The Creeping Clown: A Tale of Terror

By Jessica Gunderson and Mariano Epelbaum

Coulrophobia--the fear of clowns. It might seem funny, but for Josh this fear is no joke. Josh has a pulse-pounding, sweat-inducing feeling about the clown that advertises the local pizza place. Or anyone who dresses up as a clown for Halloween. When a class field trip takes him to an amusement park, Josh's friends dare him to enter the Hall of Horrors. Will one of those horrors be wearing a frizzy wig and a red nose? Josh is on his guard, but then someone else gets into trouble and needs help. Can Josh muster the courage to conquer his greatest fear and come to the rescue?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: May 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781515887416

Jessica Gunderson

Jessica Gunderson grew up in the small town of Washburn, North Dakota. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has written more than one hundred books for young readers. Her book President Lincoln’s Killer and the America He Left Behind won a 2018 Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Silver Award. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Book preview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER

TITLE PAGE

EVERYONE IS AFRAID OF SOMETHING

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

GLOSSARY

FACE YOUR FEAR!

FEAR FACTORS

MICHAEL DAHL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

EXPLORE MORE

COPYRIGHT

BACK COVER

EVERYONE IS AFRAID OF SOMETHING.

I’m afraid of quite a number of things. But a PHOBIA is a very special fear. It is deep and strong and long lasting. It is hard to explain why people have phobias—they just do.

In this story, Josh has a phobia about clowns. I can certainly understand that! Clowns, with their weird makeup and those wide, toothy smiles, are definitely creepy. Unfortunately for Josh, he and his friends end up in a place where clowns are always found. And it’s bad enough when Josh finds one . . . but it’s even worse when one of the clowns finds him.

Also, this story really bothered me, because I happen to like pizza. Read on and you’ll see what I mean.

1

It started as soon as I sat down at my desk and pulled out my sixth-grade science book.

Put your books away, our teacher, Ms. Bentley, said as the bell rang. She wore a huge smile on her face. We won’t be needing any books today. I have a surprise for you.

My heart thumped. There are two things you need to know about me. First, I hate surprises.

Ms. Bentley beamed at us. Every single one of you got a B or higher on the mid-term math test, she said. As a reward, we are going on a field trip.

The whole classroom erupted into excited chatter. Everyone was happy but me.

Where are we going? my friend Theo asked.

I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise! Ms. Bentley