posted on 20 May 2021

The Beast of Harwood Forest by Dan Smith

Dan Smith’s The Invasion of Crooked Oak was an exciting highlight of the Barrington Stoke list in 2020 – one that we reviewed with some enthusiasm when it was released. Now he’s back with another thrilling adventure featuring Pete, Krish and Nancy, the heroes of the Crooked Oak incident.

This time, the three schoolmates are on a field trip to an outward-bound centre on the edge of Harwood Forest that promises plenty of thrills and spills – but not quite the kind the trio ultimately find themselves embroiled in.

We get our first inkling that there might be more to this camping trip than meets the eye when Pete spots an eerily fascinating, disused MOD building nestling just inside the forest as the bus nears the camp. Once spotted, Pete can’t let go of the idea of paying the out-of-bounds properties a visit – and, of course, he convinces Nancy and Krish to accompany him – although Krish is a reluctant companion to say the least!

The staff of the camp have already had a good time scaring the wits out of the children with ghost stories but can it really be the howl of a fox that the children hear in the night and is loud enough to curdle the blood? Or maybe it’s the fabled ‘beast of Harwood Forest’?

Eventually Pete’s curiosity gets the better of him and the intrepid three find themselves pushing into the forbidden forest in search of the abandoned MOD base. And it’s not long until they are well and truly lost – and in the dark of the forest that mysterious howl feels even more scarifying.

Soon they stumble on the buildings they were searching for and start to uncover a truly startling mystery that dates right back to the years of the Second World War. When they find a briefcase stuffed with some startling secrets it becomes clear that the legendary beast is not really a legend but a terrifying reality.

What terrible secrets lie behind the story of the beast and what will happen when Pete, Nancy and Krish actually come face-to-face with the monster known as Grendel?

This is a gripping, high-octane story that had me turning page after page until I’d finished it. Dan Smith certainly knows how to pump his books full of high energy thrills and he unleashes all this in non-stop action and suspense.

As a bonus you also get some excellent illustrations – some of them full page – from the ever reliable and excellent Chris King.

The book is from the Barrington Stoke ‘super readable’ series and is guided for readers of 8 and above.

 

Terry Potter

May 2021