Scary Science Fiction

Sixth-grader Nina Tanleven knows that old Mrs. Watson’s spike-roofed, dark green house is haunted. She feels the ghost as soon as she walks toward the faded porch. But when Nina climbs the stairs to look for an antique wardrobe in the tower room, she has to wonder what else the spooky mansion is hiding. Soon Nina is in the company of a ghostly crying child, a long-dead artist, and a gruesome, hypnotic painting. To break the dark spell surrounding the house, she will have to join forces with these shadowy spirits.

Prepare to get spooked with Scary Short Stories, a collection of 20 quick, chilling tales that will keep you up at night. Perfect for teens and adults alike, these stories bring you a mix of supernatural thrills, eerie mysteries, and heart-pounding suspense. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, each story will leave you craving more terror.

Auggie loves his job at the Fabled Stables, but he fears the day when it will come to an end. Fen keeps dropping hints that caretakers don’t stay forever, and it’s giving Auggie the grumps. Thankfully, there always seems to be a new stall to fill. This time, the stables set Auggie on a quest to rescue a beast called the Shibboleth - but, the portal leads Auggie and Fen to the lair of the evil Rooks!

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths - for good and evil - of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies.

Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she's not. All her life, she's passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen's dead, she's still passing - this time, as alive. Meanwhile, Karen's dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of anti-zombie regulations that have forced nearly all of Oakvale's undead into hiding.

In the days of the Salem witch trials, the sleepy hamlet of Duston Heights had just one practitioner of the dark arts: the notorious necromancer Esdrias Blackleach. As the fever for witch hunting reached its terrible peak, Blackleach was accused of using powerful black magic against his fellow townsfolk. But just before he could be brought to trial, he dropped dead, escaping justice forever. Or so it seemed.

When Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger explore an abandoned theater, they discover an unpublished opera score entitled "The Day of Doom". Ignoring a strange omen, they show it to their music teacher, who heralds "The Day of Doom" as a masterpiece. Little do they know that the eerie Henry Vanderhelm, the composer's grandson, arrives - with a plan. A plan to awaken the dead and enslave the world!

George and Kate enter Whittaker Magnet School via the "Leave No High-Scoring Child Behind" program. They quickly learn that all Whittaker students do is practice taking tests. Higher scores bring more students, and more tax money! And as if Whittaker isn't strange enough, there may be a demon roaming the halls. Acclaimed author Edward Bloor's Story Time is a darkly hilarious spoof on modern education.

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn't the only town with vampire trouble. Claire never thought she'd leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can't pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Can Jimmy and his friends rescue Claire before it is too late? In volume 10 of Jimmy Slade's Minecraft diary, mysteries and questions abound. Was the head monk telling the truth about Claire's location? Will Jimmy learn to use his evoking powers? Why is there a wither on the cover of this book? These questions and more will be answered inside the latest unofficial Minecraft book of Minecraft fanfiction from Dr. Block—Diary of a Surfer Villager: Book 10!

A fire-breathing dragon has appeared out of nowhere and is looking for its treasure in Spooksville. In fact, the dragon intends to destroy the entire town unless its jewels and gold are returned immediately. Worse, the hotheaded creature won’t listen to reason, and soon it’s laying waste to everything in its path with its fiery breath. The dragon has no problem turning kids to ash, either. Soon Adam and his friends are fighting flames - and for their lives!

There are dinosaurs in Spooksville! Huge meat-eating lizards attack people in their cars. Flying reptiles swoop down and lift kids away. But where did these dinosaurs come from? Adam and his friends discover a doorway that connects present-day Spooksville with 60 million years ago. It’s through this portal that the dinosaurs are emerging and attacking the town. Who created the passageway? And can it be closed before all of Spooksville is destroyed?

While hiking in the woods near Spooksville, Adam and his friends find a cube-shaped stone. It is clear, like a crystal, and seems to shine with colored light. To their surprise, they discover that if they hold it and make a wish for something, the wish will come true! They call it the Wishing Stone. And they love it. Until they discover that there is a price to be paid for each wish, and that the price can be deadly.

Adam and his friends are exploring the area around Spooksville when they come across a black cat. It seems friendly: It purrs when they rub its back and licks its paws like any other cat. But then it follows them back to town, and strange things begin to happen. A tree falls down, and a house catches fire. Each time something bad happens, the cat is there - watching, with its strange green eyes. And it won’t go away. Adam and his friends don’t know what to do. Especially when the fearsome feline begins to use its powers on them!

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city - gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific work of Jack the Ripper in the autumn of 1888. Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect.

In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans have coexisted in bloodless harmony until the arrival of Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to put the evil back in evil undead and smash the fragile peace. But Bishop isn't the only threat.

In this fast-paced thriller, a power plant explosion takes a small-town community off the grid -- all while a terrifying force lurks in the shadows. Two roads lead to Mount Hope. None leads out. A small southern town was evacuated after a freak accident. As the first anniversary of the mishap...

RJ Spencer is a lucky 12 year old. He lives in the big city and his parents are landlords of the high-rise apartment building that is his home. The many tenants in the building, along with the endless possibilities of adventures in the city itself, are the perfect setting for the young detective as he sets out to solve every case he can get his hands on. Something crazy and loud is keeping RJ and Joey awake at night.

Frankie was a completely normal pet goldfish until Tom's evil-scientist big brother, Mark, tried to murder him with toxic gunge! Luckily Tom and his best friend, Pradeep, shocked Frankie back to life with a battery, and he's been their zombie-fishy friend ever since. On a trip to the aquarium, something fishy starts going on. Something that almost certainly involves evil older brothers, a vampire kitten, a psychic octopus, and a plot to take over the world! Can Pradeep and Tom help Frankie to swim another day, or will he come to a squiddy end?

When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica’s high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he’s haunted by the possibility that she’s waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he’s wrong, what’s the harm in creating one more ghost?