Can ancient, unknown creatures surface in your own backyard? Twelve-year-old Pablo has lived in a small California desert town his whole life, and the sticky black tar puddle by the corral fence has been little more than a nuisance to walk around or step over. But when an earthquake cracks open the bottom of the puddle and mysterious rock-like eggs begin floating up to the top, Pablo and his best friends Lauren and Victor realize they have a mystery to solve. A scary, scientific mystery that will put the whole town in danger if Pablo and his friends don’t stop arguing and learn to work together. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

When twelve-year-old Hilary Wilson’s family moves from Pennsylvania to Justice, Illinois, she finds herself feeling angry, frustrated, and lonely. To make matters worse, bully Frank Simmons, whose favorite pastime is scaring people, decides Hilary should be his next victim. Along with his friends Audrey and Todd, Frank challenges Hilary to join his “Cemetery Club,” which meets inside the huge, imposing Resurrection Cemetery and consists of a series of creepy pranks. Hilary is determined to prove her courage and not let Frank’s spooky tricks scare her. Then Marjorie, a very strange girl Hilary befriends in the cemetery, comes to Hilary’s defense with even creepier tricks to play on Frank. But when Marjorie’s pranks become terrifying and seemingly impossible, Hilary has to convince Marjorie to stop. And she must find out once and for all who Marjorie really is.

Anne and Julie, on a school field trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, are having fun looking at the aquatic creatures and talking about other students. But suddenly, in one darkened deep sea room, Anne vanishes and a strange girl in ragged clothes appears in her place. Anne has switched places in time with a runaway slave named Millie. Now in the year 1849, Anne is captured by a cruel slave catcher and held as a thief on his sailing ship. Scared but determined, Julie must figure out how to rescue Anne. But if she does, will it mean sending Millie back in time to the slave catcher? Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

On a hike along the shores of Lake Superior, thirteen-year-old Anna Hendrix sees a huge creature rise from the waters and—to her horror—sink a tour boat. Soon afterward, Jeff Griggs, also thirteen, encounters a similar but smaller creature in the woods around his parents' vacation house. Unable to resist investigating, both Anna and Jeff venture into the nearby forests. They meet each other at a huge waterfall, where they discover a hidden cave. Inside it, to their surprise, they find a cave painting of a creature that resembles the ones they have seen. Suddenly, in a bizarre twist of time and space, the youngsters are transported to a strange, unknown land, vastly different from the Michigan they know. Here, they meet a mysterious but friendly young man who calls himself Skyhawk. He claims to be a member of a civilization that can only be reached by way of the cave. In this strange land, huge monsters roam freely. Skyhawk and his people worship the beasts as gods. But while the people of this land appear welcoming, Anna and Jeff discover they hide a deadly secret. And the two youngsters must somehow find their way back home before the passage between the two worlds closes forever. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an historical event, folktale, legend, of myth unique to that particular state.

Identical twin sisters Carrie and Taylor thought their trip to a Catskill Mountain resort with their parents would be an ordinary summer vacation. But soon Carrie, angry that her parents are treating the twins like little kids instead of almost-teens, decides to protest by sneaking off and hiding in the mountain wilderness for a while. Little does she know that she is running away into a tangled and terrifying magical trap that will require all the courage she has as well as the help of her sister to escape.Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an historical event, folktale, legend, of myth unique to that particular state.

Cascade County, Montana… Middle schoolers Johnel Walker, Tony Walker, and Elliot Green have formed a summer book club. They gather beneath a shady tree twice a week in the Walkers’ backyard to read, discuss, and trade the books they’ve selected. Usually, the club members agree on the chosen books. But when Elliot shows them a crusty, dirt-coated, ancient book he discovered in an abandoned cabin and says it’s one they should read next, Johnel and Tony aren’t impressed. They want Elliot to put the book back. Yet the book—or what’s inside it—has other ideas. It seems there are terrifying, red-eyed ghosts of people from the past anxious to get out of the book and into present day. Elliot, Johnel, and Tony find there is nothing they can do to stop them from emerging. And so, the club members must face the ghosts, figure out what they want, and try to stop the menace. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

Twelve-year-old Gabe Williams and eleven-year-old Isabel Diaz are camping on Brown Mountain with the Outdoor Adventures Camping Club. While there are lots of fun things to do, such as riding four-wheelers, hiking, and tubing, neither Gabe nor Isabel wants to be there. Gabe had wanted to stay home and hang out with his friend. Isabel, whose parents had recently died, just wants to be left alone. One night, camp leader Mike tells the campers about the legend of the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights. The kids think the legend is just a made-up story. Later, in the darkness, Gabe and Isabel each have scary encounters with the lights. Then, when a light takes over Isabel’s body and makes her do things she would never do, Gabe knows he must be brave and try to rescue her. And Isabel must learn to trust that others care enough to help her. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.

Five years ago, young Landon Shrewsbury saw something that scared him to death: a giant, shadowy figure lurking in the woods around his house. Something that left huge footprints in his yard. Now, at age thirteen, Landon has convinced himself he dreamed the whole experience. But in his hometown of Sugarcreek, Ohio, new reports of a mysterious creature haunting the nearby woods come flooding in. When his parents leave town for a week-long vacation, Landon is left in his older brother's care. And to his horror, the frightening, shadowy menace from his childhood returns. Landon, his brother Kevin, and his new friend Tami suddenly find themselves being stalked by the fearsome giant known as the Grassman. Now, the three of them must discover the reason for the beast's return—and find a way to stop its violent rampage—before they fall victim to its inhuman fury.

Melody Martin is thrilled to be back in Tennessee to spend a week with her best friend, Jamie Snavely, over the winter break. Melody’s family had moved to Florida, and though Melody loves her new state, she has missed her friend. Without Melody knowing it, however, Jamie has invited another girl, Gwen Jones, to join them for a sleepover. Melody never liked Gwen because the girl constantly brags and makes up wild stories that can’t be true, such as an encounter with the infamous Bell Witch spirit. To make things worse, a sudden blizzard knocks out all the power and phone service to the area. Wyatt Payne, a local teen, is caught out in the blizzard and breaks his ankle. He frantically hobbles through the storm to the Snavely farmhouse in hopes of getting help, all the while being tormented by terrible, unearthly laughter. Now, with Melody, Wyatt, Jamie, Gwen, and Jamie’s mother trapped in the dark, cold house, they learn that Gwen’s stories of the Bell Witch are not so wild after all. And the dreadful, invisible spirit has come there for a reason. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an historical event, folktale, legend, or myth unique to that particular state.

Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an historical event, folktale, legend, of myth unique to that particular state. Twelve-year-old Danny has escaped the children's home where he has lived since he was four, returning to the Shenandoah Valley to find his parents and demanding to know why they gave him up. Very soon, though, he realizes there is something dark and dangerous about his parents, something he is afraid to understand but more afraid not to understand. With the help of Jenni, a young neighbor, Danny quietly and courageously investigates the clues leading to the answers about his parents, his family, and what hides in the dark mountain cave not far away.

In the town of Broad Run, West Virginia... Vance Archer and Marybeth Wilkins, a pair of adventurous seventh graders, have discovered an exciting activity called geocaching—a kind of scavenger hunt using GPS technology—which leads them after hidden treasures in the woods around their community. However, on one of their outings, they encounter a frightening, half-seen creature with glowing red eyes watching them from the shadows. Soon, Vance begins to receive mysterious messages on his phone from a caller named Indrid Cold. He learns that this name is associated with the legendary Mothman, a strange, unearthly being that is said to appear when some terrible event is about to occur. Believing that they—as well as their friends and loved ones—may soon face mortal danger, Vance and Marybeth try to solve the increasingly strange clues before disaster strikes. Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an historical event, folktale, legend, or myth unique to that particular state.