Dread Wood - Fright Bite (Dread Wood, Book 5)

By Jennifer Killick

The brand new must-read middle-grade novel from the author of super-spooky Crater Lake. Perfect for 9+ fans of R.L.Stine’s Goosebumps and Stranger Things.

It’s Colette’s birthday and the friends are spending an evening at Neon Perch – an epic entertainment spot where they can eat pizza, play mini golf and – best of all – take part in Project Z – an epic new escape room experience. It’s going to be the best night ever!

Or is it . . . ?

Somehow, the escape room somehow seems to know each player’s greatest fears. And worst of all, there are creatures locked up with them. Creatures from their darkest nightmares . . . giant, poisonous RATS!

“Deliciously scary and hilarious comedy-horror, perfectly pitched for eight-plus.”

The Guardian on Dread Wood

Format: Paperback
Ageband: 9 to 12
Release Date: 07 May 2024
Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-0-00-865703-1
Jennifer Killick is the author of the Dread Wood and Crater Lake series. She regularly visits schools and festivals, and her books have been selected multiple times for The Reading Agency\'s Summer Reading Challenge. She lives in Uxbridge in a house full of children, animals and Lego. When she isn\'t busy mothering she loves to read, write and run as fast as she can.

'Imagine a book that serves up those super-spooky vibes that kids love… horrors galore, a delicious dollop of black comedy and a bunch of spiky classmates with a murky, rat-infested mystery to solve . . . Killick is a slick and sassy storyteller… she knows just how far to take her heart-stopping tales of cool comedy and scary horror as she pumps up the action and lets loose her rich imagination. Just be prepared to read this gorgeous, gigglesome chiller-thriller in one sitting!’ -

Lancashire Post -

'Massive kudos to our horror queen, Jennifer Killick, who once again raises the bar for scares and suspense . . . her storytelling is fast-paced and twisty but she still manages to keep it light and hilarious in those darker moments.' -

Check ‘Em Out Books review, December 2023 -

Praise for the Dread Wood series: -

”'Brilliantly creepy fun for young horror fans, with an unexpectedly moving ending.” - iNews

”'Jennifer Killick’s talent for horror and humour is blended brilliantly here as the spiky dialogue, unstoppable pace and genuinely menacing atmosphere build to a tremendous climax” - Daily Mail

“Deliciously scary and hilarious comedy-horror, perfectly pitched for eight-plus.” -

The Guardian -

”'This is Killick’s best book yet; think 'The Breakfast Club’ meets 'Stranger Things’, making great use of her talent for comic dialogue and her astute eye for just the right kind of scary for this age group.” - Editor’s Choice, The Bookseller

Jennifer has, yet again, upped the level of stylishly slick, sinister storylines and honed her clever range of shock / comedy techniques - from the laugh-out-loud, nose-snortingly funny moments, to the cheekily edgy asides, to the poignant warm-hearted, gentle, fun scenes she does so well. -

- ReadingZone (Book of the Day, February 16th 2022) -