AMAZING PHIL:Skullduggery Pleasant? That's what this brilliant book is called. Here's Stephanie, and the story kicks off when her favourite uncle, Gordon, great guy, horror writer, mad about magic, suddenly dies. That's bad in so many ways. Partly, because Stephanie discovers that her uncle's enemies are now after her.
AMAZING PHIL:Luckily, she's got some help from her uncle's friend, Skullduggery Pleasant. He's an amazing detective, a master magician, he's a fighter against evil, and he's dead.
AMAZING PHIL:Yep, a skeleton. This guy is seriously dead. But, also, seriously fun.
AMAZING PHIL:This book is scary, fantastical, and funny. When I first picked it up, I couldn't stop reading it. It's like my hands were glued to the page. Well, not with actual glue, 'cause then I wouldn't be able to turn the pages and find out what happened next. And I wanted to know what happened next. I love this book. It's got so many crazy characters in it.
AMAZING PHIL:I think my favourite must be Ghastly Bespoke, the tailor. He makes all Skullduggery's suits, and he's pretty handy at magic. Plus I kinda like the way his name sounds. Ghastly Bespoke. And if there's any girls watching this, I think they'll really associate with Stephanie. Stephanie's so tough, and adventurous, and brave.
AMAZING PHIL:She's not scared of being friends with a dead detective. And when Skullduggery knows that he's leading her into danger, and tries to shake her off, she doesn't listen.
AMAZING PHIL:In this part of the story, Stephanie wants to pick Skullduggery's brain, well, his skull, about his different magical powers. So he shows her his influence over water, gets her hair soaking wet, then moves on to the other elements, of earth, wind and fire.
AMAZING PHIL:"Skullduggery snapped his gloved fingers and sparks flew, and he curled his hand, and the sparks grew to flame,
AMAZING PHIL:and he held that ball of flame is his palm as they walked. The flame intensified, and Stephanie could feel her hair drying. 'Wow!', she said. 'Wow indeed.', Skullduggery responded, and thrust his hand out, sending a ball of fire shooting through the air. It burned out, and arced in the night-sky, and faded to nothing.
AMAZING PHIL:'What about earth?' Stephanie asked, but Skullduggery shook his head. 'You don't want to see that, and hopefully you'll never have to. The earth power is purely defensive, and purely for use as a last resort.' 'So what's the most powerful? Is it fire?'
AMAZING PHIL:'That's the flashiest. That gets all the wows, but you'll be surprised what a little air can do, if you displace it properly. Displaced air doesn't just disappear, it needs somewhere to be displaced to.' 'Can I see?' They reached the edge of the carpark, and passed the low wall that encircled it.
AMAZING PHIL:Skullduggery flexed his fingers and suddenly splayed his hands, snapping his palm towards the wall. The air rippled and the bricks exploded outwards.
AMAZING PHIL:Stephanie stared at the brand new hole in the wall. 'That…', she said, 'is so cool!'" That really was, so cool.
AMAZING PHIL:With Skullduggery's assistance, Stephanie has to battle to stop a precious key from falling into some very, evil hands. That's so much more exciting than maths homework, and so much harder. If you read the story you'll find out about some of the friends and troublemakers, that she meets along the way.
AMAZING PHIL:Like the beautiful, and dangerous, China Sorrows. Tanith Low. Warrior, and troll splatterer. Vampire security guards. Mr. Bliss, with pale blue eyes, and super strength. The sinister army of paper-thin, Hollow Men. Did I say vampire security guards? The power-hungry, evil sorcerer, Nefarian Serpine. Maybe worst of all, Stephanie's Aunt Beryl.
SCREAMING
AMAZING PHIL:Personally, for me, books have been a brilliant way to just get away from the world. You can transport yourself to a different universe. One day, you could be in space, the other day you could be in a crazy high-school from the future. Yeah, I read a load of different kinds of books. My favourite are actually horror books.
AMAZING PHIL:Not that I'm some kind of crazy, horror fiend, I just think it's cool to be excited, and tense, and scared, but then still in the comfort of your own home. And I think even more so, than films and music, books can really generate some amazing images in your head.
AMAZING PHIL:You know it's great, when a book can show you a secret side to the world, that you've never seen before. And when it's finished, you start to think, "Maybe that's what the world is actually like?" Books can change the way you think. Maybe I should start looking out for vampire security guards.
AMAZING PHIL:I did it! I did it! Woo-hoo! Yes! Yes!
AMAZING PHIL:Well, obviously I knew it was him.
Video summary
YouTuber AmazingPhil explains what he loves about his favourite children’s book, Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (illustrated by Tom Percival).
He gives an overview of the story, in which twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her uncle’s estate and discovers the horror books he wrote were partially true.
With her uncle’s friend Skulduggery Pleasant, the wise-cracking skeleton of a dead magician who can throw fireballs from his hands, she sets out on an adventure.
Phil reads one of his favourite extracts, and animation brings the character of Skulduggery spookily to life.
Phil explains that he loves the characters of both Stephanie and Skullduggery, and all the unusual people they meet throughout the story.
He shares his love of horror stories, which make him feel excitement and danger from the safety of his home.
This clip is from the series Bringing Books to Life 1.
Skulduggery Pleasant Teacher Notes
KS1 and KS2 English Discussion Questions
Before watching the video:
- Have you ever read a scary or spooky story? What did you like or dislike about it?
- What makes a book a horror story? Can you think of any ways that writers create suspense in these books?
- If you could create your own scary story, what would it be about?
While watching the video:
- Pause at 01:27 - How does Phil describe his excitement for the book? Can you relate to this feeling when reading?
- Pause at 01:40 - What does Phil's favourite character, Ghastly Bespoke, do for a job?
- Pause at 05:22 - Why does Phil like horror stories? How do they make him feel?
After watching the video:
- Has Phil's excitement for this book made you want to read horror books?
- Can you share a place or world you've been transported to in your imagination through reading a book?
- Do you think books can change the way you think, as Phil says in the video?
KS1 and KS2 English Activity Suggestions
- Scary Settings: Ask children to pick a spooky setting found in horror stories (such as an abandoned mansion or a fog-covered graveyard) and write a detailed description that sets an eerie atmosphere.
- Create a Spooky Soundtrack: Have the children use common classroom instruments or even just their voices to create spooky sound effects or a soundtrack that would match a scary scene from this book or another horror story.
- Monster Mash-Ups: Provide children with a variety of monster and creature pictures to cut out from magazines or online sources. They can then combine these cutouts to create their own unique and scary monsters.
Take a look at our 500 Words resources for further inspiration around story writing.
These videos contribute to the current national curriculum requirements in:
- England - KS1/KS2 English: Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read.
- Northern, Ireland - KS1/KS2 Language and Literacy: Extend the range of their reading and develop their own preferences.
- Scotland - 1st and 2nd Level Literacy and English: Reading - Enjoyment and choice.
- Wales - Progression Step 2/3 Languages, Literacy and Communication: Literature fires imagination and inspires creativity.
These discussion questions and activity suggestions provide opportunities to develop english, music and art and design knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts across all UK curricula, as well as critical thinking and imagination.
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