Montgomery has given us, in The chime seekers,a contribution to children's literature beginning with a capital L. Perhaps the alert to that came right at the start with the quote from W. B Yeats 'The Stolen Child'... Yanni's life was perfect before his little sister was born and ruined everything. His parents are exhausted, they spend less time with him, and the entire family had to move to accommodate their new member. Yanni just wishes Ari had never been born! Here are some of my favourite sinister faerie worlds from children's books, which all inspired the village of Hallow Fall in my book The Chime Seekers!

The chime seekerswould work as a class novel as a highly engaging read aloud and as a springboard for delving into the ancient world of faery tales and mythology - an imaginative world that has been neglected for some time in the lives of our young people.

Rich in detail, humour and feeling. Ross Montgomery is a singular talent in writing brave and magical adventures.' -Katya Balen

Great resources to help link HURLY BURLY with Shakespeare and Macbeth in class, plus book review sheets and games! You don’t want to fill your scenes with blood and dead bodies and weapons – but you do want your reader to think about them. Every word should be horrible: the trees shouldn’t be wide, they should be bloated. The sun shouldn’t be hot, it should be blood red. Your characters don’t just walk – they creep, they stumble, they shudder and groan. Don’t just say things are weird or creepy or scary: show what makes them scary. He soon discovers that making a wish you don't mean, especially in a strange, new place you don't yet understand, will introduce you to individuals who will grant it for you, and ensure disastrous consequences for everyone. How, how, howdid I wait so long to read Diana Wynne Jones? I love her so much that I basically have to ration reading her books, so I don’t become depressed. This is one of her odder books – closer to Young Adult fiction than Howl’s Moving Castle and Charmed Life – and apparently it divides her fans. I can see why: she perfectly captures the sense of never understanding what’s happening, whether something is really happening or not, and it can feel incomprehensible in way that’s quite upsetting. I love the vision of countryside aristocrat faeries, living in their rustic manor garden parties and sacrificing a soul to hell as a tax every seven years. 3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman Often, people think that scary scenes need to be filled with blood and monsters and screaming and weapons – they don’t at all. A creepy scene is all about making people think something terrible is about to happen – it’s all about making the wind sinister, making the branches twist and writhe, making the grass seem alive. If your main character walks into a room and it’s filled with dead bodies and a man waving a chainsaw, it can actually just be silly!This book’s plot is so terrific that it’s hard to do it justice in a short summary, but it’s reminiscent of much of the best children’s literature – filled with real stakes, danger, tragedies, and lovable, memorable characters. The villain, Lord Renwin, is truly frightening – Yanni is in a match of wits with the devil, and souls are on the line. Yanni’s life is changing. New baby sister, new house in the countryside, new school, new life. But Yanni hadn’t wanted to leave his old life. He liked things as they were, before his baby sister Ari took all of his Mum and Dad’s attention and left no room for him. Nothing is about him anymore, it’s all about Ari. When his parents go out for dinner at Halloween and leave Yanni and his (second) cousin Amy to babysit, things get too much for him and he says out loud the things he has only been thinking up until now. Suddenly a strange visitor arrives, making Yanni uneasy and things take a more ominous path. Amy was also just perfect, a wonderfully nerdy girl who stole my very nerdy heart. She was the perfect yin to Yanni’s yang. Perhaps my favourite though, was Larry. I loved the way that, as the reader, your own thoughts and feelings mirror Yanni’s. At first Larry is terrifying, but gradually you fall in love with the little monster as it becomes clear that he’s just another victim of the big scary villain. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... Walker Books would love to see you enjoying the book with children using these great Teachers’ Notes and Discussion Guide. You can share images on social media using #TheChimeSeekers and tagging WalkerBooksUK, readingagency and mossmontmomery.

A deliciously creepy, wonderfully imaginative, folklore-filled tale from a hugely talented and accomplished storyteller.” A fantastic adventure with shades of Jan Mark, Susanna Clarke and Neil Gaiman … A brilliant example of the best children’s fiction.” A collection of lesson plans and resources for a CHRISTMAS DINNER OF SOULS English topic, each one focusing on a different chapter, and eventually leading to a “Write Your Own Tale” extension project!

Ross Montgomery brings the magical world of British folklore to life in this contemporary fantasy novel. Bursting with Ross's trademark charm, humour and heart, and with echoes of David Bowie's Labyrinth, The Chime Seekers is perfect reading for fans of Emma Carroll, Piers Torday and David Solomons.