It's a story about two sisters who run away from an orphanage and for young girls, it has everything going for it. There are wonderful descriptions of clothes, dolls and girls' friendships and an adventure. It was my favourite book when I was that age, too

This tale of a marvellous year in the lives of two small waifs will charm readers old and young

Marvellous

Nancy and Plum are lovable characters whom readers will be drawn to

A lovely, forgotten classic that deserves to be reprinted

A charming tale for readers old and new

I read it a dozen-odd times as a child – and nowadays it’s my flu book. If I’m ever under the weather, I read it and cheer myself up

As in the first volume there are plenty of heart-stopping moments and a generous dollop of gore, but nothing most teens and confident readers can't handle: in fact, the problem will be to persuade them to put the book down. In short, it's both gross and engrossing!

The Whispering Skull frees Stroud to let his flair for spectacle run riot, resulting in several deftly constructed set-pieces far more akin to true horror than the ghost house antics of the first book.

As in the first instalment, Stroud manages to perfectly balance grisly encounters with gleefully sarcastic humour.

This is quality reading for young and old. Bring on those ghosts, but first hand me my rapier!

There's a dark, macabre air to these books that Stroud handles with an expert touch, perfectly balancing the supernatural with witty repartee and serpentine plots (no one could ever accuse Stroud of dumbing down). After The Screaming Staircase, our trio is back with a second instalment to sort out a seriously creepy talking skull trapped inside a glass jar. Ghost-busting has never been more engrossing.

The spine-tingling performance of Lyons’ narration will keep listeners on the edge of their seat.