An ominous new slide on the playground leads to a world of fear in The Smashed Man of Dread End author J.W. Ocker's latest middle grade horror, perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.Griffin Birch isn't known for being brave, but there's something about the new black slide on the elementary school playground that's made him curious. Against his better judgement, he just has to follow his best friend Laila down. But the Black Slide is no ordinary piece of playground equipment. What Griffin and Laila find at the other end of this strange portal is a cruel world, populated by bloodthirsty creatures on a quest to become immortal.And it's up to Griffin to save himself, his best friend—and the future of earth itself. Fans of classic horror will devour this creepy adventure packed with more twists and turns than the ominous black slide itself.

“A must-read for those with a taste for cult narratives.”—Publishers WeeklyFrom the author of Cursed Objects and The United States of Cryptids, an eye-popping compendium of the 30 most infamous, audacious, and dangerous cults in historyHave you ever wondered how ordinary people end up enmeshed in extreme cults? Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about history’s most notorious cults—and the psychology of the people who join them—is packed into this accessible, engaging volume. Walk in the footsteps of those who were lured into such sinister groups as: Branch Davidians: This cult was waiting out the apocalypse when the FBI infamously raided their compound in Waco, Texas.Los Narcosatánicos: This group of drug traffickers in 1980s Mexico committed human sacrifice and believed their leader had magic powers.Breatharianism: Breatharians believe...

Meet the monsters in our midst, from bigfoot to Mothman and beyond!Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures and investigates the ways in which communities embrace and celebrate their local cryptids. Readers will learn about: • Batsquatch of Washington, a winged bigfoot that is said to have emerged from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens• Nain Rouge of Michigan, a fierce red goblin that has been spotted before every major city disaster in Detroit• Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia, a robotic extraterrestrial that crash-landed in rural Appalachia• Lizard Man of South Carolina, a reptilian mutant that attacked a teenager in the...

A chilling middle grade horror perfect for fans of R.L. Stine and Holly Black alike.Noe Wiley couldn't be more excited to move. After the slumber party sleepwalking incident of last year, she's ready to make some new friends.But Noe didn't expect the sullen, strange girls who live on her new street. And she certainly didn't expect the strange warning they give her—to stay out of her basement, no matter what.Noe's not going to let these girls boss her around. She'll go in her own basement whenever she wants. So she does. And there he is. And now there's no going back.

Felix Allsey is a travel writer with a keen eye for the paranormal, and he's carved out a unique, if only slightly lucrative, niche for himself in nonfiction; he writes travelogues of the country's most haunted places, after haunting them himself.When he convinces the owner of the infamous Rotterdam Mansion to let him stay on the premises for 13 nights, he believes he's finally found the location that will bring him a bestseller. As with his other gigs, he sets rules for himself: no leaving the house for any reason, refrain from outside contact, and sleep during the day. When Thomas Ruth, Felix's oldest friend and fellow horror film obsessive, joins him on the project, the two dance around a recent and unspeakably painful rough-patch in their friendship, but eventually fall into their old rhythms of dark humor and movie trivia. That's when things start going wrong: screams from upstairs, figures in the thresholds, and more than what should be in any basement....

Douglas has grown up around the business of death. Generations of his family have run the Mortimer Family Funeral Home. The mortician and gravediggers are all his buddies. And the display room of caskets is an awesome place for hide and seek. It's business as usual in Douglas's small New England town. Until one day an incredibly out of the ordinary murder victim is brought to the funeral home. And more startling: others follow. On the cusp of Halloween, a serial killer has arrived. And unsatisfied with the small-town investigation, Douglas enlists his friends to help him solve the mystery. With sumptuous descriptions of a bucolic town and it's quirky people, fascinating yet middle grade–appropriate insider information about the funeral process, and a crackling mystery with a heart-pounding conclusion—Death and Douglas has something for readers young and old.