While on holiday Carl has to discover whether its his past or the legend of The Lost Lad causing him to have strange experiences. Carl is dealing with the loss of his best friend. After a horrible accident his parents take him for a break to the Peak District. There he helps out on a neighbouring farm and is told about the tale of The Lost Lad. But strange things happen and Carl isn't sure if he's seeing things, getting real and imagination mixed up or really seeing ghosts. A great atmospheric tale for upper KS2 from the fabulous Berlie Doherty.

Thanks NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. A easy good read, kept my attention throughout and enjoyed.

I have loved Berlie's books for years, as a Derbyshire residents and Children's librarian. It's a well told story of coming to terms with loss, as Carl struggles to deals with the death of his best friend. Mingled with the local legend of The Lost Lad, this perfectly handles complex issues and emotions for middle grade and YA readers. The characters are great, the parents are well rounded and convincing, while Carl himself is just such a wonderfully vivid character, venerable, heartbroken, yet resilient. As with many of her other books, this perfectly captures the beautiful and often haunting landscape of the Peak District, I could easily picture the areas she was describing. It's a very absorbing and satisfying book, and one I have already recommended to many of the young readers in our libraries.

If you're looking for a spooky mystery story, this is not it. The Haunted Hills is a ghost story in the original sense with tangential supernatural elements that exist as a reflection of the MC's inner turmoil and trauma. What the book does is take a coming of age story and weave it together with one of the hardest aspects of growing: understanding that nothing is forever, not even yourself.



The story follows Carl who was once inseparable from his best friend since birth (they were born on the same day, in the same hospital, which how their mothers became best friends). Carl is lost because Jack, his best friend and adopted brother, died suddenly. (No spoilers on how). He's so lost in fact that he's detaching from reality to some extent. The family doctor recommends a short break away to help him readjust. His parents take him to stay in a remote farm cottage in the Derbyshire hills. On his first day there, Carl gets more conventionally lost when he wanders off for a walk by himself. A strange shepherd boy and an unusual dog show him the way home. Carl then discovers that there is no local farm lad but there is a local ghost story of the lost lad...



This was an immensely satisfying read. I think some readers may find it a bit low key by today's style of middle grade fiction, but it really delved in Carl and Jack's friendship and how small strains, little pushes and pulls made things difficult as that friendship evolves towards adulthood. This makes the wrenching void where Jack should have been now that Carl has to face growing up without him. It was also lovely to see parents who, though also bereaved, were doing everything they could to help their son overcome the worst of his grief, even while getting some of it wrong because it's not something you can get completely right. This was intelligent, poignant (I choked up several times) and thought provoking. Easily accessible for a mid grade audience despite it's difficult themes. Not a spooky read but a great one nevertheless.

This tale about grief, guilt and loss is aimed at younger readers but relevant no matter the age of the reader. This deals with such heavy themes for younger readers in a very simple, but not simplistic way. It was very bittersweet to learn about the relationship between Carl and Jack, and how Carl's grief and mental health manifest into a possible ghostly presence as a way of dealing with the grief. The conclusion was a nice addition leaving the reader to wonder if there really was a ghostly element to it all.

Very sad story about grief and moving on after your world has been turned on its head but finding a way through and coming out of the other side.

Carl is visiting in the Peak District with his parents to give him time to deal with a traumatic event. As we go through day to day life with Carl, we also learn about the accident that lead him to this point. Carl also gets caught up in a local ghost story about a lost lad, but no one else seems to see and hear the strange going ons. Is it all in his head or is something supernatural going on....

Bittersweet story about grief and moving on after your world has been turned on its head.

Loved the description of the location, the author really knows how to set a scene, thought this was going to be a ghost story but it was in fact about a boy dealing with his demons. Was an enjoyable read though.

A moving tale of grief and loss, and the tricks our minds can play when we let ourselves be overcome. I've always been a Berlie Doherty fan, and this novel felt like a return to children's fiction of the 50's and 60's. The one thing I will say is that I hate this cover with a fiery passion.

An atmospheric and eerie book that kept me hooked. A poignant story, well plotted and featuring interesting characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

With thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

The Haunted Hills is a brilliant book. It kept me hooked from the very first page to the last.
Very spooky and very atmospheric, there was times that I'm sure I heard footsteps on the stairs.
This book is beautifully written and at times is utterly heartbreaking. You really feel for Carl and all the things he goes through.

The style of the writing makes you feel like you are on the Moors with Carl.
I shall be on the look out for more books by Berlie

Gripping, emotional and beautifully written - Berlie Doherty's "The Haunted Hills" is perfect to cosy down and read in the autumn months.

It follows the story of Carl who is grief stricken at the loss of his friend. His parents decide that a get-away into the country will support their son's healing process.

Carl slowly puts events together with the reader in tow. Through Carl, the reader can explore grief; its dark and confusing times, often laced with guilt.

Meanwhile, are there ghostly goings-on up in the beauty of the hills, or are the ghosts merely those in the imagination that Carl must face before being able to move on?

I love the voice the author has given Carl and how they have brought local legend - the lost lad - into play. It just intertwines beautifully.

I couldn't help but be captivated by the imagaery of the hills that the writer has created - I even had to go and research the legend for myself.

Grief is such a hard topic to capture and explore as it's so different for everybody. However, I feel the author really does do the topic very well. It's open, raw but still holds sensitivity.

Heartbreaking but yet still full of hope, this story will stay with me for a long time to come.

Carl is trying to come to terms with the death of his best friend Jack whilst staying away with his parents in the countryside .. but is something other than his memories haunting him?

This book was a lot more emotional than I think I expected. It is a very honest and raw example of grief especially in that of a younger person. I think I hoped for more of the ghostly stuff yet still enjoyed the story overall. It is well written and although the ghost element felt a bit faint it was still a little unsettling.

to come to terms with the loss of his best friend, Jack and find a way to move on. As his mental health deteriorates, the line that separates the real world and the spirit world becomes blurred. Are the hills actually haunted or is Carl being chased by his own demons…?

The portrayal of grief, depression and regret in the story was so honest and raw and in this sense, it had all the feels of The Hunt for The Nightingale or Furthermoor.

I think I found this tale so eerie because it could be true! In Berlie’s author notes she reveals that The Lost Lad story, is based on something that is said to have really happened in the Peak District many years ago. I’m familiar with Ladybower Reservoir and the crash site of the WW2 Bomber at Higher Shelf Stones, both of which feature in the book so images of these bleak locations flooded my mind as I read and sent shivers down my spine. Ghosts and the unsettling wild landscape, this is just perfect for Autumn.

An emotional exploration of grief, the subtle way the cause of the grief was introduced allowed the emotion to be the main focus and create an emotive setting.

Do wish the ending had been left out as this took away the mysterious tone set throughout and reduced the idea of what the mind can create when in grief to a ghost story. A ghost story which was not fully explored throughout the book so meeting the ghost felt out of place.

Carl is lost. Without his best friend Jack, he feels unmoored from life. His parents have taken him on a country retreat to help heal his grief, but the old sloping cottage on the moors doesn’t feel like home. Without Jack waiting there, home doesn’t feel like home anymore either. So Carl is lost, but not as lost as the Lost Boy and his dog who wander the moors…

This book was much sadder and much less chilling than I expected. Rather than scary, the constant hinted presence of a ghost seemed almost like a reassurance to the lonely Carl. It was his own memories that were cruel in their haunting of him.

I don’t think I am really the target audience for this book and I think that this prevented me from truly connecting to Carl as a character. However, I could feel his grief quite acutely. From my perspective I would have liked to learn more about April and was disappointed that her story was not given more space.

The bonus content at the end of the book rounded it off quite nicely in my opinion. It didn’t really change how I viewed the overall plot, but it did create a mystical tone which was an interesting way to conclude.