Dan Poblocki’s More Tales to Keep You Up at Night is a properly creepy book for 11 year olds, a string of scary stories held together by a boy who can’t stop pressing play.<\/p>\n
Gilbert’s big brother Ant is lying in a hospital bed, and the doctors aren’t sure what’s wrong with him. Then Gilbert finds a leather satchel of old cassette tapes. There’s a garbled voicemail from Ant too, warning him to leave them alone. (Of course he doesn’t.)<\/p>\n
Each tape is a story. The first is about Tony, who takes over a friend’s after-school job delivering envelopes for a boss he never sees. There are four rules, and it’s very important not to break them. The next is about a spiky black seashell on a foggy beach that whispers to whoever holds it to their ear. Then there are strange little gifts that keep appearing by a girl’s bed.<\/p>\n
Between the tapes, we’re back with Gilbert, and the stories start to feel far too close to home. Tony has a friend called Matt Miller. Ant has a friend called Matthias Mueller. Tony’s grandmother came from St Croix, and Gilbert’s comes from St Thomas, the island next door.<\/p>\n
That’s what makes it so hard to put down. Each tale has its own nasty sting, and there’s a bigger mystery pulling you through. Who can stop at just one more?<\/p>\n
The chills are the old-fashioned kind. A knock at the door in the night. Footsteps that stop by the bed. Something that has clearly been trying to get into the boot of the car.<\/p>\n
Worth knowing before you hand it over. These are real horror stories, and they don’t always end kindly. In the very first one a boy disappears from his bedroom, leaving bloody handprints on the windowsill, and another is attacked by a creature on an empty train. Gilbert’s worry about his brother in hospital runs all the way through as well. This sits at the very top of this shelf, and a reader who scares easily will find it too much.<\/p>\n
For a confident reader who loves being frightened (and who doesn’t mind sleeping with the light on), it’s a treat.<\/p>\n
If they want more from the same author, try The Stone Child. Eddie is rereading one of his favourite scary books in the back of the car when something with four long, thin legs steps out of the woods in front of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dan Poblocki’s More Tales to Keep You Up at Night is a properly creepy book for 11 year olds, a string of scary stories held together by a boy who can’t stop pressing play. Gilbert’s big brother Ant is lying in a hospital bed, and the doctors aren’t sure what’s wrong with him. Then Gilbert […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11785,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"lr_next_read_post_id":9431,"lr_next_read_anchor":"The Stone Child","lr_seo_hook":"Old cassette tapes, a brother in hospital and stories that bite."},"book_tag":[1051],"age_group":[28],"book_type":[1044],"book_author":[222],"class_list":["post-8111","our-books","type-our-books","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","book_tag-scary-books","age_group-books-for-11-year-olds","book_type-paid","book_author-dan-poblocki"],"yoast_title":"More Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki | Little Reads","yoast_metadesc":"Old cassette tapes, a brother in hospital and stories that bite. For ages 11+. 3,000+ books in the Little Reads app. 7-day free trial.","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n