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These Bodies Ain't Broken
by Madeline Dyer
Outsmarting deadly video games, hunting the predatory monster in the woods, rooting out evil within their community, finding love and revenge with their newly turned vampire friend—this anthology upends expectations of the roles disabled people can play in horror. With visibly and invisibly disabled characters whose illnesses include Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, PTSD, and more, each entry also includes a short essay from the author about the conditions portrayed in their stories to further contextualize their characters’ perspectives. From breaking ancient curses to defying death itself, these 13 horror stories cast disabled characters as heroes we can all root for.
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Blood Moon
by Britney S. Lewis
Eighteen-year-old Mirabella “Mira” Owens grew up in Timber Plains, Kansas hearing all about the local legend—that werewolves had, many years ago, traveled to their small Midwest town to protect humans from the growing threat of a vampire enclave. Just a story of course, a fairy tale, one Mira had stopped believing in when she was young—just like she stopped believing in the idea of her mom returning, after she up and left without a trace when she was only thirteen.
Mira is grown up now, starting freshman year at the nearby Lakeland University. College feels normal, exactly the thing she’s been craving most... except for one particular classmate: Julian Santos, a mysterious boy with long hair, golden eyes, and a coldness that seems directed exclusively at Mira. When Mira receives an unaddressed letter from her mother, she’s told the world isn’t as it seems. She suspects her mom might be telling the truth when she stumbles across strange animal tracks on a hiking trail, and when she’s miraculously saved from a twenty-foot drop by the one and only, Julian Santos.
But when a Blood Moon rises, Mira soon finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient, magical war, with Julian on the other side of the line. She discovers there’s much more truth to the old town legends than she could ever have anticipated—and her family’s historic role in it will change her world forever.
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Hello Sunshine
by Keezy Young
Noah is heartbroken. He returns from bible camp to find that Alex, his secret boyfriend, has had a breakdown and disappeared. He wishes more than anything that he hadn’t left that day. Sky is determined. She’ll stop at nothing to find her childhood friend, even if it means alienating the people she loves. Izzy is ashamed. She knew something weird was going on with Alex, and she didn’t say anything to her boyfriend, Jamie—Alex’s twin brother. If she had, would Alex still be here? Jamie is angry. Angry at Alex for being gone, angry at himself for not noticing something was wrong, and angry at his long-dead mother, Desdemona, who had problems of her own.
But what if there was something more to Desdemona’s demons than just mental illness? Why is Jamie seeing her ghost? And can he get past his hatred of her if it means finding out what happened to his brother?
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The Good Vampire's Guide to Blood & Boyfriends
by Jamie D'Amato
Nineteen-year-old Brennan, a college freshman who becomes a vampire after a suicide attempt, navigates his new life in an underground vampire society, keeps his secret from Cole, the cute campus librarian, and deals with rising dangers while balancing his humanity and growing feelings for Cole.
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The Dead of Summer
by Ryan La Sala
Seventeen-year-old Ollie fights to survive a deadly summer on an island off the coast of Maine after it is placed under quarantine due to a long-sunken horror rising from the sea.
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The Summer I Ate the Rich
by Maika Moulite
Seventeen-year-old Haitian American zombie Brielle seeks revenge on the wealthy elites responsible for her immigrant family's pain.
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A Little Too Haunted
by Justine Pucella Winans
The only thing worse than having ghost hunters for parents is having fake ghost hunters for parents. Luna Catalano would know. Her moms are influencers who use their pretend psychic powers and interior design skills to turn spooky old houses into ghost-free modern homes—not that there were any ghosts in the first place. It’s bad enough her moms’ job means they have to move all the time, but just once, Luna wishes there was an actual, for real haunted house.
When they move yet again, Luna isn't expecting much. But this new place feels...different. Things start out innocent enough—flickering lights, strange noises—but this ghost is playing for keeps. And if Luna doesn’t find a way to stop it, she and her moms might end up haunting the house themselves.
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Wolf Club
by James Bird
Three middle schoolers ditch detention to search for an elusive white wolf who may have the magical powers they need to face their challenges and heal their hearts.
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Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave
by Ally Russell
Abandoned in a cemetery and raised in a funeral home, Mystery James, who can see and smell the supernatural, must solve the mystery of a priceless heirloom stolen from her family's business.
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Death by Whoopee Cushion
by Vicki Grant
The best Halloween costumes. The funniest pranks. An endless supply of chocolate fudge that looks exactly like dog poo. Most kids would love it if their parents owned a joke store. But twelve-year-old Manya isn't like most kids. She's not interested in the cheap laughs at Pranks a Million. She loves science. She wants to save the world.
Manya and her best friend Isaac are thrilled when their parents agree to sign them up for Serious Science, an after-school course. But one day Manya comes back from their Serious Science class to see two police in the store. A trick cigar bought at Pranks a Million blew up in a customer's face and burnt off his eyebrows. Then there's a poisoning incident. And when a whoopee cushion explodes, actually killing an innocent bystander, things become very serious indeed: Manya's parents are arrested for murder. It's up to Manya to prove their innocence - and she may have to use some of the science behind the pranks to do so.
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The Better to Eat You With
by Tehlor Kay Mejia
As her parents head toward divorce, twelve-year-old Evan spends her summer with her best friend Billie, but everything begins to fall apart as Billie drifts away, her mother's health obsession intensifies, and a growing hunger consumes her, just as a sinister presence in the woods emerges, leaving her to wonder if the real monster is inside her.
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Welcome to the Ghost Show
by J. W. Ocker
In this suspenseful horror novel, three friends in the Creepy Club confront terrifying supernatural forces when a mysterious Ghost Show arrives in town, leading to a chilling battle to uncover dark secrets, free trapped souls and face their deepest fears.
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