Robyn Silver: The Midnight Chimes

Paula Harrison's Robyn Silver: The Midnight Chimes is a creepy, funny adventure for 10 year olds about a girl who starts seeing monsters nobody else can.

What happens

Robyn is number three of five, stuck in the middle "like the meat in a sandwich". Her big sister calls her stupid, her little brother pinches crayons and dinner is a race. Life is pretty ordinary. Then a spiny little creature (half goblin, half porcupine) leaps out of the kitchen cupboard and bites her. Her whole family watches her whack thin air with a broom. They think she's lost it!

Next, three huge trees crash onto the school roof overnight. The only place big enough to take all the pupils is Grimdean House, a gloomy mansion owned by the grumpy, wild-haired Mr Cryptorum. There are mirrors everywhere, paintings whose eyes follow you round the room and a locked cupboard with something bony inside. And his smooth assistant, Miss Smiting, has very odd green eyes.

Luckily Robyn isn't on her own. Her best friend Aiden, who'd rather build a go-kart than do fractions, can see things too. Together they start poking into what the old house is hiding.

Robyn tells it all in a chatty, cheeky voice that's easy to love. She moans about her siblings, bets Aiden five pounds the head teacher will cry and is completely honest about being scared. There are proper shivers (a grey face swims up in a mirror at lunchtime!) but plenty of laughs in between.

One of the loveliest bits is when she realises she can see wishes. They float out of people's mouths as shiny bubbles. Her little sister Annie's are full of unicorns and lollipops.

If you've got a reader who likes to be a bit scared but not too scared, this could be just the thing. Anyone who's ever felt invisible in a big, noisy family will feel for Robyn too.

What to read next

For another girl who discovers she belongs to a hidden magical world, Red Moon Rising is a great next step. It's also by Paula Harrison, and Laney's last day of term takes a strange turn when the water in her bottle starts to boil.