The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea by Thomas Taylor (8+)

Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter. Especially not when darkness falls and the wind howls around Maw Rocks and the wreck of the battleship Leviathan, where even now some swear they have seen the unctuous Malamander creep…

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger…

Book 2: Gargantis

When an ancient bottle is found washed up on the beach after a ferocious electrical storm, all the residents of Eerie-on-Sea seem to want it … but should they in fact fear it? Legend has it that the bottle contains an extraordinary secret that spells doom for the whole of Eerie-on-Sea. Could it be true that the vast sea creature Gargantis has awoken from her slumbers, and is causing the large cracks that are appearing all across the town? Finding themselves entrusted with the bottle, Herbie and Violet discover they will need to ride the terrible storm and pacify the creature if they want to save Eerie-on-Sea from sliding into the ocean and being lost for ever.

Book 3: Shadowghast

It’s Ghastly Night in Eerie-on-Sea, and the shadows are growing…

On the eve of Ghastly Night, a hypnotic stage magician turns up in Eerie-on-Sea – and makes an unexpected claim on Herbie.

Violet’s guardian, the owner of the Eerie Book Dispensary, vanishes into thin air … and others soon follow.

Are these events connected? Herbie and Violet are determined to find out. But surrounded by so much shadow and illusion, will they ever uncover the truth?