HB RRP $25.95
ISBN: 9781922081377
Reviewed by Anne Hamilton
Slotting
deftly into a niche for reluctant male readers with a taste for just a shivery
suggestion of horror, this is a picture book for a teen audience.
This is a
tricky proposition, because that age group is happy to be seen with a graphic
novel but it’s uber-uncool to be spotted reading a picture book. However the
macabre aspect has just what it takes to overcome the format and woo the boys
in.
Take a
spoonful of mystery, a cup of morbid, season with well-paced tension and layer
with eerie, almost grungy illustrations. Crew and Hill have teamed up for this
unusual offering, aimed mainly at early adolescent males.
One hot
sticky day, two boys—fuelled by boredom, bravado and possibly a need to prove
their parents and grandparents are ‘fraidy cats—dare to cross THE Cornfield.
Yeah, that
cornfield. The one the Pinchy kid went in generations back and never came out.
Festering rumours suggest the kid might still be in there. But he can’t be, can
he?
So the boys
go in.
Short,
scary and moody. If you like your horror subtle and suggestive, rather than
graphic, this is top stuff.
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