Games and Goblins by Alan Berkshire

Jonathan is a thirteen-year old boy who lives in the United Kingdom and loves creating miniature models and dioramas. Unfortunately, it is a hobby that his father neither understands nor approves of despite Jon's obvious talent. When Jon's younger brother, Gavin, accidentally causes the destruction of something that Jon had put so much time and effort into creating, he takes a walk in the woods to be alone and to allow himself to calm down. There he finds a sparkly mud that he thinks might be used to repair his models, but little does he know what else the mud will do to them.

I read a review copy of this young adult horror novel and enjoyed it. When the models first come to life, they are smart enough to pretend that they are still simple models rather than the evil beings that they have become. But don't worry, if the figure that the magic mud brings to life is a formed to be a hero rather than a villain, the being that is brought to life takes on the personality of a hero, which is why Jon's first figurines sought to destroy any others who might stand against them. While this is often the basis of many horror books or movies, it is one that works well, especially as it is written here.

I enjoyed seeing Jon's realization that the figures he created were responsible for so much harm, and watching as he struggles to find a way to stop the evil army that he had unknowingly brought into being. After all, how does one explain to adults that the models you created were the ones doing the killing? When those models are smart enough to pretend to be nothing more than the "toys" the appear to be, what adult is likely to believe a teenager trying to place blame on a miniature model?

This was a nice little young adult horror novel that really tugs at the heartstrings while reading it. It's not a long book, and thus is A quick and easy read, but one that I think most might enjoy. It is not “Steven King” scary so those that enjoy really disturbing horror novels will likely find this book too tame for them, but it is just scary enough that I don't think it would be too much for younger readers to be able to enjoy. And as an adult reader, I myself did also enjoy the story. So I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is looking for something that is somewhat frightening, but not too scary overall.