Pages of Doom

In this second installment in the Book of Screams series, we revisit the ongoing story of Tanya, who is trying to vanquish a sentient ink that steals people's dreams, and delve into other horrors in short-story form, such as a ray of sunshine that kills, a rabbit carcass that haunts a young boy, and a teddy bear that possesses its owner.
Middle grader Tanya has managed to stop famed horror writer Joel Southland from stealing people's nightmares for his books.

The malevolent, sentient ink that had been the source of all his powers and successes now belongs to Tanya. But the ink-which feeds on nightmares-is growing hungrier and hungrier. It urges Tanya to plunder the dreams of others so it can feed.

Among Tanya's struggles to outwit the ink are eleven other creepy tales representing the dreams and nightmares of other characters in the book. From tales of dentists who are actually giant alien insects in disguise to a kid spotting a tombstone with his own name and death date, these stories are sure to thrill and chill.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Do you dare to enter their nightmares?
Key Selling Points

• In this second installment of the Book of Screams series, we re-enter Tanya's struggle to vanquish the sentient ink that steals people's nightmares; other stories include the tale of a rabbit carcass haunting a young boy, a teacher whose student just might be a werewolf, and a teddy bear that possesses its owner.

• As with book 1, Jeff Szpirglas does an excellent job of giving readers a variety of scares, from chilling old-school horror monsters like werewolves to an outlandish giant insect alien masquerading as a dentist, so that kids will get a thorough introduction to horror, but in a manner suited to their age level and in bite-sized format.

• Readers of Book of Screams will enjoy reconnecting with Tanya's story as she tries to outwit the evil ink-this time with a new friend by her side.

• The character of middle-grade horror novelist Joel Southland (Tanya's nemesis) is affectionately based on Canadian writer Joel Sutherland.

• Horror and supernatural stories continue to be in-demand these days, and these suspenseful and gripping narratives will pull in reluctant readers.

• Jeff Szpirglas teaches middle school, so he is keenly aware of what entertains kids of this age, and he cleverly sets many of these stories in the ever-relatable school setting.

Jeff Szpirglas is the author of several works for young people, including the horror collections Tales from Beyond the Brain, Tales from the Fringes of Fear and most recently, Book of Screams. He is also the co-author, with Danielle Saint-Onge, of a number of Orca Echoes titles, including Shark Bait!, X Marks the Spot and Super Switch. Jeff has worked at CTV and was an editor at Chirp, Chickadee and Owl magazines. In his spare time, he teaches grade school. Jeff lives with his family in Kitchener, Ontario.

Andrew P. Barr is an illustrator whose work has appeared in magazines, newspapers and movies, as well as on movie posters and T-shirts. In 2022 the book Wild Outside, which he illustrated, won the Yellow Cedar Award and the Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada's Information Book Award. Andrew lives in Oakville, Ontario. The Book of Screams series features short horror stories for middle-grade readers, ranging from gross to terrifying, with an overarching narrative of Tanya, a girl trying to vanquish an evil, sentient ink that steals the nightmares of those around her.
"Scary stories meld with haunting nightmares as tales weave within a tale and form a chilling tomb from beginning to end…Each tale is very original and holds on its own, making this great for reluctant readers as well. [Horror] fans will enjoy the variety and mix, and be able to come back and visit their favorites time and again."
"Fraught with monstrous danger…Readers will be suitably disturbed. More unnerving, night