In a nutshell: ghostly thrills, chills and humour and a pair of child ghost-busters
Readers will be gripped from the opening chapter of this, and if they enjoy fast-moving, well-plotted spooky mystery stories – and who doesn’t? – they’re in for a real treat. No-one believes Bunny Smallbone when she says a monster kidnapped her little brother so she turns to S.C.R.E.A.M., investigators of supernatural crime and mysteries. Its young investigators Charley (Charlotte) and Billy are soon on the case and quickly realise that the town’s legendary monster the Hobb-Hound may not be so legendary after all. With nods to Victorian gothic but with thoroughly modern sensibilities and a great pair of young heroes this is unputdownable stuff and easily walks away with the page-turner prize. ~ Andrea Reece
A message from the author:“With S.C.R.E.A.M. I wanted to have my cake and eat it! I love adventures, I love detective stories, I love monsters and I love to laugh. I’ve done my best to mix all of those ingredients together and write a series chockful of thrills, chills and humour… two children solving supernatural crimes, outthinking the adults, outwitting the villains, and coming face to face with classic monsters.”
Roll up, roll up, if you dare, to Doctor Vindicta's Carnival! Gasp at the dancing ghosts! Grimace at the creepy clowns! It's all harmless fun and frights...until a young boy disappears and his sister swears he was snatched by a monster. Only the bravest detectives can detain a demon: send for supernatural investigators Billy Flint and Charley Steel!
In the S.C.R.E.A.M series Andrew’s main character Charley, is an amazing girl with a brilliant mind. She brings scientific method to the investigations, as well as her charm and dry wit. Charley also happens to be in a wheelchair. Andrew wanted to show that it does not define her – Charley had Polio, and so now being in a chair is just another part of her life. When Andrew was younger, he injured himself badly and his injury meant that he couldn’t dress himself, or cut up his food, and he drove an adapted vehicle. He says of this experience: “I was still me, with all the same hopes and dreams and personality, I just had extra obstacles to overcome. I wanted to use that experience in my writing.”
As a child adventure was everywhere for Andrew Beasley; he went exploring Scunge Island and had an underground base made out of sunken coal bunker. Now that he's grown up, Andrew works as a primary school teacher in Cornwall and the author of The Battles of Ben Kingdom series. The Claws of Evil was his first book for children.
