In a hurry and still on the phone, he collided with a woman and knocked her drink from her hand. Under normal circumstances, he’d apologize profusely and help clean up the mess—for the matter, he would have paid attention and not run into her to begin with—but the news he’d received had rattled his mind. Paige Hopkins can’t believe the rudeness of the man who’d run into her. She picked up her now-empty cup, threw it in the nearest trash can, and continued her walk until her annoyance evaporated into the cool autumn air. The incident faded from her thoughts until several weeks later when the man showed up to her family’s pumpkin patch. First impressions aren’t always right, but can they be overcome? An Autumn Stroll is a heartwarming, inspirational novella from USA Today Bestselling Author Leah Atwood.

    Russell is a middle schooler nicknamed "Swamp Kid" by his classmates who has algae for hair, a tree trunk of a right arm, a frog for a best friend, and a carrot for a finger. Russell details, in both hilarious text and color illustrations, what it's like to be different, to be comfortable in his own skin (no matter how slimy), and to discover his true talents. In the second story, thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance knows exactly what she wants, who she is, and where she's going. First, she'll win the battle of the bands with her two best friends, then she'll join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy so she can solve crimes just like her dad. Who knows, her rock-star group of friends may even save the world, but first they'll need to agree on a band name. Don't miss your chance to sample these exciting titles from the DC Zoom line of graphic novels for middle grade readers.

    Ivy Mitchell’s life is changed forever after she follows her cat, Karma, into an old house, where she stumbles upon a strange book that not only unleashes her destiny, but attracts a smoking hot, mysterious stranger named Chance with wicked powers of his own. Ivy was born a witch, but an important decision awaits. Make the wrong choice and more than her powers are at risk. A story in nine parts, each written by a different writer in her own individual style: Lori Connelly, Aileen Harkwood, Zara Stoneley, Kari Lemor, Sarah Lefebve, Carmel Harrington, Teresa F. Morgan, Lynn Marie Hulsman, and Jane Lark.Length: 4300 words

    How will Frog and Pickles find their way out of this mess and still manage to keep their new friend? Both young and older readers alike will enjoy this humorous tale about the summer the foxes moved to town.

    The competition is furious; there's sabotage and treachery and the heartbreak of root rot, and many a weigh-off ends in tears. This year, more than just the grand prize is at stake. The Holy Grail is within reach: the world's first fifteenhundred-pound pumpkin. And Ron and Dick Wallace think they have what it takes to get it.Backyard Giants follows a tumultuous season in the life of a close-knit tribe of competitors as they chase down the ultimate pumpkin prize. In the grueling and gut-wrenching quest for truly colossal fruit,

    Andrews, Mona Marple, Elle Adams, April Aasheim, Jenna St. James, Nikki Haverstock, K.M. Waller, and Amorette Anderson.

    McCammon, Whitley Strieber, Michael McDowell, Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Charles L. Grant and others. Edited by Alan Ryan, author of The Kill and Dead White.

    Nobody can really explain it. You just have to understand that bizarre things happen there. They just do. Weird things. The kind of things you don’t even want to dream about in your worst nightmares.Trick-or-treat is crazy enough, with ghosts and goblins and witches and warlocks and all manner of other horrors roaming the streets. But in Oxrun Station, the masks aren’t always made of rubber.In his new hometown, British teenager Sam Jones discovers that a legendary backwoods bogeyman has risen from the grave to seek revenge against those who put him there . . .The fabric of the cosmos is unravelling and dark and dangerous things are leaking across the borders . . . For five unsuspecting teenagers, their lives will never be the same again as they discover the hidden terrors lurking beneath the surface of their quiet town and experience the most horrifying Halloween of them all . . .This year in Oxrun Station, THE TRICK IS TO STAY ALIVE!

    Empty tents flap in the breeze, but there’s no sign of the carnies. For a group of close friends, the festivities have just begun. A masked figure haunts Trevor Sheevis in every reflection. Cole Reagor’s dream of being a stand-up comedian suddenly isn’t so funny, and Tommy Gallaghan’s cell phone makes ominous threats. At school, Angela Rayburn is smiling at Mathew Potts, and for Ashley Gifford, the monster he fears most sleeps under his very same roof. When their friend, Steven Delhomme, turns up missing, their worst fears come true. The smell of autumn leaves is in the air, the first pumpkins are aglow, and the crows are gathering in the cornfields. The moon is full, and something is visible beyond the veil between the living and the dead calling itself the Scarecrow King. As Halloween approaches, the dead exchange places with the living, and the All Hallows Eve Midnight Traveling Spook Show opens its doors. In Hill Haven Creeps, every fear will come to life, and every dream will turn into a nightmare. But will Halloween will have the final say? Or is something more ominous on the night wind?