Boo!

Name: Boo!
Price: 29.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781836005452

Everything you ever wanted to know about fear (but were afraid to ask)

Clive Gifford, Rohan Eason

$29.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Miscellaneous
01 September 2026

Libraries, museums, schools (Children's&YA); Science & technology: general interest (Children's&YA); Personal & social issues: self-awareness & self-esteem (Children's&YA); Game Worlds

What are you afraid of? Maybe it's heights, public speaking, spiders... or things that go bump in the night. Whatever your biggest fear, have you ever wondered why it gets to you so much? Boo! will answer that question and loads more, on a fascinating thrill-ride where you'll discover everything you ever wanted to know about fear, but were afraid to ask.

Boo! explores the science and history of fear in engrossing - and often just plain gross - detail, with illustrations throughout that will appeal to any curious 10-13-year-old. Across thirteen chapters, learn why fear is an evolutionary advantage, what hoaxes and hysteria reveal about the human psyche, and how fear has been used for both good and ill over the centuries. You'll meet historical figures with surprising phobias, such as Emperor Augustus and his fear of lightning. And you'll creep through some of the eeriest real-life hauntings ever reported, from the ghostly Roman legions of York's Treasurer's House to the vengeful spirits of Ireland's Leap Castle. Other chapters unravel the long history of telling scary stories and even teach you how to tell your own, with quoted wisdom from some of the best to ever do it. You'll also take a peek behind the workings of your favourite horror films and learn what makes them work.

But fear is more than ghosts and ghouls: Boo! takes a serious look at the kinds of fears we all deal with every day, from FOMO to anxiety. Tips and tricks for identifying, managing and conquering your fears are laid out in clear terms, giving you the confidence to be courageous in your day-to-day life.

From the depths of the human brain to the voices from beyond the grave, and tackling the fears familiar to us all, Boo! is a must-have guide to this endlessly interesting yet little understood topic. Whether you're after a dose of psychology, pop-culture, folklore, mental wellbeing tips or just a good old-fashioned scare, this is the book for you.

By: Clive Gifford
Illustrated by: Rohan Eason
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 150mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 620g
ISBN: 9781836005452
ISBN 10: 1836005458
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 01 September 2026
Recommended Age: From 10 to 13 years
Audience: Children/juvenile , Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the World of Fear CHAPTER 1: When Fear Strikes CHAPTER 2: Fear is Your Friend . . . Or Is It? CHAPTER 3: Phobia, Hoaxes and Panic CHAPTER 4: Animal Alarm CHAPTER 5: Ghosts and Things That Go Bump in the Night CHAPTER 6: A Tale of Terror CHAPTER 7: Festivals of Fear CHAPTER 8: Scare Tactics CHAPTER 9: Thrill-Seekers and Scaredy-Cats CHAPTER 10: Frolics of Fear CHAPTER 11: That's Scaretainment CHAPTER 12: Facing Your Fears CHAPTER 13: Create Your Own Scary Stories Glossary Index

Clive Gifford has travelled to more than 70 countries, climbed rocket launch towers, ridden on robots and flown gliders. He's had more than 200 books published and received nominations for or won Royal Society, School Library Association, Smithsonian and TES awards. He won the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Book with Facts 2019 for his title The Colours of History (QED). Clive lives in Manchester, UK. Rohan Eason is an illustrator best known for his stark black and white imagery, which plays heavily on the roles of composition and view point, and the balance between intricate detail and dark or light space. His work has become widely used in book illustration and more recently in advertising, where his uniquely hand crafted style stands apart from the more typically used digital art forms. Rohan loved the work of Aubrey Beardsley and Arthur Rackham as a boy, and this devotion to and pursuit of the beautifully hand-drawn line followed him into adulthood. His portfolio now bursts with the magical and fantastical scenes from dreams to nightmares, from real life to imagined creations, but all with the same single grounding fact, that of beauty and balance.

Reviews for Boo!: Everything you ever wanted to know about fear (but were afraid to ask)

""Part history, part guidebook to the world of scary. Hand this page-turning romp to fans of nonfiction series like “Eyewitness.”"" * School Library Journal * ""Equal parts informative and entertaining, this visually enticing compendium invites readers to embrace the thrill of being scared."" * Publishers Weekly * ""Armed with all this knowledge about fear, readers may go forth and confidently face all that goes bump in the night."" * Shelf Awareness *