The Shop on Peculiar Hill by Grimly Darkwood is available at Amazon UK or Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle format. It is also available at other Amazon sites worldwide. And if you’re signed up for Amazon Unlimited, you can read it on Kindle for free! It is a scary, funny, mysterious fantasy adventure for kids aged around 8 to 12 and adults who don’t get scared too easily. Warning: this book contains monsters!
Artwork by Pete Lyon.
See here to read free sample chapters.
“Unputdownable – an enchanting story that’s so entertaining!” – Eric Brown, author of ‘An Alien Ate Me For Breakfast’
“A fabulous fantasy, exciting and wildly imaginative” – John Guy Collick, author of the ‘Book of the Colossus’ series
Summary: When Peter comes to live with his aunt and uncle at the shop on Peculiar Hill, he has a lot to learn. What are bogeys and heeble-greebs and the other fierce creatures which live in the nearby Vale of Strange? Why is it so important to wear a hat and sturdy boots? And what is this stuff called strangeness which comes bubbling out of the ground? When Peter discovers the dark secret which lurks at the heart of this place, he finds his efforts to make things better do not go according to plan. He sets out to make amends with the aid of his new friend Amanda, but how can he know that requesting her help will prove to be such a very big mistake?
Update: This book has become unexpectedly topical since COVID-19 came into all our lives because Peter’s move to Peculiar Hill puts him in an unfamilar situation. He finds he is not allowed to go out of the house without taking special precautions, such as wearing a hat and sturdy boots. His aunt and uncle use weird protective concoctions called unge and glop which they put on the dining table and spread in a ring round the house, while Aunt Maggie will never even go outside without a long pole to defend herself against the bogeys. Indeed, she never goes out at all except on a Thursday.
How is Peter supposed to adapt to this strange, unfamilar predicament?
What people are saying:
“This book has it all – death, darkness, fearsome creatures, strange vegetables – everything needed to brew up a fantastical tale… The author has written the characters very well, so clearly that you can picture them in your mind – kind of like watching a Harry Potter movie.” – Anne-Marie Reynolds, review for Readers’ Favorite
“A riotously imaginative feast of fantastical adventure with lashings of larger-than-life characters and curious goings-on… this perfectly peculiar page-turner comes heartily recommended for fans of Mr Gum and Philip Ardagh.” – Joanne Owen, review for lovereading4kids
“This balance of dark and light sews together a truly charming adventure that feels so much larger than the sum of its parts. Everything is so vivid and visual – even in the darker places, and you cannot help but hope that this gets turned into a TV series or movie. It’s practically begging for the big screen.” – Sebastian J Brook, drwho-online
“The Shop on Peculiar Hill is not just a wonderfully entertaining fantasy adventure… but a gentle invitation to readers to expand their understanding of language and to look closely at how grown-ups use it. For those who loved A Series of Unfortunate Events and Spiderwick, this series looks like it might be a promising successor.” – The Children’s Book Review
“I can only imagine the creative impact this will have on young minds, and cannot recommend this book enough for yourself, the wee ones in your world, and just anyone you know who will enjoy a quirky, meaningful novel.” – Radzy Writes and Reviews
“The story is by turns mysterious, laugh-out-loud funny, and genuinely tense and gripping. This world feels absolutely real and lived-in – a hallmark of the very best fantasy.” – Amazon UK customer
“Magically and intriguingly weird, a wonderful mix of reality and fiction, escapism for all ages.” – Amazon UK customer
“My 7 year old granddaughter and her 70 year old grandfather both loved it. It’s a brilliant book suitable for 7 year olds upwards.” – Amazon UK customer
“The book is beautifully written, with an interesting story full of adventure and strange creatures… funny and gripping all at the same time.” – Goodreads reader
“Fun and funny, with a plot twist in the best tradition of dark fairy tales” – Amazon.com customer
Volume Two: Stranger Days on Peculiar Hill
Grimly Darkwood 