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Scareville #8
Food to Die For
Never trust a smiling clown…
Traverse City, Michigan, seems like the perfect small town—until a cheerful jingle and a pudgy clown mascot turn everything upside down. When the new burger joint, Chunko Town, opens its doors, the town can’t wait to meet Chunko the Clown. But the friendly facade hides a sinister secret.
Middle graders Kira and her friends quickly learn the hard whatever you do—don’t anger the clown! With each daring misstep, Chunko’s cheerful grin twists into something far more terrifying, and the kids find themselves trapped in a nightmarish game of wits and courage.
Food to Die For delivers a thrilling, spine-tingling adventure for middle grade readers who love scary stories, creepy clowns, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Perfect for fans of horror that’s spooky but age-appropriate, this book will keep you turning pages as Kira and her friends discover that sometimes the scariest monsters come with a painted smile.
Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!
Traverse City, Michigan, seems like the perfect small town—until a cheerful jingle and a pudgy clown mascot turn everything upside down. When the new burger joint, Chunko Town, opens its doors, the town can’t wait to meet Chunko the Clown. But the friendly facade hides a sinister secret.
Middle graders Kira and her friends quickly learn the hard whatever you do—don’t anger the clown! With each daring misstep, Chunko’s cheerful grin twists into something far more terrifying, and the kids find themselves trapped in a nightmarish game of wits and courage.
Food to Die For delivers a thrilling, spine-tingling adventure for middle grade readers who love scary stories, creepy clowns, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Perfect for fans of horror that’s spooky but age-appropriate, this book will keep you turning pages as Kira and her friends discover that sometimes the scariest monsters come with a painted smile.
Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!
- GenresMiddle Grade
167 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2025
4 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 19, 2025
A new burger joint in town sounds like a great idea, except for the creepy clown they use as a mascot.
Best friends Lindsey, Maya, and Kira take part in a prank at the opening of Chunko Town, and learn the hard way that you should never make a clown angry.
The burgers may be delicious, but did those painted eyes on the clown just move? Did the head turn and the goofy expression change to something evil? Could this chubby painted mascot come to life?
Nobody believes Kira until it's too late in this fun and freaky tale that is full of chills and thrills (but not too scary for kids). The pacing moves along at a good speed to keep kids engaged in reading, and the plot shows that there can be dire consequences for making poor choices.
This middle-grade story is perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing for the e-ARC
Best friends Lindsey, Maya, and Kira take part in a prank at the opening of Chunko Town, and learn the hard way that you should never make a clown angry.
The burgers may be delicious, but did those painted eyes on the clown just move? Did the head turn and the goofy expression change to something evil? Could this chubby painted mascot come to life?
Nobody believes Kira until it's too late in this fun and freaky tale that is full of chills and thrills (but not too scary for kids). The pacing moves along at a good speed to keep kids engaged in reading, and the plot shows that there can be dire consequences for making poor choices.
This middle-grade story is perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing for the e-ARC
September 22, 2025
Imagine if Ronald McDonald were actually an evil man; this is what Food to Die For is in a nutshell. To be open, I'm not the biggest fan of clowns and after reading this that won't change anytime soon. Out of all the Scareville books, this might be the scariest, which is a great thing. The suspense is non-stop. For a middle grade read, it's pretty intense even as an adult. Then again it could be because I'm not a fan of clowns, lol.
John Ward does it again. I'm willing to say this is one of the best in the series, if not the best in the Scareville series. I can easily see this on television and enjoying it. Well done, you managed to make me hate clowns more than I already did, damnit!
John Ward does it again. I'm willing to say this is one of the best in the series, if not the best in the Scareville series. I can easily see this on television and enjoying it. Well done, you managed to make me hate clowns more than I already did, damnit!
September 23, 2025
This book is the literary equivalent of Ronald McDonald and Pennywise having a child, resulting in a fascinating yet unsettling character, Chunko the Clown. I devoured the book as quickly as possible. John has once again delivered an exceptional read suitable for both middle schoolers and adults, with a gripping narrative, several spine-tingling moments, and a shocking conclusion
September 23, 2025
Non spoiler so I don’t give away anything. All I will say is words of wisdom don’t anger the clown! This series keeps getting better and better with each book and this one is now my new favorite!
I know this is middle grade horror but dang this had me on the edge of my seat! 5/5 stars!
I know this is middle grade horror but dang this had me on the edge of my seat! 5/5 stars!
October 11, 2025
"Come on down to Chunko Town! Have a burger and meet Chunko the Clown!"
I knew it would be an automatic 5 stars from me because... well it's the Scareville series.
This time we have the 8th book in the series and it's creepy as hell.
A new burger joint has opened up by the beach shore and there's a creepy clown called Chunko who is the mascot for the new restaurant. When three friends Kira, Lindsey and Maya have a look around the place and decide the clown is weird. Then when the two of the girls decide to do something suspicious on the opening day things get a bit weird for poor Kira who is caught in the crossfire.
I absolutely love how the clown came into this and where he came from! My jaw was on the floor, amazing!
I absolutely loved this one, I am patiently waiting the next one which will be out in 2026 at some point. Another phenomenal book to add to the series!
P.s..if you haven't read the series it's very nostalgic and it's BETTER than goosebumps 😉🫣.
I knew it would be an automatic 5 stars from me because... well it's the Scareville series.
This time we have the 8th book in the series and it's creepy as hell.
A new burger joint has opened up by the beach shore and there's a creepy clown called Chunko who is the mascot for the new restaurant. When three friends Kira, Lindsey and Maya have a look around the place and decide the clown is weird. Then when the two of the girls decide to do something suspicious on the opening day things get a bit weird for poor Kira who is caught in the crossfire.
I absolutely love how the clown came into this and where he came from! My jaw was on the floor, amazing!
I absolutely loved this one, I am patiently waiting the next one which will be out in 2026 at some point. Another phenomenal book to add to the series!
P.s..if you haven't read the series it's very nostalgic and it's BETTER than goosebumps 😉🫣.
January 13, 2026
My review for Food to Die For
I absolutely loved it! Oh no! The ending, what an ending! John Ward is amping up the stakes! This is a must read series! I can’t wait for the next book!
I absolutely loved it! Oh no! The ending, what an ending! John Ward is amping up the stakes! This is a must read series! I can’t wait for the next book!
September 20, 2025
Beware evil clowns! It is even worse when you taunt the clown as he will come for you. Kira and her friends learn this lesson too late.
Chunko Town is the newest burger joint to open in Kira's town. Unlike McDonald's mascot, Ronald, who is a friendly clown; Chunko is evil. He is watching you. Kira geta a weird vibe whenever she sees Chunko. She should have trusted her instinct. Yet, she and her friends decide to steal something of Chunko's.
A series of weird events including missing children is what happens next. Kira tries to make things right with Chunko.
I am an adult, so not the target audience that the author is writing for. Yet, I still really enjoyed this book. I do feel like this is a spooky enough book without being gory that the middle grade readers will get a kick out of this book. I remember reading the Goosebump books and really enjoying them. Plus, you don't need gory when you have evil clowns. If the burgers don't kill you, Chunko will!
Chunko Town is the newest burger joint to open in Kira's town. Unlike McDonald's mascot, Ronald, who is a friendly clown; Chunko is evil. He is watching you. Kira geta a weird vibe whenever she sees Chunko. She should have trusted her instinct. Yet, she and her friends decide to steal something of Chunko's.
A series of weird events including missing children is what happens next. Kira tries to make things right with Chunko.
I am an adult, so not the target audience that the author is writing for. Yet, I still really enjoyed this book. I do feel like this is a spooky enough book without being gory that the middle grade readers will get a kick out of this book. I remember reading the Goosebump books and really enjoying them. Plus, you don't need gory when you have evil clowns. If the burgers don't kill you, Chunko will!
September 20, 2025
A devilishly delicious clown tale. The description says it is for kids but I haven't been a kid for about fifty years and I thought it was great. Either I'm totally, mindboggling weird OR this book is really creepy and fun. Check it out.
October 25, 2025
Another amazing Scareville book!!! This one was so fun & I loved the ending!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews