Below Zero

"Dan Smith is an incredible author, he’s got such a range. He writes historical things but he also writes more horror-based books. He’s an author who obviously knows the horror genre; you know that he has watched every horror movie, he’s read all the horror books . There are loads of little nods to classic horror in his stories, which I really love. I think a lot of them are things that you’ll recognise as an older person reading it, which is really fun, like a nod to A Nightmare on Elm Street . As a child, you wouldn’t know those links, but you would still enjoy the scare in them. Below Zero , it’s got the setting. I think when you live in a country where you don’t get lots and lots of snow, any book that sits in ice and snow always instantly puts you in that different place. It’s all icy, and it’s got that more chilling atmosphere. There are some really scary bits in this book, so I’d say it’s horror for children age 10-12. He’s also got a great series for Barrington Stoke, the dyslexia-friendly books, called The Crooked Oak . He’s got three out so far, I’ve read them all. They’re brilliant because they’re shorter stories, they’re great for engaging children with all those classic little horror moments that make you go “ooh”, and really creepy villains. It’s well thought out, it’s not otherworldly, there’s always a solid reason behind things, which he explains. I think it’s nice for children to have things explained so they don’t get terrified that the same thing is going to happen to them. There’s always logic and somebody has done something that’s made that happen. He has really strong central characters. The children that are facing the dangers are brave, they deal with things really well, and I think that’s always lovely and reassuring to read, as a child reader especially. It’s so clever to write those moments of absolutely chilling horror where nothing disgusting has happened. There’s no big monster, just a little thing like a message that puts fear into you. That’s such brilliant writing, especially for children where you can’t be over the top with the gore. Dan is so good at those subtle touches that make you shudder."