This is a stunning tale that could’ve easily been expanded for a second book in the same universe. Tyrese was an extremely loveable lead character and pairing this with Rose’s magnetic prose allows for a truly enjoyable read despite showcasing darker elements of life. From the moment they arrived at Grammy's, strange things start to happen, beginning when Tyrese starts to see and hear things. Tyrese is not very receptive when he arrives at Grammy's house and is a bit rude to Grammy and his cousin. Later that first night, Tyrese goes outside to talk to Grammy who is spreading rice on the ground outside her home. Grammy explains it is to keep the evil spirits away but Tyrese thinks his Grammy's superstitions are just that . So, when she asks him to finish circling the house with the rice, he gets scared and brushes it off, leaving the house exposed because he didn't finish the job. That night more strange things begin to happen.... The story also offers great family and friendship values and the horror keeps getting more and more intense. We even find some body horror moments that are also not always seen in a MG story. Soon, though, Tyrese notices that there really are unusual and inexplicable things happening to him. He is haunted by genuinely terrifying ghosts, which are perfectly described to the effect that readers will find it impossible to discern if Tyrese is being haunted by duppies and other ancient ghouls, or if his grief is somehow causing him to lose his grip on reality. The Haunting of Tyrese Walker is a powerful and beautiful metaphor for grief and a fantastic read for horror/paranormal fans.

Yes, I'm writing one now and really enjoying it. It will be another psychological horror, it will be a slightly older YA and this time with vampires. November 2022 Book of the Month | Longlisted for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize 2023 | Shortlisted for The Branford Boase Award 2023 The cast of characters are brilliant, from the friendships that grows between the cousins and the girl they meet, to all the family members that Ty is meeting for the first time. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Ty, his mum, and his nan, showing how hard it can be to open up to your parents even though they are closest to you and love you versus his nan who he knows less but who gives him more space for his grief in her wisdom.Having been adopted, natural curiosity as a teenager led me to discover more about my birth family: my paternal heritage being a wonderful diversity of Jamaican and Nigerian. And it was whilst visiting family for the first time, I initially heard about duppies. Even all those years ago, they sprung my imagination, and I immediately knew this captivating part of Jamaican folklore was something I one day wanted to write about. How do you write such detailed descriptions of the surroundings? Have you based the book's settings on places you know?

Tyrese is grieving and he is struggling to process such a monumental loss so young in his life. He doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't know how. Tyrese's grief is front and centre of this story but there are scary paranormal events aplenty happening around him too and he needs to find out about 'The Shadow Man' and what he wants. Short chapters. 1 - for the obvious reason, and 2 - because J P has also managed to fill each chapter with tension, suspense, fear, uncertainty, and so much more that it’s damn near impossible to put down. You will literally say, “Just one more chapter.” I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding Levi Campbell and his son, and I was so eager to find out more about the 'Shadow Man', the missing, the duppies and other paranormal entities, and what happened all those years ago. Rose said: “Having been adopted, natural curiosity as a teenager led me to discover more about my birth family: my paternal heritage being a wonderful diversity of Jamaican and Nigerian. And it was while visiting family for the first time, I initially heard about duppies. Even all those years ago, they sparked my imagination, and I immediately knew this captivating part of Jamaican folklore was something I one day wanted to write about. To have had the opportunity to celebrate a part of my heritage by writing this contemporary horror story with diversity and inclusion at its heart has been amazing.

Genre

You’ve written crime novels for adults. What are the challenges and rewards of writing for young people? His mom decides that some time off would be really beneficial to him and would give him the chance to reconnect with his culture and his old self. So they take a flight to Jamaica where Tyrese will still struggle at the beginning to adapt. The use of patois and Jamaican supernatural lore is both interesting and educational, it doesn’t matter if like me you know nothing about these things as the book makes it accessible for everyone and I came away wanting to learn more about the subjects.

Tyrese can’t explain what’s going on and he’s scared that he’s losing his grip on reality. Then Tyrese is warned that the mysterious Shadow Man is hunting him. Under threat, Tyrese and his friends set out on a terrifying journey across the island to try and uncover the sinister history of the Shadow Man. Who can Tyrese trust when his own mind is falling apart?” By slowly showing aspects of Tyrese's life such as his father, you are able to fully emotionally connect with his character. Did you ever find yourself debating whether to reveal more or less? Visiting relatives with his mum in Jamaica, after the tragic loss of his father, Tyrese finds it extremely difficult to overcome his negative thoughts and low mood, despite the constant delicious offerings from Grammy’s kitchen and the kind attention of his cousin, Marvin. What’s worse is his Grammy’s tiresome tales of ‘duppies’: spooky spectres that, for reasons that Tyrese refuses to believe, require the scattering of rice about the estate every night just to keep at bay. Then fast forward years later when my mum died, I was heartbroken and it was a very painful time, but it also got me thinking how it would be for young people to deal with grief, how difficult it might be for them to work through it, that's really where the idea of Tyrese Walker came from. Then over a time it built in my head, and I wanted to combine the themes of grief and mental health with Jamaican folklore, and it really just went from there.We are delighted to share the cover for JP Rose’s incredible first YA novel, The Haunting of Tyrese Walker which is illustrated by the brilliant Dananyani Muwanigwa.