A group of tweens' worst nightmares become reality in this frighteningly fun novel by Bram Stoker Award–winner Strand.Chloe Whitting and her best friend, Avery Gonzalez, are planning the perfect overnight backyard campout. Chloe hopes that roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories, and staying up all night will help take her mind off her dad's sudden disappearance a year prior. When Madison, Chloe's irritating cousin, crashes the party, Chloe assumes that's the worst thing that could happen that night. She's quickly proven wrong, however, when tentacles emerge from the ground and start wreaking havoc, coming after the girls and their campsite. Realizing that their cell phones are dead and that no one can hear them screaming, the girls decide that their only choice is to fight back. But as the battle wages on, they discover that they aren't just fighting for their own lives-they may need to save the world as well. Strand skillfully straddles the line between silly and scary, with a dash of grossness thrown in for fun. The dialogue is realistic and well thought out. Although the ending wraps up abruptly following the climax, it does nicely tie up the story's loose ends. Readers who have cut their teeth on Goosebumps will be lining up to read this one. Most characters are coded white; Avery is cued Latine.An action-packed thrill ride. (Horror. 9-13)

Gr 3–6 —Eleven-year-old Chloe and her best friend, Avery, are dismayed when Chloe's cousin Madison shows up just as they are planning a tent sleepover in the backyard. Even though Madison can be a little stuffy and next-door neighbor Elijah keeps trying to prank them, the girls decide to make the best of it and are excited for all the usual camping activities, like s'mores and scary stories. Among the fun, Chloe is reminiscing about her dad who has gone missing. Things quickly go downhill when the girls hear strange noises and discover a creature lurking in the backyard. They must scramble to come up with a solution as the monster's hideous tentacles stab up through the earth, intent on inflicting damage. The narrative is action-packed, prioritizing plot advancement over characterization, and everything comes to a fast conclusion. Most characters are cued as white. The suspense and horror is mild. VERDICT This quick romp through a nightmarish camp-out among three friends compares to R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series; a secondary purchase to fill out juvenile horror sections.—Julie Shatterly