Night School Bites

Bumps in the Night #4

by A.D. Aro

CAS-SCHOOL-VANIA!

Can things get any worse for Nate Belmont? Not only has his family moved to the strange town of Wardulac, but he also has to go to night school.
Why? Because in Wardulac, they only offer school once the sun goes down.
The weirdness doesn't stop there. Nate is haunted by terrifying dreams, a mysterious graveyard, and the pale kids in his class. No way they are vampires, right?
The only thing Nate knows for sure is NIGHT SCHOOL BITES!

184 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2026

About the author

A.D. Aro lives in Salisbury, Massachusetts. He has been a fan of all things spooky his whole life, raised on Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and the VHS box art from the horror section of the video rental stores. Currently, he writes a middle grade horror series called Bumps In The Night. "Baby's Breath", his first standalone YA horror novel, will be releasing April 7th, 2026 through Terrorcore Publishing.

He welcomes questions and comments at: bumpsinthenightbooks@gmail.com

Reviews

[R. Dell Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night School Bites is a fast, spooky, and hugely entertaining read that perfectly captures the fun of classic middle-grade horror while feeling fresh. The mystery of Wardulac hooks you immediately with a relatable, funny narrator whose fear and curiosity felt authentic. From secretive parents to unsettling teachers, the story layers on creepiness without ever losing its sense of adventure. The pacing is sharp, the imagery vivid, and the vampire lore playful rather than predictable. This book is ideal for readers who love chills, humor, and page-turning suspense. A.D. Aro knocked this one out of the park! A fantastic addition to the Bumps in the Night series! This series is THE modern-day Goosebumps!

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bleh bleh bleh vampire pun bleh bleh bleh. Now that that’s outta the way, A.D. Aro’s fourth Bumps in the Night book was MY first Bumps in the Night book, and whilst certainly not my last, I wager this wasn’t the best first impression; I probably should’ve started with Mall of Madness lol. Night School Bites is… good. I have the utmost respect for indie authors as it’s a tough market and I love anything new for kids’ horror that I can get my hands on, so don’t stake me for this: the book’s pretty flawed. My biggest positive is that the final twenty pages absolutely slapped. There were plenty of ways this book could’ve played out, with multiple twists that could’ve worked, and the best rug was picked to be pulled out from under, per se. There’s some crazy revelations with weight that fixed what I thought was going to be an underwhelming romantic subplot between two tweens who barely know each other and turned it into some crazy shit that wasn’t on my stacked bingo card (but probably should’ve been since it was right in my face). In short: the landing stuck, and I enjoyed the dark add-on ending. The pacing was good throughout for being 60 pages longer than average for the genre (pacing as in pace, not plot progression as I’ll discuss), there are some good moments and creepy imagery especially in the first dream sequence and “basement” scene (iykyk), and the first 40 pages were great exposition. Kim was a swell addition and added much needed depth/umph to the story. Mystery was very engaging as well, and the book is pretty entertaining. Now for my downsides. To begin, the world of Wurdulac is kinda dull. We get some mild lore and one exploration moment, but that’s about it. We only meet two characters + the principal for the night school who never appeared again I don’t believe, and we don’t really learn anything about Wurdulac’s history, what the school’s function is, and what was truly going on in the “basement.” There’s also some plot holes: why were Nate’s parents willing to risk his life (sending him to the school) so willingly? Does the staff of the Wurdulac School of the Eternal Night not do background checks nor have safety precautions? There’s some bigger questions that feel huge but aren’t brought up, unlike other plot holes like WHAT Wurdulac is and (at the very least) what the deal with the bats are where we do receive answers. I don’t go ape shit on the score over plot holes but I always bring them up if they feel big enough and worth mentioning. Anywho: I wasn’t jiving with the style of the book for a majority of the time, the plot progression was super slow and not much in importance happened until around 150 pages in; most of the time was just build up to the duo planning on going into Wurdulac’s “basement” where the first crescendo happens. And on the “basement”—the reveal there feels kinda unnecessary in hindsight as it could’ve just been, per se, a normal basement and it would’ve changed about nothing. And the ritual thing being built up only to get trampled out of the plot just at the climax feels like a false promise. Dr. Criticism signing off. Overall, 6.5/10. Night School Bites has some disappointing aspects to the story and slower plot but some great moments, a killer climax and intro, and a cruel twist of fate for a character’s true colors. I enjoyed this one as much I kinda picked it apart (sorry), and I’m looking forward to reading the other Bumps in the Night volumes in the future. The bottom of page 172 DEEP FRIED ME lmao.

[Shaun Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a modern day middle grade horror series that brings you right back to all those GOOSEBUMPS vibes from the 1990s, then you definitely need to pick up a BUMPS IN THE NIGHT book! After finishing book 4, NIGHT SCHOOL BITES, I would actually say this series reminds me a little more of R.L. Stine's GHOSTS OF FEAR STREET series, where things are just a little more serious and little more intense than the extreme silliness of many GOOSEBUMPS books.

In NIGHT SCHOOL BITES, Nate's parents wake him up in the middle of the night and tell him they are moving and they need to live right that minute. After a frantic drive that gives Nate more questions than answers, they arrive in their new town, where Nate discovers that his new school only operates overnight. As he discovers the creepy cemetery, meets the eerie students and staff at the school, and explores the deserted town, he finds that there is so much more to his new school than meets the bite. In fact, if he's not careful, he may find himself deep in his own grave...

This book was so much fun, and definitely is a modern take on the GOOSEBUMPS formula. A.D. Aro builds up the mystery about what is really happening at the school Nate now attends. By the end, you do find out all the answers, and they were pretty satisfying, even if I was able to guess several of them. There are numerous easter eggs for fans of classic NES video games (which is all I will say here), and there are also multiple easter eggs where Aro mentions some of the classic 1990s middle grade horror book series like SHIVERS, GRAVEYARD SCHOOL, and BONE-CHILLERS, fans of those books will pick up on quickly!

Nate is a fairly typical character for this kind of story, but he's enjoyable to follow along with as you discover the mystery. I will say too there are definitely some really intense moments here that I loved, including one early on with a skeletal horse that gave me all The Haunted Mansion vibes!

If you're a fan of 90s middle grade horror or looking for something fun to introduce your kids or grandkids to, this is definitely a fun one!

[Kat Dicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

WURD to ya VAMPIRE!

Vampires, bats, and night school...OH MY!


Sink your teeth into this book filled with mystery, suspense, retro throwbacks (Castlevania references galore!), and scares that can be enjoyed whether you're 8 or 35 like me!


Night School Bites is a fitting addition to the Bumps in the Night series by A.D. Aro. If you enjoy nostalgic horror like Goosebumps or his previous works, you will NOT think this SUCKS!

[Dustin Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book bites— in a good way!

A. D. Aro returns with another solid entry in the Bumps in the Night YA horror series! Night School Bites follows protagonist Nate, who is suddenly pulled from his bed in the middle of the night and taken to the quiet, eerie town of Wardulac. There, he’s forced to attend the School of the Eternal Night, which is totally not creepy at all. Even though it’s located next to a cemetery. Oh, and one of the teachers is a creepy-looking dude named Count Graves. And there MAY be random screeching sounds coming from the school bathroom.

While it does take a bit to get to the actual night school portion of the story, A. D. Aro’s latest is a fun read full of strange, dreamlike sequences, vampiric foes (if you couldn’t guess from the title) and even features a dog named Buffy, who has an iconic moment I won’t spoil here. The ending also lands on an abrupt cliffhanger, but it feels intentional, like the first part of a soon-to-be-continued story. If you’re itching for some new spooky YA horror goodness, you’re definitely going to want to sink your fangs into Night School Bites!

[Sharron Joy Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nate Belmont is not happy, forced to move by his parents to the weird town of Wurdulac. He misses his friends, he is having strange dreams and the only school is only open at night. All the other students are pale and strange, they can’t be vampires right?!

Such a great creepy story, the fourth in the Bumps in the Night book and these are full of such nostalgic vibes. The school sits in a cemetery surrounded by overgrown woodland, the teacher is a Count and the other pupils are silent and need a little colour!

Nate’s parents are elusive and honestly annoying so it is no wonder Nate is so confused but I really enjoyed the story. If you love Goosebumps you’ll enjoy these books and they’re on KU.

[Shiv (The Horrorlander) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kid gets sent to a night school overnight and with the strange behavior of the attendants and bat-like imagery, seems the place has a certain force at work

The story frankly dragged with padding, cringey dialogue, ridiculous coping from the protagonist on things which clearly should strike a chord early on in the book. Instead, we get a bumbling idiot who simps on a girl and sitcom episode investigating until the climax. The dream sequence stuff didn’t add anything and twist was predictable.

The climax had good action scenes, stakes (no pun intended), and cool lore but only comes in at the very end. It should have been spread throughout more page time to make the book more engaging Ending was also confusing and leaves it out on an abrupt note.

5.5/10 Meh

[Sean Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Aro really had me on the edge of my seat with this book. It took me back to when I was 8 years old reading GOOSEBUMPS. The fast-paced storytelling was something that I could really sink my teeth into. Now, I have to read the first 3 books in the Bumps in the Night series and wait for Baby’s Breath to hit the bookshelves. Mr. Aro is my new favorite author.

[Kaycee Racer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve made it my mission this year to read (most) of my endless bookshelf of old YA/Children’s books I’ve been collecting over the years, but I took a little break in my resolution for the fourth book from the Bumps in the Night series. Night School Bites didn’t feel like a break in that rhythm at all, because this novel was right in my wheelhouse of 90s paperback scares; a perfect cross between the Goosebumps and Baily School Kids of my childhood.

Middle-school-aged Nathan thinks his parents are so unfair to pick the family up in the middle of the night and move them to the absolute middle of nowhere. The town is weird and quiet, he’s forced to attend school at night, and his parents are acting incredibly strange. With his dog Buffy (yes!!) at his side, he tries to make sense of what’s going on around him, especially when he begins to have mysterious dreams haunted by a cute girl who actually attends his odd night school class.

Nathan is such a funny, sarcastic, and bewildered character, and I love all the great nods to the vampire theme through his sardonic thoughts. The entire Bumps in the Night series is such a perfect nostalgic nod for the kids who grew up on the aforementioned 90s horror series, while also capturing the middle-school-voiced main character that made us really connect with those books in the first place.

[E.D. Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

No surprise here, but A. D. Aro’s newest Bumps in the Night entry is fang-tastically good.

Nate Belmont is whisked away from his home by his parents in the middle of the night with no explanation. He is taken to an odd town called Wurdulac and forced into night school. Nate quickly realizes the town’s students are friendly, but a little too pale to be normal. As the weirdness ramps up, it becomes clear that Wurdulac has secrets, and night school sucks.

Bumps in the Night is on a generational run, and Night School Bites is no exception. This feels like a dark version of a long lost Goosebumps vampire story. Hold on to your necks, because this one is a page turner.

[Andrew Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid addition to Bumps in the Night. One of my favorites so far. I ripped through this book in 2 days as I found it very easy to keep reading. Suspenseful and chilling and plenty of dramatic irony as we the audience have a decent grasp of what is going on…but at the same time the ending isn’t totally expected either. A.D., as always does a great job leaving the resolution open ended. Happy ending? Sad ending? These are common themes from this series (as well as frustrating parents that seem to take enjoyment from keeping us in the dark and simply do not remember how hard it is to be a kid!)

[Pulp_Fiction_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no settling in with this one, we get thrown straight into the action with a hectic opening and from there it maintains a sense of unease and atmosphere for the entirety. I do think an issue this book has is the school never feels fleshed out. We're only in one classroom (barely) and never see the schoolyard or lunch room etc... And apart from one girl it's as if there's no other students, we get no interaction with any of them at all. That said we get a pretty dark third act and ending which I very much enjoyed bar one silly moment (3.5 stars rounded up).

[Devri · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were obsessed with Goosebumps, Bone Chillers or Graveyard School as a kid, you’ll want to pick up this series.
Poor Nate is whisked off in the middle of the night to live in Wardulac and attend night school with a bunch of creepy pale kids in a crumbling cemetery.
I know Nate’s not into it, but I want to sign up for this school, please.

[Jennifer Sahms · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and unique vampire story that’s a great addition to the series. Not my personal favorite, but definitely worth putting a stake through and sinking your fangs into this one.

[485street · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one in the series. Like Mall, I wish we had more time with the night school. Second half of the book is exceptional and the twist was great!

[John Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night School Bites scratches an itch for weird school stories, but I think the book's strongest element is the dynamic between Nate and Kim.

[SHEKISHA · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok

Not my favorite of his, it was ok. I will read his next book, I’m excited about that one. 🌸

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast read with plenty of spooky fun!