Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

Reviewed by Lori
Title: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror

Author: Christ Priestley

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 22147

Description: Uncle Montague lives alone in a big house and his regular visits from his nephew give him the opportunity to relive some of the most frightening stories he knows. But as the stories unfold, a newer and more surprising narrative emerges, one that is perhaps the most frightening of all.

 Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It

 Why I Read It: I like ghost stories and this one sounded interesting.

 Notes: While visiting his eccentric Uncle Montague in a strange house through the woods, Edgar is regaled with ghostly stories about many of the objects in his Uncle’s parlour.  These objects include an old broken watch, a demon bench end, a pair of garden shears, and a gilt frame. I really enjoyed this book. The stories felt new and while some of the chapters were verbose and long, it made you feel like you were reading an old Victorian ghost story. The end of each chapter is an enticement toward the next story and you can understand Edgar’s reluctance to leave his Uncle’s house when surrounded by so many strange and wonderful things.  The revelation at the end of the novel was interesting. I did read this aloud with my son and I did have to explain the endings of some of the stories to him; that the characters had indeed died or were dead. I think he was surprised that a child could be the perpetrator of some of the heinous crimes in the stories.

 Recommended Readers: Grade 4 and up.

Themes: Ghosts, Choices, Family, Accidents, Death and Dying, Courage

 Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events
Book: A Christmas Carol
Music: Ghost Song by Max Ablitzer
Websearch: Victorian Ghost Stories

 Inquiries and Activities:

  • What was your favourite ghost story?  Why?
  • Which story did you find the most frightening? 
  • Find an object and write a ghost story about it.
  • Why does Edgar stay even though he is afraid? 
  • Who is in Uncle Montague’s house?
  • Do you think Edgar will visit his Uncle again? 
  • How does this book address the theme of “bad children”

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