DEAD GIRL’S DIARY

All her life, Kara had been told she was born in her hometown. But she's always felt that wasn't quite right, just as she's had flashes of memories that weren't her own. Now that she's 12, those visions are becoming more frequent, more frightening... and when a mysterious diary shows up on her doorstep, she knows there's more to these visions than she once thought.

Because this is the diary of a dead girl. The very girl who's been haunting her visions. In the pages of the diary, Kara learns this girl didn't just die--she was murdered. And Kara is the only one who can solve the mystery.
With her best friend Sienna, Kara visits the town where this ghost girl met her end.
If Kara isn't careful, she might meet her end there, too.

LAST LAUGH

What's scarier than a collection of clown dolls in a secret locked room?

How about... those clown dolls coming to life. And hunting you down.

VACANCY

Jasmine dreamed of the Carlisle Hotel for years, even before she moved to Gold River. It has always called to her. She knows a terrible darkness lurks in its cursed halls, long-since abandoned after 300 guests mysteriously died of fright.

And now, she and her friends Mira and Rohan are spending the night.

The middle school Dare is Gold River tradition. She can’t not test her bravery with all her classmates. No one has ever lasted the full night—this is her one chance to prove she’s not just a nerdy newcomer. To prove to Bradley she won’t be picked on anymore.

But this time, the hotel wants to play a game of its own. If she doesn’t win, she’ll never check out.

ESCAPE

In this park, anything is possible…
even your worst nightmares

official SSYRA reading list for 2023

Welcome to ESCAPE. It’s the biggest adventure park in the world . . . but it’s more than just rides and roller coasters: At ESCAPE, you can do anything you want and be anyone you want, with no adults around to tell you no. 

Cody dreams of going to ESCAPE. But the only people who get in there are rich or cool, and Cody’s a nobody. He’s shocked when he receives an invitation to walk inside ESCAPE’s gates . . . and even more shocked by what he finds inside. 

At first, it’s a lot of fun. But soon, Cody’s dream place starts to morph into a complete nightmare. Rides turn deadly. Kids disappear. And what started out as an adventure turns into a fight for survival. Can ESCAPE be . . . escaped? 

DARKROOM

It’s no longer just a game…

Beatrice is an avid gamer. She and her friend Rochelle even stream their game play—and their speciality is scary games. But Beatrice is always on the lookout for something more frightening, and when she gets an invite to an ultra-exclusive game called DARK[room], she signs up without hesitating.

The game is simple: take pictures of ghosts on your phone. Easy.

Except Beatrice quickly learns that the ghosts aren’t just in her phone screen. They’ve been released in real life. They’re hunting her. And they play to win.

If she doesn’t defeat them all within seven days, it’s game over. For good.

Coming Fall ‘22 from Scholastic

THE UNDROWNED

In too deadly. In too deep.

Samantha and Rachel used to be friends. But when Rachel betrayed Samantha, Samantha decided to make her life a living nightmare. One day, Samantha and Rachel were fighting by the cursed Lake Lamont. Samantha pushed Rachel . . . and watched as Rachel fell back. And back.

Into the water.
Gone.

No way to save Rachel. No way she could be alive.
But the next day, Rachel showed up to school as if nothing happened.

And now she's the one who wants to make her former friend's life a living nightmare.