1. Adventure
2. Anxiety
3. Art techniques
4. Camping
5. Courage
6. Fear
7. Horror
8. Imagination
9. Literary techniques
10. Mystery
11. Schools
12. Visual literacy

How would you feel if you spent a night in a haunted house? Brave, anxious, frightened?

In ‘Night School’ a group of children camp overnight in an old school, a school of darkness and shadows, of whispered hints of captured children, of past wars and an odd caretaker. The children are instructed to follow the light and go one at a time into three rooms and write their names. The bravest girl goes first but the school has changed shape. There is a whisper, ‘Silly girl, this is no game. This is a war’

Soon though she is joined by the others and they form a company and set out to battle the unknown hiding in the dark and shadows. What is hiding, what is out there? Search for the clues. What must they do to win the night war?

The text is evocative, verse-like short sharp sentences are rich with metaphors and hidden meanings. Anne Spudvilas’ mixed media illustrations of oil paint, watercolour, graphite, and coloured ink create a spooky atmosphere combined with the use of different perspectives that integrate light and shadow adding further to foggy, eerie sense of unease. A seriously scary picture book that older readers will probably love.

1. Speechlanguage-Resources (n.d.) Review of ‘Night School’ by Isobelle Carmody and Anne Spudvilas http://www.speechlanguage-resources.com/isobelle-carmody-review.html
2. ReadPlus April 9, 2010. Fran Knight reviews ‘Night School’ by Isobelle Carmody and Anne Spudvilas https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/night-school-by-isobelle-carmody-and-anne-spudvilas-illustrator
3. Toniann O’Brien, Kurrajong East PS & Chris Fraser, Literacy & Numeracy Leader Western Sydney ‘Across KLAs; Resources & Unit Extension Suggestions, ‘Night School’ by Isobelle Carmody and Anne Spudvilas http://shellharbour5b.weebly.com/uploads/8/1/7/5/8175645/night_school_s2.pdf
4. Isobelle Carmody website https://isobellecarmody.net.au/
5. The Garret: Writers on Writing podcast with Isobelle Carmody, includes a transcript of the podcast https://thegarretpodcast.com/isobelle-carmody/
6. State Library of Victoria, October 26, 2010. ‘Anne Spudvilas on creating a picture book’, duration is 3min 34sec https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/view-discuss/anne-spudvilas-creating-picture-book