Ash and Willow McGinn are on a long family road trip. Ash is already bored of sitting for long hours with his parents, dog Daisy, and annoying older sister Willow. But that all changes when his family needs to make an unexpected stop and spots a billboard for the Exit 13 Motel proclaiming, "All pets welcome!" It seems too good to be true until they lay eyes on the unsettlingly rundown Exit 13 Motel. They check in nonetheless, and the weirdness begins. Preller serves up a mysterious tale of horror deliciously trimmed with creepy woods, ominous fog, suspicious characters, monsters with glowing eyes, and rooms and hallways that lead nowhere. As events conspire to keep the McGinns at the motel, Ash and Willow try to find a way to truly make an exit. This spine-chilling series starter will delight young horror fans, and its black-and-white comics spreads will extend its appeal. While acquiring goosebumps is the point here, readers will also observe that not everything that looks menacing is necessarily dangerous.

Two siblings discover something is not quite right at an eerie roadside motel.Eleven-year-old Ash McGinn is on a road trip with his parents, his pesky 13-year-old sister, Willow, and their goldendoodle, Daisy. The McGinns see a seemingly fortuitous billboard for the Exit 13 Motel (pets welcome!) and decide to stop. Before long, Ash and Willow realize that the crumbling motel is more than just run down; it's downright spooky: Alarmingly red-eyed animals peek out from a foreboding forest, a giant wolf seems to be stalking them, and the desk clerk appears to have the ability to magically heal himself. In the midst of the bad vibes, the siblings are happy to meet Justice, an upbeat young girl whose family has also checked in. Will the trio of fast friends be able to escape the dangers at this haunting hotel? Preller's series opener is an appealing mix of briskly paced chapters alongside black-and-white comics panels. Just right for Goosebumps fans, this compulsively readable (although at times exposition-heavy) offering builds a delightfully creepy atmosphere and leaves readers with many burning unanswered questions; expect vociferous demands for the sequel slated for later this year. Ash and Willow's father has freckled skin and is of Scottish ancestry, while their mother has light brown skin. Ash has blond hair; both kids appear light-skinned in the illustrations. Justice is Black and uses crutches due to spina bifida.Intriguing both in plotting and format. (Graphic hybrid. 7-12)

Otherworldly hotel horrors interrupt a family’s summer trip in this page-turning, humor-tinged series kickoff from Preller (Blood Mountain). On the road, the family of 11-year-old Ash McGinn becomes lost in a heavy fog, far from accommodations that will allow their goldendoodle, Daisy. When they pull over to assess the situation, Ash, whose imagination “conjured fresh terrors around every corner,” is frightened by the appearance of two red eyes flashing in the nearby woods—and summarily mocked by older sister Willow. A suddenly lit-up billboard points the McGinns toward the rundown Exit 13 Motel, where a vampire-resembling teen greets them, emphasizing the establishment’s love of animals. As unsettling events unfurl, reserved Ash feels drawn into the nearby woods at dusk, where he finds menacing, red-eyed rabbits, vicious crows, and a wolf that knows his name—leading to a midnight misadventure. Interspersed with climactic b&w paneled art by Keele, sensory-focused text builds a genuinely creepy vibe while following Ash’s arc of connection and the siblings’ growing bond. The biracial-cued siblings’ father is of Scottish ancestry; their mother is described as having light brown skin. Othering language appears in descriptions of the variously diverse secondary cast. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Agency. (Feb.)