Book Description

Max Carter never thought a school could actually want to eat him alive. But from the moment he sets foot (very reluctantly) on the grounds of Creepmore Academy, it's clear: this is no ordinary school.

Moving to a new town is hard enough, but Max is determined to make the best of it. That is, until the family car lurches up to a building that looks like a cross between a haunted mansion and a prison. Creepmore's iron gates gape like jagged teeth, barely hanging onto their hinges, and the first welcome Max receives comes from Mr. Mopbucket, the one-armed janitor who accidentally drops his eyeball on the sidewalk while greeting him. "Always losing my marbles!" Mopbucket cackles, as if that's totally normal.

It's not.

And that's just Red Flag Number One.

Red Flag Number Two? The principal, Dr. Brainmore, whose pale, stitched-together skin gives "science experiment" a whole new meaning. Brainmore's office is eerily quiet, and the principal himself is unsettlingly chipper as he clasps his spindly hands and says, "We've been dying to meet you." Max isn't sure what's worse—the pulsing stitches across Brainmore's forehead or the dark, sticky drop of something suspiciously not jam that drips from his chin.

But things really go downhill at lunch. Red Flag Number Three: the meatloaf. Ms. Gristle, the lunch lady, is all too happy to slap a wobbly mound of something meaty onto Max's tray. When Max nervously pokes at it, the meatloaf squeals. Ms. Gristle's grin stretches impossibly wide, and her ear flops lazily into the mashed potatoes. She doesn't seem to notice—or care.

And don't even get Max started on PE class. Let's just say "physical education" at Creepmore involves more than running laps or playing dodgeball. Here, the balls dodge back. Max begins to realize that every part of Creepmore is designed to test his nerves—and maybe something more sinister.

But Max isn't alone. Despite the bizarre surroundings, he manages to befriend a ragtag group of fellow students, each with their own strange quirks—and, in some cases, extra limbs or mysterious powers. Together, they begin to unravel Creepmore's dark secret: the school might be more of a science lab than a school, and the kids? Well, they might just be the next batch of experiments.

As Max and his friends dig deeper, they discover hidden tunnels beneath the school, ancient books filled with dark spells, and a faculty with a lot more to hide than just odd diets. There's something bigger at play—something involving ancient curses, forbidden science, and a twisted plan that could turn the entire student body into a literal army of the undead.

Max has to summon courage he never knew he had, facing down teachers who sleep in coffins, classmates who sprout fangs during pop quizzes, and gym uniforms that bite back. With every new day, the line between student and snack blurs a little more, and Max finds himself racing against time to uncover the truth and make it out in one piece.

Max Carter and the Creepmore Academy of the Undead is a thrilling, hilarious, and just-the-right-amount-of-gross adventure perfect for middle-grade readers who love spooky stories with heart. Full of twisty mysteries, creepy corridors, and ghoulish giggles, it's a story about bravery, friendship, and discovering that sometimes the weirdest places can teach you the most about yourself.

Fans of Goosebumps, The Last Kids on Earth, and Coraline will be hooked from page one, while new readers will quickly fall in love with Max's sarcastic humor, the bizarre-yet-lovable supporting cast, and the endlessly inventive horror-comedy mash-up...