HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW
Book: A Whisper in the Night: Tales of Terror and Suspense
Author: Joan Aiken
Jacket Illustrator: Mark Gerber
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, republished 1984
ISBN-13: 978-0385293440 Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0385293445 Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0006721338 Paperback
ISBN-10: 0006721338 Paperback
Language level: 3
(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)
Recommended reading level: Ages 12-15
Rating: **** 4 stars
(5 stars=EXCELLENT; 4 stars=GOOD; 3 stars=FAIR; 2 stars=POOR; 1 star=VERY POOR; no stars=NOT RECOMMENDED)
Category: Short stories
Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker
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Aiken,Joan. A Whisper in the Night: Tales of Terror and Suspense (Published in 1981 by Delacorte Press, 1 Dag Hammerskjold Plaza, New York City, NY 10017). I picked this book up from the free table of our local library because of the writer’s name. Joan Aiken was the author of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Bridle the Wind, both of which I enjoyed reading immensely. However, Whisper in the Night is not a novel but a collection of thirteen tales blending the commonplace and the bizarre which focus on the encounters of young people with the supernatural, as in “Homer’s Whistle,” the tale of an unpopular student who masters the powers of a ghostly artifact to seek refuge in a happier time.
Along with “Homer’s Whistle,” the stories in this collection include “Lob’s Girl” in which a stray dog adopts a family and is loyal to his mistress beyond death; “Finders Keepers” where an unpopular schoolboy finds that some lost things should stay lost; and “Two Races” about a detective who is unable to save the victims of a tragic local ritual. Besides some common euphemisms (e.g., gosh), the words “God” and “Lord” are used as interjections, and there is a reference to drinking beer. These “strange” stories are identified as “terror” and are probably best for older readers but in my estimation are fairly tame, more spooky than true horror. Aiken’s idea is to create weird situations and then leave things open at the end.
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