Zombie King and Other Scary Short Stories for Halloween

by David Anthony, Charles David Clasman

MYSTERY UNDERGROUNDZOMBIE KING AND OTHER SCARY SHORT STORIESBy Charles David Clasman and David AnthonyZombie King and Other Scary Short Stories is an 8-story introduction to the chilling spooky book series Mystery Underground. Four additional Mystery Underground books are available, each comprised of thirteen scary stories set in thirteen spooky situations with thirteen different dangers.Every Mystery Underground book is a collection of scary short stories for kids, middle grade readers, and everyone who likes a good scare. The stories combine the monsters and mystery of Goosebumps with the surprise endings of The Twilight Zone. They are the perfect scary stories to read on Halloween, in the dark, around the campfire, or under the covers at night with a flashlight. Read a scare … if you dare!Also UNDEAD UPRISINGWhen the Dead Walk, It’s Time to RunMYSTERY CALIFORNIA CREATURESBeware the Glitter of the Golden StateMYSTERY FRIGHTENING FLORIDAFear Strikes Florida When the Sunshine State Goes Dark MYSTERY MICHIGAN MONSTERSDive into Terror in the Great Lakes StateZombie King and Other Scary Short Stories includes the following eight terrifying ZOMBIE KINGBryce doesn’t want to dress up as something silly for Halloween. He wants to be a zombie. He even calls himself the Zombie King. Does he get his wish in the graveyard on a haunted foggy night?#2: GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARDBeneath the eerie glow of the Harvest Moon, Noah and his friends sneak into the cemetery for a game of Ghost in the Graveyard. While getting in is a challenge, getting out may be impossible.#3: SECRET OF THE SINKHOLEBrady, Calvin, and Troy discover a sinkhole in a Florida orange grove. There are police cars and flashing lights all around, but no other people. When they climb into the hole, the boys discover the frightening truth about how—and what—causes sinkholes to form.#4: TAR PIT TERRORThe fossils of many prehistoric animals—from dire wolves to mastodons—have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits. When Liam and Charlotte discover a saber-toothed cat’s paw, they realize that not all fossils want to be found.#5: HAPPY HAIRY BIRTHDAYIt’s Cody Wolf’s birthday and a party waits for him. To get there, he takes a dangerous short cut. Halfway along, a snarling werewolf appears in his path. Cody runs but the werewolf pursues. The chase in on!#6: DEEP GREEN SEAEmma and her family return wearily home after a hurricane. The devastation left behind looks like a zombie apocalypse. But are zombies the scariest things that can rise from the ruin?#7: NO. 13 PENCILJackson is an amazing artist. His drawings of monsters, beasts, and witches are realistic and terrifying. What happens when the creatures come to life?#8: SLEEPING BEAR DOOMMany legends surround the majestic and mysterious Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. What caused the dunes to form? Why do they continue to grow year after year? Are the dunes really devouring the surrounding land like a ravenous beast? Caleb and Katie wonder many things as they begin to climb. Will the answers they find allow them to escape?

77 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 27, 2014

About the author

David Anthony here, co-author of three children's book series--Mystery Underground, Heroes A2Z, and Knightscares.

Mystery Underground:
Read a scare ... if you dare. Thirteen terrifying tales in every book, like Twilight Zone meets Goosebumps.

Heroes A2Z:
Illustrated chapter books about three superhero kids who fight crime before bedtime. Drawings on every page.

Knightscares:
Monsters. Magic. Mystery.
Don't be afraid. Be terrified.

Real heroes read!"

Reviews

[Best buddies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool

Very good book, I have not read it yet but I can only access this book after I finish writing good review

[Ranjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

it was really a very good book i loved it i liked tar pit terror and happy hairy birthday the most every story was amazing

[Grampy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Mystery Underground” by David Anthony and Charles David Clasman is the name of a series of scary stories by these authors, in which each volume deals with scary stories from one of the United States. This volume, “States of Emergency”, is a sampler of sorts, which includes 2 stories from each of three States. As an added bonus, this volume also includes a brand new, never before published story, available only in “States of Emergency”. Michigan, Florida and California are the representative States included in this volume.

Among the scary themes are giant bears, werewolves, zombies, evil jellyfish, gatormen, living fossils, and a magic pencil that causes unexpected things to happen. These stories are more fun than frightening; these are the stories you would tell your kids around a campfire, without worrying about nightmares. It’s more than likely they will want you to tell another story as soon as you finish the first one.

“Mystery Underground” looks like a series to keep an eye on. I anticipate this may become as popular with the middle grade set, as is the “Goosebumps” series of stories. The stories are well-written, with very few typos. They are fun to read, whether you read them aloud to your kids, or silently for your own entertainment.

Keep in mind these are not “Horror” stories, but fun, simple, short tales with a mildly scary aspect to them. I personally enjoyed them. (But then, it has been said that simple things amuse simple people, so I’m not sure what that says about me!) Regardless, I can recommend this book and this series without reservation. “States of Emergency” gives you a sample of the kind of stories to be found throughout the series, so it’s a good start to help you determine if this series is going to work for you.