“Sating the Thirst of Bloodthirsty Teens”
My love of horror goes a long way back. I used to think it started in my early teens, when I first discovered Stephen King and James Herbert on my mum’s bookshelves. But on reflection, it goes back even further than that, to the fateful day I read Roald Dahl’s The Twits as a small boy. Not horror, as such, but certainly horrific.
I’d never come across a novel so deliciously cruel. Worms in spaghetti. Bird pies. Glass eyes watching from the bottom of your beer. I was hooked, and have been a fan of Dahl’s books ever since. I’ve seen The Twits work its grotesque magic on my own sons, too, while reading it with them at bedtimes.
But back to my mum’s bookshelves. There’s a reason I’d started exploring them. As a young teen in the 90s, my book options were limited. I was raised in army estates abroad, and as much as I loved the library on wheels that dropped by once a week, I’d soon exhausted its supply of Goosebumps and Point Horror novels. After that, it seemed there was nowhere else to go. Not for non-adults, at least. I found myself at the cusp of a chasm, with middle grade horror on one side and adult horror on the other. So I took the leap.
These days, thanks to the YA boom, that chasm isn’t so wide. But it’s still there.
Today’s older children and teens love horror as much as I did. You see it in their hunger for Stranger Things. In their fascination with Backrooms and Momo. In the way they throw themselves into Halloween. And I see it first-hand when I visit schools. Every time I ask the kids filling assembly halls to put their hands up if they like horror, almost every hand shoots up. Children and teens are a bloodthirsty bunch. For who can resist the thrill of being scared while also being safe? That’s the gift of horror.
So where do these readers go when middle grade stops delivering that thrill? There’s an abundance of horror in YA, but while YA can offer the darker, more mature scares teens crave, it also exposes them to real-life horrors – toxic relationships, for example, or addiction and domestic abuse – for which they’re not quite ready.
This is the gap I wanted to fill with Thirst – a folk horror novel that dodges those more adult, real-life horrors but doesn’t skimp on darkness or shocks. I walked a tightrope while writing Thirst, doing my best to serve up genuine, visceral scares that don’t patronise teens, while also avoiding gratuitous violence and fading to black when the need arose. Rather than describe darker moments in gruesome detail, I employed the power of suggestion. Encouraging readers to use their imaginations does wonders for any horror or ghost story. As a fan of both genres, I know that the most chilling scenes take place not on the written page, but in the reader’s mind.
I hope Thirst serves as a stepping stone for teen readers, helping them to cross that chasm between middle grade and YA. Sadly, when it comes to fiction, young teens are a somewhat neglected age group. This is tragic when you bear in mind the fact that it’s during early teens that many people stop reading for pleasure. In light of this, I’d love for Thirst to ultimately become part of a wider trend. We need more teen novels that keep teens reading, so they can continue into adulthood and enjoy the myriad perks of becoming a lifelong reader.
If you’re looking for teen-appropriate horror beyond Thirst, here are a few books in that field that I’ve personally enjoyed. Some are officially upper middle grade (as mentioned, specifically teen books are sadly lacking), but they all sent a shudder or two down my spine, which is as good an indicator as any of some genuine bite.
Bone Jack by Sarah Crowe
The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold and Levi Pinfold
The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes
Wyrdwood by Curtis Jobling
Song of the Saltings by Racheal King
Gloam by Jack Mackay
Thirst
Author: Darren Simpson
Published October 6th, 2026 by Pushkin Children’s Books
About the Book: Nobody talks about the strange happenings in Maimsbury. No one speaks of the hooded figures glimpsed in the woods, nor the children’s game that went so horribly wrong. But most of all, nobody dares whisper their doubts about the river they have worshipped for centuries.
Like everyone in Maimsbury, Gorse is used to the sacrifices made every spring to the River Yeelde. The life of a farm animal – in return for a year of plenty – seems a fair trade. That is, until a tragedy leads Gorse to a blood-curdling discovery.
Because this year is a Brim Year, and after giving so much, the river needs more than an animal’s life to sate its thirst…
About the Author: Darren Simpson is the critically acclaimed author of Scavengers, The Memory Thieves, Furthermoor, and Thirst. His award-winning books have been translated into several languages and he’s been nominated twice for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. He also once won a budgie at school. Darren lives with his wife and sons in Nottingham and loves long walks with headphones, playing the drums, and
reading in bed on rainy Sunday mornings.
Thank you, Darren, for sharing about the horror gap and recommending some titles!
