The Children Next Door

by Jean Ure

Shortlisted for the W.H.Smith Mind Boggling Award 1995 this story focuses on Laura who is intrigued by the children playing next door. But when she meets them, she finds a friendly girl called Zilla and not the children she had clearly seen in the garden. Who can they be?

Genres: Ghosts

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Prolific English children and young adult author.

Had her first book published while still in high school, then studied theater at Webber-Douglas in London. Her most well-known work is the Point Crime novel Dance with Death. Others include Plague 99, After the Plague (previously "Come Lucky April"), Big Tom, Family Fan Club and Shrinking Violet, as well as the fantasy The Wizard In the Woods.

Today, Ure is very popular with British female teenage readers with novels such as Shrinking Violet, Family Fan Club and Passion Flower.

Ure has also translated Danish writer Sven Hassel's WWII novels to English.

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book.

I'm not entirely sure why Laura was seeing Em, Tommy and Kate, and considering that it's a children's book, I think that that should be a tad more obvious. Truthfully, the plot would unravel if Laura would have actually asked questions rather than waiting for somebody to tell her things.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is filled with slight confusion in the beginning but once you get passed that you might start doing what I did and make theories about how it will end up. I’m not the best at writing reviews but this book is definitely worth the read if you like something with slight coming of age and discovery, mystery and fun, and other elements I can’t recall at the moment of making this.

[John Able · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the girl in the blue tunic, this is the second ghost story I've read by Jean Ure. The author writes such wonderful characters that I'm always sad when reaching the end and would like to spend more time in the worlds she creates. Pre teen books can be hit or miss or sometimes feel like a writer has just phoned it in, but in this case I feel the author takes time and care with her work. This book also tries to deal with the difficult subjects of aging and death and does so in a way that makes its subject a little less scary.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about ghost stories and this one left me confused.

[Jack Phelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favourites as a child and still holds up as a solid children's ghost story

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was younger, even though it kinda freaked me out!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great juv. fiction. Slightly a ghost story/mystery. Not very scary at all. Would be great for ages 8+.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It only took me about 2 hours to read it but it would be a very interesting book for a pre-teen to read. I liked it myself. Easy words but not to easy that they would get board.