Petronella & The Trogot by Cheryl Bentley

Petronella moves to Charis Cottage hidden in the thick dark woods at the bottom of a track on the outskirts of Fort Willow. Everything is perfect. Except for one thing. Since she moved an enormous black tree has appeared in her back garden in the shape of a giant with a big black circle on the ground under it. Petronella finds out it is a deep pit and is terrified to go near its ridge. But one night...

How is the tree linked to:

The creepy night-time visits by the Hooded Horseman? The boy ghost, Percy, Petronella finds in her bed one night? The invasion of ghosts of the ancient Strincas population all over Fort Willow?

Reviews:

"Kids will like this. Girls will like it for romance and boys will like it for the scare factor." - Bookseller, USA

"Full of ghosts and ghoulies, this is an imaginative tale." - Bookseller, UK

“This was presented as a supernatural chiller and I must admit…it was a fantastic and unique read for MG and YA readers.

“I do think that the author showed wonderful imagination in creating this world and these characters.” - Librarian, USA

“I loved this book. The plot was unique to me and the creatures were amazing, there is no need for illustrations as the description of the characters is so good that they leap into your imagination in picture form.

“This book has mild horror, adventure, and morality which all work so well together. The main character – Petronella – becomes a much loved focus of the book and the change in the village is masterfully worked. Some children may find the old English speech of some of the characters hard to adjust to but I am sure that they will get there in the end. This does make distinction between the modern time people and the ancient characters much easier.

“I would be delighted to read more by this author as I found this book totally enthralling and give it a star rating of 5/5 – I loved it.” - Reviewer, UK

“This is a cross between fantasy, horror and mythology. It reads like a fairy tale and I liked it.

“Petronella and her cat are living in her cottage and doing well without the other villagers. Being a bit odd, she has a snail garden. And, one day, she notices a big black tree that she can't recall having been there before. She doesn't know it's going to play an important part in her life.

“Her cat is the one that starts it all. He digs up a skull and some bones and takes them home with him. When the villagers find some other bones in the same vicinity, they dig them up, too. They think they've found a missing family and that Petronella is the killer. When the bones come back to life and they find themselves confronted with people who died long, long ago, the villagers get concerned. Especially since the murdered peasants are reclaiming their homes and land...

“The Hooded Horseman (another peasant from the past) visits Petronella and tells her that she is the chosen one and has a quest to do to help the peasants and right the wrongs of the land and people long dead. Petronella is willing, even if it means visiting the equivalent of hell.

“The author does a nice job of writing a tale that is unique and interesting to read. I couldn’t stop reading until I found out how it all ended. I bet you won’t be able to either.

“Happy reading.” - Bookseller, USA