I wanted to love this so much, but I honestly do not. It is not atmospheric or scary enough for me. The cover is scary and I was expecting something truly scary but this one is not. And the illustration inside the book is nowhere near as scary as the one on the front cover and that kind of killed the mood for me. Sorry for a review like this, but it really does not work for me.

A great ghost story for kids. It's not pandering, using more difficult words among the simpler language to challenge and teach kids. I was especially impressed with how the author managed to build atmosphere with simple language. This is definitely the kind of ghost story I would have loved as a kid.

This is a great book for a kid who is perhaps struggling with reading and needs something a bit more simplistic language wise, but still wants a good, exciting story to read. It's also not too long or complicated, so it'll work really well for those who need to build their confidence in reading.

The Thirteenth Chime of Alcott Hall is a great addition to the Collins Big Cat readers as this is an ideal book to help support reading motivation and fluency in the 9-11 reading group.

This is a wonderful ghost story as a Victorian family find themselves trapped within a house for over a century. When Lola and her parents arrive at Alcott Hall to spend the summer with her grandmother who is working at the house, Lola immediately notices a strange figure in a window; this is followed by the sighting of a mysterious lady in the night when she hears a clock in the house strike thirteen.

Lola makes friends with Archie and Poppy who soon join her in trying to solve the mystery of Alcott Hall.

J. P. Rose has written a pitch perfect ghost story for upper key stage 2 readers who may often not want to read longer books- the prose and vocabulary is accessible and the story build in ice and adventure. Monique Steele's illustrations are gloriously gothic and quite scary .

Highly recommended to all readers but especially those 9-11 year olds who may sometimes be reluctant to pick up a book and need something gripping