Dark and Darker Still

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Master of middle grade horror J. A. White and acclaimed dark fantasy artist Yang Jialun deliver a bold, immersive, and terrifying collection of original short stories that dare its audience to turn the page with each increasingly unsettling tale—a Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for a new generation of readers.

You stand before a tunnel. The beam of your flashlight barely penetrates the darkness beyond the opening. You cannot know what secrets—or dangers—lie within, but you are curious, so cautiously you enter. At first you can still see the last rays of sunlight behind you, but soon the pathway begins to split and twist. There is scratching movement in the shadows around you and whispering voices in a language you cannot understand. The walls close in, something draws near. You want to turn and run, but can no longer remember which path leads back.And that’s when your flashlight goes out.Like this tunnel, the terrifying stories in this collection grow darker with each step. Around each twist and turn you’ll encounter lost ghosts, insatiable demons, deadly prophecies, possessed children, ravenous monsters—and, for those who reach the final pages, unspeakable horrors too terrible to describe.

About the Author

J.A. White is the author of the Thickety series and the Shadow School series as well as Nightbooks, a Netflix film, and its sequel, Gravebooks. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and Casper the Friendly Dog. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches fifth graders how to make up stories. To learn more, visit jawhitebooks.com.Yang Jialun is a freelance artist and the creator of the graphic novel Blood Eels as well as the illustration collections Dirtyiron Sketchbook I and II. He lives and works in Shanghai, China.