Will Mabbitt

Jake runs into a scary stranger who wishes him good morning, then hands him a box, which turns out to contain a withered human finger. Not knowing what to do, he carries it around in his backpack because his parents have recently split and Jake can't decide on who to tell. His indecision may save his life, because the scary stranger returns and is required to bring Jake, an unlicensed human to opened Embassy property, to the Embassy of the Dead for eternal punishment.
A fast moving and show more original story about mistaken identity and all the red tape involved in being dead. It features the worst illustrations I've ever seen in a book. show less

‘Leave your life at the door. (Thanks.)’ You will savour phrases just like this all through the reading of Embassy of the Dead. They will tickle your funny bone so much, you will want to share each gem with the person beside you. A hilarious, supernatural adventure and, if you open your heart, you will find that the author, Will Mabbitt, cleverly delves into the psyche of a child.
Jake Green is no ordinary kid; he can interact with the spirit world. When mistakenly given a strange box show more containing a severed finger, Jake opens it. This breaks one of the Embassy of the Dead’s most serious laws, and alerts the Embassy who send Mawkins, one of the Embassy’s twelve reapers, to drag Jake to the Eternal Void. Now Jake’s running for his life with the help of the ghosts of Stiffkey, the undertaker, who mistakenly gave him the box in the first place, and hockey stick wielding school girl, Cora. But can he trust them?
Will Mabbit has created a story that grabs you from the start, encompassing supernatural themes with contemporary issues writhe in our society today. Jake, feeling a ‘creeping realisation of insignificance’ (p129) struggles with his limited sense of self-worth both at school and at home. Combine this with a mounting personal guilt as he comes to accept his parent’s separation. As Jake runs for his life foremost in his mind are these problems he faces every day. This makes for some juxtapositions that made me waver between laughing and concern.
Chris Mould’s illustrations are suitably dark and grim yet possessing decorative gothic touches. There are some minor mistakes in the text such as the incorrect use of a name and repetitive actions which were a little confusing but these will not ruin the enjoyment of readers.
A great read for 9yrs+ and the next obvious choice for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant. show less

A fun return to the Embassy of the Dead with Jake and his ghost-friend Cora! When Jake is recalled to the Embassy to fill in as an Undoer, he stumbles upon a much bigger problem, and one that threatens the lives of everyone he cares about. He and Cora set out to save the world, and the underworld, once again.

I actually enjoyed this book even more than the first one. Jake is still a bit unsure of himself, but never unsure of doing the right thing. Cora is bold and ever ready for whatever show more adventure she can find. And sweet Zorro the ghost fox is along for the ride. The story was quick-moving and engaging. In fact, I felt like the book could have been a bit longer. I am hoping in the next book we will find out more about Jake's new pendant, and if the Ambassador will give Jake a little more respect. show less

Look at the cover of this book. What sort of story do you think it will be?

You are right. Scary. But not grownup-horror-scary. Kid-scary.

And that is just what kids want. Ask a group of kids, any kids, anywhere, any time, what kind of stories they want to read and they will say scary.

There are not very many scary stories for kids. I don't know why. And there are very few good scary stories for kids. But this is one of them.