Bec Hill, Horror Heights: The Slime, Hachette Australia, September 2021, 192 pp., RRP $15.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781444962291
Connie hasn’t found her talent yet, but at least she has her slime collection – if it’s gooey, she’s got it! She hopes that by adding a few extra ingredients to a simple recipe she will uncover a talent for slime-making, but alas, all she uncovers is a hot, stinky mess which ends up in the bin. It’s shaping up to be another uneventful weekend, until her failed slime wakes her up the next morning. It’s alive! It talks! And is named… Big.
The Slime is the first book in the new “Horror Heights” series for middle-grade readers, by Australian comedian and presenter Bec Hill. The premise of the series is that it is based on a series of “true events” related to Hill during her travels, all based in the one locality and to the same set of people.
In “The Slime” we are introduced to the first of these characters – Connie, the self-titled “Queen of Slime”. Connie’s quest to discover what it is about herself that makes her special will be one that resonates with a lot of kids, as will the themes of the importance of friendship and working together to solve a problem.
Hill has an easy-to-read writing style and while it’s not particularly challenging for young readers, kids might still enjoy the humour and all the “gross” elements of the story. It’s a bit of mild, harmless fun. It’s certainly not what I would call scary… maybe in a kids’ Halloween special spooky-fun kind of way, but I wouldn’t worry about anyone losing any sleep after reading it.
Reviewed by Christian Price
