10+: The Spooks Bestiary - Joseph Delaney, Ill. Julek Heller

Release Date: 07/10/10

BOOK BLURB:

This is a companion title to the phenomenally successful Spook's Apprentice Series . Discover how to bind a boggart and deal with a dead witch in this fascinating and lavishly illustrated Spook's own 'notebook'. This is a must for die-hard fans of the series and an irresistible introduction to the Dark and the dangerous for new recruits. 'My name is John Gregory. What follows is my Bestiary - my personal account of the denizens of the dark I've encountered, together with the lessons I have learned and the mistakes I have made. I have held nothing back, and my hope is that the spook who follows me will continue to keep this record of the practical ways in which we deal with the dark'.


REVIEW:

I’m going to admit straight away that I’ve only read Spooks Stories: Witches and now that I’ve been looking at this title feel that I really should be getting the other storiesin the series as this “guide” is beautifully put together.

Drawing from a rich heritage of county folklore, Joseph’s offering could be quite easily adapted for a guide for adults into the area’s old wives tales. It’s definitely creative, it brings creatures to the fore and above all else it’s a title that is easy to dip into. All in a great offering but when backed by Julek Hellers artwork takes this from a good book to a substantially unmissable title. The only change that I’d have made to this personally would have been to include a map with the creature attacks being recorded in easy reference. Even missing this its still a ton of fun and a novel that makes me wish that I had the rest of the series to enjoy now.