Monster Stories to Scare Your Socks Off!

By Michael Dahl, Colin Jack, Laurie S. Sutton and 2 more

A goosebump-inducing anthology of monster tales for young fans of scary stories!

CAUTION: The stories in this book will SCARE YOUR SOCKS OFF! Can a young boy escape the tangled web of a ten-foot spider? Will mummified cats and dogs fulfill a legendary curse from the underworld? Is a vampire terrorizing a quiet neighbor? Discover the answers to these creepy questions and more in this spine-chilling collection of eight monster stories . . . if you dare! BWAHAHA! Featuring four scream-worthy horror writers—including bestselling author Michael Dahl—this anthology is an absolute must-have for your next campout, sleepover, or Halloween party. Perfect for fans of genre classics—such as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series—and any seeker of nightmare-fuel.

Other Stories to Scare Your Socks Off!
Ghost Stories to Scare Your Socks Off!
Sorcery Stories to Scare Your Socks Off!
Zombie Stories to Scare Your Socks Off!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669012450

Michael Dahl

Michael Dahl is the prolific author of the bestselling Goodnight, Baseball picture book and more than 200 other books for children and young adults. He has won the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his nonfiction, a Teachers’ Choice Award from Learning Magazine, and a Seal of Excellence from the Creative Child Awards. Dahl currently lives in Minnesota.

Book preview

THE LEGEND OF TOWNVILLE LAKE

By Benjamin Harper

I sat there with a gooey slice halfway to my mouth, the cheese and toppings slowly sliding to my plate, as Mr. McKenzie ran into the restaurant. His arms were flailing, and he couldn’t stop shaking! Then, he finally spoke.

It’s true. The tales are all true! he shouted to the dazed pizza eaters. Some kids were standing up on their seats and looking over the booths to get a better view.

I was out on the lake, fishing like I do every Friday night, when I heard some bubbles, and my boat started swaying like something big was coming, Mr. McKenzie stammered. I looked up and saw a giant head emerge from the water. Its long neck kept rising and rising until it must have been fifteen feet high!

A large, snakelike monster emerges from a lake with full moon above.

The entire restaurant was completely silent. Even the cook was standing in the doorway, his sauce ladle in hand.

It stared right at me with its giant teeth glistening in the light, Mr. McKenzie continued. I had no choice but to dive overboard and swim for shore as fast as I could.

Mr. McKenzie said he swam to shore faster than he ever had in his life. When he turned around, all he saw was his boat being pulled underwater. Some bubbles plopped, and then everything was silent.

When he was done with his story, Mr. McKenzie collapsed in an empty chair at Mr. Jenkins’s table and grabbed a glass of water. The entire restaurant burst into excited chatter. The Townville Lake Monster had been a legend in the area for decades, but no one had ever seen it until now.

Jimmy and I, like any normal kids, threw down our now-cold pizza, put on our coats, and ran down to the shore of Townville Lake to see for ourselves.

People had been coming from all over the globe forever in hopes of getting a glimpse of this famous monster. Stores lined the shore of the lake selling Townville Monster T-shirts and toys. Our tiny little town had even gotten popular for other reasons—like the annual fried baloney festival and the blindfolded clogging competition that happened every Fourth of July.

But the real draw was the monster.

And now that there was a brand-new sighting, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to investigate!

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