This new series offers “seriously scary stories that chill to the bone.” Each standalone title is written by a different author, but all share the same introduction about I.M. Dead, “the master of misery who delights in dreaming up nightmarish tales.”

In the first four novels, readers encounter the ghost of a legendary pirate haunting a surfer, a wish-granting mirror that traps someone in its nightmarish world, an evil egg controlling schoolchildren and making adults disappear, and a beast with red ears hunting for its next meal. Each story centers on a school-aged child going about their daily life before being plunged into a terrifying situation.

Though the books are short chapter novels, there are no illustrations, and the content is intense—not for the faint of heart. The fast-paced plots are perfect for reading aloud as scary campfire stories.

VERDICT: A great addition to horror collections, especially where series like Goosebumps are popular.