The Wintermoor Lights is the second classified case in The Night House Files and what a chilling, thrilling and terrifying case it turns out to be. I was absolutely hooked from start to finish and cannot recommend this series highly enough to readers of 11+.
Tara Fisher’s best friend, Zoe, has suddenly changed. Rather than hanging out with Tara and their friend Dennis, she has become friends with arch-enemy Jackie. Could this have anything to do with the mysterious lights that Zoe witnesses over Wintermoor on her way home from an early morning swim?
It is not long before more and teenagers witness the lights, often appearing in a trance-like state, and sharing that they have been ‘chosen’. Whilst Tara has the unsettling feeling that something dangerous and strange is happening, and is determined to discover the truth as she becomes increasingly isolated, parents and teachers dismiss it as a teenage prank. If only they had listened, then the children might not have started to disappear …
This is an incredibly gripping read, made even more so as it feels like these events genuinely took place thanks to the use of newspaper articles, interview transcripts, diary excerpts and a reliable narrator. Now, I wonder where the real Wintermoor is?
The illustrations are absolutely stunning and really capture both the fear and tragedy engendered in this case as well as the chilling horror visited upon Wintermoor by something … but I’ll let the reader find out the truth for themselves.
Another unmissable and compelling case from The Night House Files. And now I’m eagerly awaiting the next case: The House of Horrors, released in May 2026.
Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke who publish dyslexia-friendly, super-readable and accessible books for children of all ages. This is suitable for 11+.
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