself . . .

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mister Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target . . . Victor Frankenstein.Friendship, trust and betrayal combine to form a dangerous liaison in this moving and frightening new book from Chris Priestley.

A boy is put on a train by his stepmother to make his first journey on his own. But soon that journey turns out to be more of a challenge than anyone could have imagined as the train stalls at the mouth of a tunnel and a mysterious woman in white helps the boy while away the hours by telling him stories - stories with a difference.

Chris Priestley has readers on the edge of their seats in this trio of terrifying stories as a teacher and his pupils share three spine-chilling tales. But, of course, with a very surprising ending that resounds like a slamming door on a quiet night!

Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren''t true!Michael''s parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents'' will . . . Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn''t mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all. A nail-biting story of hauntings and terror by the master of the genre, Chris Priestley.

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mister Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target . . . Victor Frankenstein.Friendship, trust and betrayal combine to form a dangerous liaison in this moving and frightening new book from Chris Priestley.

Alex joins his father on a business trip to Amsterdam. During the day he hangs out with the daughter of a family friend. They visit the usual sights but also coffee shops and flea markets off the beaten track. At one of these markets Alex spots an ancient-looking mask. Before he knows what he''s doing he buys it. Later, in his hotel room, he feels compelled to put the mask on. Alex is sucked into a parallel Amsterdam, one from centuries before which begins to reveal the dark past of both the building he is staying in and the little girl who once lived there . . . edging stealthily towards the terrible twist.

From malevolent snowmen to Father Christmas - with a difference ... Chris Priestley is on absolute top form in these atmospheric, clever and thoroughly chilling stories. Add a new kind of thrill to the fluffiest of seasons with seven brilliantly conceived examples of why you''d better be good at Christmas time. For stories which can be enjoyed by the whole family, unwrap these perfectly formed festive tales of terror, each with a gripping yarn and genius twist.Singing carols may never seem quite the same again ... especially after dark.

In a harbour town long ago, a boy is entranced by his uncle''s stories of adventure in lands far away. Ignoring the crazy talk of the harbour pilot''s son about the uncle being the Devil, the boy boards a ship with his uncle. But the uncle soon makes enemies of the captain and crew and, in frustration at their superstition, kills an albatross that has befriended the ship. As the ship sails on, madness and death ensue, and the boy and the crew face unimaginable horrors. A superbly gripping and haunting tale for fans of all classic horror.

Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits such a bitter heart, and so begins Sam’s journey led by terrifying spirits through the past, present and future, after which Sam must decide whether to take the man, Scrooge’s, life or not.A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.

Sam and Lizzie are freezing and hungry on the streets of Victorian London. When Sam asks a wealthy man for some coins, he is rudely turned away. Months of struggle suddenly find their focus, and Sam resolves to kill the man. Huddling in a graveyard for warmth, Sam and Lizzie are horrified to see the earth around one of the tombs begin to shift, shortly followed by the wraithlike figure of a ghostly man. He warns Sam about the future which awaits such a bitter heart, and so begins Sam''s journey led by terrifying spirits through the past, present and future, after which Sam must decide whether to take the man, Scrooge''s, life or not.A perfectly layered, tense and supremely satisfying twist on one of Dickens'' most popular books, cleverly reinvented to entice a younger readership.

Do you dare to read the Tales of Terror? A stunning and commercial new paperback package for this chilling collection of short stories, illustrated throughout by David Roberts and featuring a gloriously creepy new cover!Uncle Montague lives alone in a big house and his regular visits from his nephew give him the opportunity to retell some of the most frightening stories he knows.But as the stories unfold, another even more spine-tingling narrative emerges, one that is perhaps the most frightening of all. Uncle Montague's tales of terror, it transpires, are not so much works of imagination as dreadful, lurking memories. Memories of an earlier time in which Uncle Montague lived a very different life to his present solitary existence...Can't get enough spooky stories? Crack open the other thrilling titles in the Tales of Terror series: Tales of Terror from the Black Ship and Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth!

Do you dare to read the Tales of Terror? A stunning and commercial new paperback package for this chilling collection of short stories, illustrated throughout by David Roberts and featuring a gloriously creepy new cover!A boy is put on a train by his stepmother to make his first journey on his own. But what should be a thrilling ride becomes weirder than anyone could have imagined when the train stalls at the mouth of a tunnel and an elegant woman in white offers to help the boy while away the hours by telling him stories.But these are stories with a difference – and each is more deliciously chilling than the last ... Who is this mysterious storyteller, and why are her tales so dark and macabre?Can't get enough spooky stories? Crack open the other thrilling titles in the Tales of Terror series: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror and Tales of Terror from the Black Ship!

Do you dare to read the Tales of Terror? A stunning and commercial new paperback package for this chilling collection of short stories, illustrated throughout by David Roberts and featuring a gloriously creepy new cover. At the Old Inn, which clings precariously to a cliff top above a storm-lashed ocean, two sick children are left alone while their father fetches the doctor. Then a visitor comes begging for shelter, and so begins a long night of storytelling, in which young Ethan and Cathy, who have an unnatural appetite for stories of a macabre persuasion, sit out the last throes of the storm in the company of a sailor with more than enough grisly tales to satisfy them.But something about this sailor puts Ethan on edge, and he becomes increasingly agitated for his father's return. Only when the storm blows itself out can Ethan relax – but not for long, for the new dawn opens the children's eyes to a truth more shocking, more distressing than anything they heard the night before.Can't get enough spooky stories? Crack open the other thrilling titles in the Tales of Terror series: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror and Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth!

''We shall be detectives, Sponge!'' exclaimed Mildew. ''We shall solve the Mystery of the School Spoon!''Mildew and Sponge don''t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when somebody steals the School Spoon and the teachers threaten to cancel the Christmas holidays until the culprit is found, our heroes must spring into action and solve the crime!But what starts out as a classic bit of detectivating quickly becomes weirder than they could have imagined. Who is the ghost in the attic? What''s their history teacher doing with a time machine? And why do a crazy bunch of Vikings seem to think Mildew is a werewolf?Hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed by turns, this brand new series from Chris Priestley is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a bit of bite. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Curse of the Werewolf Boy.

Return to the weird and wonderful world of Maudlin Towers for a second adventure – brilliantly written and illustrated throughout by Chris Priestley in this striking and funny package.Mildew and Sponge don’t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when they are told the school might close, our heroes realise that being apart and somewhere else could be even worse!But what starts out as a secret hunt for buried treasure quickly becomes weirder than Mildew and Sponge could ever have imagined. Who is that new boy who can get people to do whatever he wants just by looking them intently in the eye? (A hypnotist!) Why does that strange teacher have tattoos and a beard? (He’s really a pirate also looking for the treasure!) Could their heartbroken English teacher hold the key to this riddle of riddles? (Just maybe …)Most importantly, can Mildew and Sponge save the day – and the school – once more?This hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed series is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a twist. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Maudlin Towers.

Return to the weird and wonderful world of Maudlin Towers for a second adventure – brilliantly written and illustrated throughout by Chris Priestley in this striking and funny package. Mildew and Sponge don''t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when they are told the school might close, our heroes realise that being apart and somewhere else could be even worse!But what starts out as a secret hunt for buried treasure quickly becomes weirder than Mildew and Sponge could ever have imagined. Who is that new boy who can get people to do whatever he wants just by looking them intently in the eye? (A hypnotist!) Why does that strange teacher have tattoos and a beard? (He''s really a pirate also looking for the treasure!) Could their heartbroken English teacher hold the key to this riddle of riddles? (Just maybe …)Most importantly, can Mildew and Sponge save the day – and the school – once more?This hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed series is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a twist. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Maudlin Towers.

Discover the weird and wonderful world of Maudlin Towers – brilliantly written and illustrated throughout by Chris Priestley in this striking and funny package.Mildew and Sponge don''t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when a meteorite crash-lands in the school grounds, things become even stranger than they have ever been before! Not only do a group of schoolgirls and their teacher turn up needing somewhere to stay, but further investigation of the meteorite soon proves that it might be a spaceship. Could aliens be hiding in the school grounds somewhere? (You might have spotted them already!) Plus, has anyone noticed a giant eyeball floating about the place? Most importantly, can Mildew and Sponge save the day – and the school – once more?This hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed series is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a twist. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Maudlin Towers. Have you read all of Mildew and Sponge''s adventures? Maudlin Towers: Curse of the Werewolf BoyMaudlin Towers: Treasure of the Golden SkullMaudlin Towers: Attack of the Meteor Monsters

The first day at a new school is often tricky, and if the only person who befriends you claims to be a wizard you simply have to make the best of it! Joe is pretty certain that Billy has, as the teacher says, just got an over-active imagination but when he witnesses some pretty odd events at playtime, he's not quite so sure...This is a really engaging book for newly confident readers, which perfectly captures the way young children speak and behave, in the classroom, the playground and at home. It's a refreshing new take both on bullying and on magic.

Shortlisted for the Peters Book of the Year.Seventeen-year-old Frank Palp lives in a grim little apartment, in a grim little building, in an exceedingly grim (and rather large) city. Cobbled streets and near-destroyed bridges lead one through Old Town and Old New Town, and war-damaged houses stand alongside post-war characterless, concrete hutches. Most people walk hunched over, a habit from avoiding snipers, but others are proud to stand tall and make the world take notice . . . This is a city full of contradictions, and Frank is no exception. He mostly hates his life, he definitely hates the ludicrous city he is forced to live in and he absolutely with complete certainty hates the idiots he''s surrounded by . . . and yet he is in love. A love so pure and sparkling and colourful, Frank feels sure it is ''meant to be''. His love is a reward for all the terrible grey that he is surrounded by - which would be great, if the girl in question knew he existed. And then one day, the perfect sign lands in his lap. A message, in a bottle. A wish, for ''anything that isn''t this''. The girl who wrote this is surely his soulmate - and now he just needs to find her.

''Deeply moving'' The Financial TimesDavid is sixteen. A pretty ordinary boy, in most ways - he just wants to hang out in his bedroom, reading his dad''s old comics. Comics that are full of his heroes - those figures whose lives are charmed, special, unique. Life hasn''t been easy recently for David, though. His father died just a couple of years ago, he has a fractious relationship with his mum, and he has fallen out with his best friend. But, David has a secret, which he hasn''t told anyone. He has superpowers. He can soar through the air, he has superhearing, he feels and hears everything super-keenly. So life should be easier, then, shouldn''t it? But somehow it''s not - and when David gets involved with the girl next door, gorgeous Holly Harper, he begins to realise just how very complicated it can get. David''s harbouring another secret, a deeper darker one, and on this journey from boyhood to manhood, will he have the courage to face up to it?

A funny, atmospheric quest through a delightfully strange and spooky school all about finding your way, embracing the (VERY) unexpected and discovering that getting lost can lead to the best adventures of all... When Grace's teacher, Miss Flytrap, asks her class, "Who knows the way to Mr Grimly’s classroom?" Grace puts her hand up straight away. "Me, Miss. I know the way, Miss!" But Grace is new to the school and she doesn't, in fact, know the way. Not one bit. She doesn't even know who Mr Grimly is…-Written by the best-selling author of Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, Chris Priestley, brought to life with incredible cinematic flair by Mariachiara DiGiorgio, winner of the Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Awards for Illustration.- In a school that is a delightful mash-up of Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, Hogwarts and Malory Towers, Grace must find Mr Grimly's classroom to return a book... - But this is a school adventure like no other: Grace’s simple errand becomes an epic journey down atmospheric corridors, through a foggy playground, up a bell tower and even ... across a zip-wire! Her expedition is full of twists, turns and unexpected discoveries including an enormous library and a school kitchen FILLED with cakes!- Starting somewhere new: This fun read-aloud book is ideal for children finding their feet in unfamiliar environments, whether at school or beyond!

A funny, atmospheric quest through a delightfully strange and spooky school all about finding your way, embracing the (VERY) unexpected and discovering that getting lost can lead to the best adventures of all... When Grace's teacher, Miss Flytrap, asks her class, "Who knows the way to Mr Grimly’s classroom?" Grace puts her hand up straight away. "Me, Miss. I know the way, Miss!" But Grace is new to the school and she doesn't, in fact, know the way. Not one bit. She doesn't even know who Mr Grimly is…-Written by the best-selling author of Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror, Chris Priestley, brought to life with incredible cinematic flair by Mariachiara DiGiorgio, winner of the Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Awards for Illustration.- In a school that is a delightful mash-up of Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, Hogwarts and Malory Towers, Grace must find Mr Grimly's classroom to return a book... - But this is a school adventure like no other: Grace’s simple errand becomes an epic journey down atmospheric corridors, through a foggy playground, up a bell tower and even ... across a zip-wire! Her expedition is full of twists, turns and unexpected discoveries including an enormous library and a school kitchen FILLED with cakes!- Starting somewhere new: This fun read-aloud book is ideal for children finding their feet in unfamiliar environments, whether at school or beyond!

"Ambience practically becomes its own character in this spellbinding, near infinite search." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)From an award-winning author and the masterful illustrator of The Midnight Fair comes a tale for anyone who has ever gotten lost in an unfamiliar place—or is drawn to gothic worlds.When Miss Flytrap asks if anyone knows the way to Mr. Grimly’s classroom, Grace’s hand flies up—she can’t help herself, even though she’s a new kid in school and has no idea where to go. Nonetheless, with a book to deliver proudly in hand, Grace sets off on a long, strange journey through a very odd place, full of twists, turns, and creepy characters who give puzzling directions. Climbing dark, cobwebby staircases, feeling her way through a fogged-up playground, careening by zipline from the top of a treacherous tower right into a kitchen window—will she ever find Mr. Grimly’s classroom? With equal parts suspense and humor, author Chris Priestley leads an unsettling school tour for the ages, while Mariachiara Di Giorgio’s atmospheric, immersive illustrations beckon readers on with mesmerizing visual riddles.

A child makes a horrifying discovery in the midst of the Blitz in this chilling WWll horror, perfect for fans of Darren Shan and Neil Gaiman. During the Blitz, Bill wishes he had a brother rather than his sister. After the raid, the family find and adopt a badly mutilated boy, his face so heavily bandaged that they can see nothing but his eyes. But the boy's behaviour grows more and more sinister by the day until one day he takes off the bandages – and Bill is horrified to see his own face staring back at him… Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.