Dark Powers Series by Ann Pilling

Colin and Prill were looking forward to a holiday of fun and adventure in Ireland. It would have been perfect if only they hadn't had to drag along their cousin Oliver. But Oliver, it turns out, isn't their biggest problem. Almost from the moment they arrive, Colin feels sick from an awful smell, so powerful and horrible that it seems to be rising from the land of the dead. At the same time, Prill is visited by a strange creature creeping into her dreams... moreColin and Prill were looking forward to a holiday of fun and adventure in Ireland. It would have been perfect if only they hadn't had to drag along their cousin Oliver. But Oliver, it turns out, isn't their biggest problem. Almost from the moment they arrive, Colin feels sick from an awful smell, so powerful and horrible that it seems to be rising from the land of the dead. At the same time, Prill is visited by a strange creature creeping into her dreams. Who is she, and what does she want? Only Oliver seems untouched by the danger. As the hot summer days continue, their terror mounts and their baby sister becomes critically ill. Oliver links the present horror with the terrible famine in Ireland of the 1840s - and the strange occupant of the nearby caravan, whose land was lost then through eviction - and he must bring about the reconciliation to save himself and his cousins. less

Ann Pilling manages to combine fascinating historical detail with mysterious and compelling ghost stories, and THE BEGGAR’S CURSE is no exception. Published as an ebook for the first time, it will attract a whole new wave of fans.Ever since Ann Pilling’s debut novel, BLACK HARVEST, now a Collins Modern Classic, she has built her reputation into one of our best-loved and most talented contemporary writers for children. She won the Guardian Fiction Award for HENRY’S LEG... moreAnn Pilling manages to combine fascinating historical detail with mysterious and compelling ghost stories, and THE BEGGAR’S CURSE is no exception. Published as an ebook for the first time, it will attract a whole new wave of fans.Ever since Ann Pilling’s debut novel, BLACK HARVEST, now a Collins Modern Classic, she has built her reputation into one of our best-loved and most talented contemporary writers for children. She won the Guardian Fiction Award for HENRY’S LEG. THE BEGGAR’S CURSE follows the same children who appear in BLACK HARVEST – Colin, Prill and Oliver.In THE BEGGAR’S CURSE, Colin, Prill and Oliver arrive to stay in the village of Stang, where they soon realise that there’s something terribly wrong. Prill feels something sinister in the ancient rituals of the village play… Colin knows the ‘accidents’ that keep happening are something much more gruesome… But only Oliver seems to know the truth. He understands the dark secret the village is hiding and senses that it comes from the black waters of Blake’s Pit. He can even feel the terrible power of the beggar’s curse…Ann Pilling has managed, yet again, to create a mysterious, compelling and gripping tale. less

The Pit is a powerful story, encompassing plague-ridden London, ghosts from the past and present, and one boy’s determination to solve unanswered questions and cure an old man’s terror.When an old man comes to stay with Oliver’s parents, Oliver is astonished by the man’s acute phobia of fleas and rats. Determined to discover the source of the old man’s terror, Oliver is drawn to a demolition site, where workmen are suffering appalling mental injuries... moreThe Pit is a powerful story, encompassing plague-ridden London, ghosts from the past and present, and one boy’s determination to solve unanswered questions and cure an old man’s terror.When an old man comes to stay with Oliver’s parents, Oliver is astonished by the man’s acute phobia of fleas and rats. Determined to discover the source of the old man’s terror, Oliver is drawn to a demolition site, where workmen are suffering appalling mental injuries. Oliver realises that something of enormous, terrifying power has been unearthed by the workmen but before he can find out more, a terrified scream comes from the cellar of his house. Thinking the screams to be from the old man, Oliver plunges into the cellar… to find himself in plague-ridden London, trapped in the body of a boy, surrounded by plague victims. less

Sam, Floss, and their foster brother, Magnus, spend their holidays with cousin M at The Abbey. On their first night, Magnus hears a woman crying and when he goes to investigate he discovers that the 16th-century portrait of Lady Alice Neale, hung in the Great Hall, is now just an empty frame.