Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
In the depth of the night, a dark shape rises from Whitby harbour and crawls along the deserted streets, leaving a trail of slime in its wake. As Ben murmurs fitfully in his sleep, two glittering clusters of eyes stare keenly at the sleeping boy... Along the windswept Whitby shore, Nelda the aufwader nurses a terrible secret. It is only a question of time before she must reveal the truth... As Alice Boston lies paralysed by illness in her Whitby home, the ghost of a long-dead friend appears before her to warn of a great and impending danger... This is the third enthralling book in the Whitby series.
Is The Whitby Child appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
This atmospheric fantasy features menacing supernatural creatures stalking children, body horror elements (slime trails, multiple eyes), a paralyzed elderly character, and ghostly warnings of danger. The tone is genuinely dark and suspenseful for middle grade.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, illness, and body horror.
Who'll love this
Readers who love spooky coastal mysteries with creeping horror and brave kids facing supernatural threats will be hooked by this dark fantasy.