Gloam – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Horror, fighting nightmares, and family.
Children’s book title: Gloam.
Children’s author: Jack Mackay.
Children’s illustrator: Ben Joel Price.
Genre: Children’s fiction / horror.
Published by: Rock the Boat.
ISBN: 9780861549528.
Recommended for children aged: 10+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback August 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: children who enjoy dark fantasy, sibling stories, and emotionally rich horror with themes of bravery and grief.
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Our review:
First things first, this is a terrifying book. The imagery of nightmares becoming real is definitely not for the faint-hearted. But for older 10+ year old fans of horror, this is a thrilling tale of monsters, battling evil and sibling unity.
Gwen is a 13-year-old girl who seems older than her years, often taking care of her younger siblings since their mother died. The story starts with Gwen, Robert and twins Hazel and Hester travelling to Gloam Island with their stepfather Henry, to move into what is known simply as The House, left to them by the children’s grandmother.
Gloam is a bleak place, regularly cut off by the tide, and The House is equally gloomy. But the real horrors start when Henry applies for a job on the mainland and hires the beautiful yet sinister Esme Laverne to look after the children.
When a mysterious cat leads Gwen to a magical talking tree, she receives a warning about the monster that threatens her family:
As it grows in power, terrible things will crawl from your darkest nightmares to soften you up. And when you have been made small and tender and weak, it will devour you.
As rot spreads through the walls of the house, it becomes clear to Gwen that Esme’s sweet smile hides something much darker. Gwen learns that her grandmother was protecting the house against an evil that feeds on fear and that it will take all the children’s courage to defeat it. They are literally battling their own nightmares (the Stitchy Man being one of the most horrifying).
As well as the horror, this book deals with issues to do with grief and families. Gwen is struggling to process the loss of her mother, and has not yet cried over her death. Wise words about the nature of grief come from the unlikely source of the magical tree:
The edges of the absence will grow softer, and soon you will realise that the “nothing” is itself “something” and that “something” is part of you. You are everything you feel. Your grief will shape you into something new.
Henry’s character is complex and touching, as we see him parent the children with kindness, doing the best he can but making mistakes, whilst still hurting from his own loss.
Esme’s manipulative behaviour puts a strain on Gwen’s relationship with Robert, but in the end it is the siblings standing together and facing their fears that defeats evil. There is also an important message about bravery:
And remember: it is impossible to be brave if you are not already afraid.
Our verdict:
Aimed at braver upper KS2 / lower KS3 readers, this is a genuinely terrifying tale with a message about families, bravery and fighting your own nightmares.
Many thanks to Rock The Boat for the review copy.
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