The Last Day of October

🎃🏚️👻🔥

by Phil Hickes

★★★★★

Things I loved:

👻 Perfect spooky Halloween read for UKS2 readers

😱 Short but full of real horror thrills

🌲 Classic ghost-story vibe with kids exploring eerie ruins

🌫️ Creepy fog and chilling atmosphere throughout

⏳ Fast-paced and suspenseful

🖤 Simple yet spine-tingling plot

✏️ Fantastic illustrations that boost the spooky vibes

📖 Dyslexia-friendly and great for reluctant readers

🎃 Another haunting hit from Phil Hickes!

At a glance

✍🏼  Author: Phil Hickes

🎨 Cover artist: Oriol Vidal

📅 Release Date: 9th October 2025

📚 Book type: Illustrated chapter, 96 pages

🌟 Reader level: Growing (content 10+)

Dive Deeper

Review

The Last Day of October by Phil Hickes is an absolute winner for this Halloween — perfect for UKS2 readers who love a good spooky story!

I had no doubt I’d enjoy this one, as I already love Hickes’ Aveline Jones series. I wasn’t sure how a full horror story could work in such a short book, but he absolutely nailed it.

The story has a brilliant classic horror feel: three children head into the woods on Halloween night to explore the ruins of an old, burned-down house. As the fog closes in around them, they begin to realise that history might just be repeating itself…

I loved how simple yet chilling and suspenseful the plot is. The pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish, and the eerie atmosphere builds perfectly without ever going too far for younger readers.

The illustrations add to the spooky mood, and the dyslexia-friendly format makes it a great choice for reluctant or struggling readers — though maybe not for the faint-hearted!

Another brilliant success from Phil Hickes — this one’s sure to be front of class this Halloween! 🎃

Blurb

Bored with trick-or-treating, three friends venture into the woods on Halloween night to hunt for the haunted McBride House in this spine-tingling horror story from Phil Hickes.

If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a nasty surprise …

Seeking creepy thrills instead of candy, Cody and his friends set out on Halloween to search for the ruins of the haunted McBride House in the woods near his home in Oregon.

The house has taken on a sinister legendary status after it burned down a hundred years ago with tragic consequences, and it’s said that the ghosts of the family who lived there return each year on the last day of October.

But when they find the house, the truth of what is happening on this eerie autumn night is more terrifying than the three teenagers could ever have imagined …

Should I read this book?

You should read this book if you...

Help me to read

• Halloween: celebrated on 31st October each year

A long time ago, people in Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of Europe celebrated a festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). It marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. People believed that on this night, spirits could visit the living, so they lit bonfires and wore costumes to scare away ghosts.

• Turnip: A long time ago in Ireland and Scotland, people used to carve turnips instead of pumpkins! They made scary faces in them to keep away a spooky spirit called Stingy Jack.

• Pumpkin: When people from those countries moved to America, they found pumpkins, which were bigger, easier to carve, and looked amazing when lit with candles inside.

Where can I find this book?

Why not also try...