Maggie is NOT happy. Her mum has told nine-year-old Maggie and her five-year-old sister Lily that they are moving from the big city of Leicester to a tiny town in the country called Knobbly Bottom. It’s so unfair!

Before she knows it, they’re packed up, moved and living in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and Maggie is incredibly boooooored. She likes to write lists about this change in her life,

Good things about Knobbly Bottom(according to her mum anyway):

Fresh country air

They could have a horse

A much safer place to bring up children

Bad things about Knobbly Bottom (according to Maggie)

The air smells of cow poo. All.The.Time

Her friend once climbed a tree in the country, fell out and broke her leg

There is nothing to do!

But then things start getting interesting, then weird, then scary, then terrifying and an all out war on evil! There is a shopkeeper who claims to eat children, so warns them to stay out of his shop. There is a weird lollipop-sucking old lady who likes to say duckalucks a lot, and the sheep in the paddocks around their new home look decidedly dodgy.

These things are automatically added to the bad things list, but something good happens when they meet their neighbour’s grandson, Fred. Fred has a father in the army and likes to wear cammo clothing. The skills learnt from his dad are about to become very handy.

One night on hearing a noise outside, Maggie looks out into her garden. A pair of glowing red eyes look right back at her with menace and Maggie knows that’s not normal. Even for a strange place like Knobbly Bottom. A war of trying to get her mum to believe what she saw, along with a full on assault from a growing flock of creepy sheep, soon fills her days – and nights, with Fred and Lily alongside.

Seeing these sheep grow vampire fangs is even more frightening, but still, mum won’t believe her. Maggie learns the sheep leader’s master plan and knows that only she, Lily, and Fred are in the vampire sheep’s way.

The striking cover and funny title drew me straight to this book. I wasn’t disappointed.

The Beasts of Knobbly Bottom – Attack of the Vampire Sheep is the first book in a series. The tiny town of Knobbly Bottom is the key of this series with a terrible secret held close by residents. Something terrible looms nearby and they know that there is bound to be more trouble in the future – hence, more exciting reads to come!

And it is exciting. It begins with a move from a large city to a tiny town and a very grumpy main character. Grumpy Maggie may be, but she is funny too. I loved the way her mind works and how she tries to convince her mum the move is a bad idea.

Maggie tells the story direct to the reader, warns them when something scary is coming up, offering them an alternative, and then launches into things head first. She’s prickly, argumentative, loyal, and loves her little sister nearly as much as she loves biscuits.

There are dozens of funny illustrations throughout the story, clever chapter headings, a recipe for garlic bread at the end of the book, along with more info on the characters and their best traits.

Can’t wait until the next adventure with Maggie and crew in Knobbly Bottom.

Author – Emily-Jane Clark

Illustrator – Jew Crowther

Age – 7+

(2024, Scholastic Aust, Humour, Animals, Mystery, Action, Adventure, Courage, Family, Fantasy, Friendship, Horror, Series, Sheep, Funny, Garlic, Vampire, Water Guns, Super Soaker, Fighting back, Town Secret)