Richard Axtell – Writer

A coffee shop in Cardiff
Bitter Coffee
Dimly Lit
Wednesday Morning

Dear Blog Reader,

Today I am thinking about the Big Bad Wolf. Actually, to be more accurate, I am thinking about his nephew, Little Wolf.

Specifically, I am thinking about a book written by Ian Whybrow and published in 1998 titled Little Wolf’s Haunted Hall for Small Horrors. It is the third book in the ‘Little Wolf’ series, although I didn’t know that at the time I bought it (or rather, it was bought for me – I was only around 7 or 8 years old).

This was my first proper experience of an epistolary novel. The story is told in a series of letters from Little Wolf to his parents. These letters are combined with brilliant illustrations by Tony Ross, which help give the novel an almost comic book vibe.

As a result, Little Wolf’s Haunted Hall is one of the few books I read multiple times when I was younger. As someone who at 7-8 would ‘much rather be playing Pokémon than doing anything else’ (my mum’s words, not mine), the fact that I kept coming back to this book is a big thing.

The book is on the table beside me right now, and I realise that it was something of a comfort read for me back then. Here are a few reasons why I think that:

1. Little Wolf is a bad speller, has terrible handwriting, and often spills ink on his letters, leaving big ink blots on the paper. As a child who was often told my handwriting was messy, and was very anxious about it, it was fantastic to be able to see a character who was just like me (I still have awful handwriting to this day).

2. The letters were short. I could read a section, and put the book down. I could flick back and forth in the book too, picking a letter at random to read. I remember using the illustrations to help find my favourite letters. I wasn’t restricted to front-to-back reading, which often made books feel overwhelming and difficult.

3. Ghosts. Ghouls. Spooks. A haunted school. These kind of topics were (and still are) my jam as a child. I’ve read more Goosebumps books than I can count. This fit in neatly with that genre. Ironically, this book is actually part of a series and I didn’t like the other Little Wolf adventures because they weren’t spooky enough. Gimme more ghosts or get out!

So why am I writing this letter to you? Well, I am currently on an epistolary journey of my own. I am hoping that writing letters everywhere will help me stay in the right mindset. Also, I get to read and write about other cool children’s books that I am exploring along the way.

On a recent quick glance through Little Wolf’s Haunted Hall for Small Horrors, I can still see the charm leaping up from the pages. I can also see a few other things too which make me pause. Some of the jokes feel a bit… old. The book is starting to show its age. As am I, I suppose.

(Pause here to look sadly out of window into the rain for a moment)

That being said, I’m really happy that the book exists though, as it gave me hours of entertainment as a child.

Until next time,

Richard