Remy Lai is a creator of graphic novels for kids and a very successful one at that. Check out Pawcasso and Ghost Book. This latest book is a bit different in that it is set out in a diary format.

Hannah and her friends have sneaked up to the attic to play a game, Spirit of the Coin, in which they can call forth a spirit. Ever since they played the game Hannah has been experiencing unfortunate accidents. She is sure she is cursed.

After a visit to the nurse who asks her about excessive blowing after a nosebleed, Hannah heads to the Curse Professor for help. Leon Star asks Hannah, ‘Have you come for writing advice?’ Before she could answer the waiter spills the coffee and Leon jumps from the table. When she tells him about the curse, he tells her she doesn’t have much time to fix it! Before she could tell him more his head snaps up and, ‘SCREAK’, his part cyborg teeth fall on to the table! Can she find a way to escape the curse?

This dark but funny horror story is peppered with Lai’s drawings including blood dripping across the pages. She cleverly ties the elements of her doodlely diary-like drawings seamlessly with the diary entry story. The lines between what is real and what Hannah imagines are blurred, which kept me guessing. Some themes might be a bit scary for younger readers who enjoyed her previous books, so beware. But, for older readers who like to have a bit of a funny spooky tale, this will be firmly in their wheelhouse.

Reviewed by Emily Ross

Age Guide 10+

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Remy Lai studied fine arts, with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, Pawcasso, the Surviving the Wild series, Ghost Book, Read at Your Own Risk, and Chickenpox.

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