Penn Files Series

"A spine-chilling ghost story with a lot of heart."   Goosebumps meets Lockwood & Co. meets Small Spaces in The Ghosts of Kingston Estate, a middle grade horror story about amateur ghost hunter siblings trying to rid their haunted house of the dangerous ghosts causing havoc.   Twelve-year-old Julian Penn and his eleven-year-old sister, Bella, recently rid the woods around Kingston Estate of multiple ghosts. Julian would like nothing more than to never, ever, ever see another ghost again. Ever. But strange things start happening inside their house—cracks and thumps coming from the empty attic, music that seems to float on the air, and terrifying taxidermied animals appearing from seemingly nowhere.   When Julian and Bella meet Hattie Blair, an old baker rumored to be a witch, they learn more about Kingston Estate and the tragic story that led to its abandonment many years ago. They conclude from her stories that Kingston Estate is most likely haunted—and probably by the Kingston family. While Julian would prefer to pack up and leave, Bella launches a plan to get rid of the ghosts. These ghosts are strong and angry—but they can't ask Mom and Dad for help; they don't believe in ghosts.   As the months speed toward Halloween, the one-hundred-year anniversary of the Kingston family tragedy, the ghosts' pranks and actions against the Penn family get progressively worse and more dangerous. Julian and Bella take the blame for the ghosts' destructive behavior, angering Mom and Dad and causing tension in their relationships. With Julian distancing himself from his friends and Bella having trouble with the kids at her school and Hattie too old and frail to fight ghosts, it seems the ghosts of Kingston Estate might win. Will Julian be able to swallow his fear and insecurity in time to ask for help and save the Penn family from utter destruction?

"A terrifying story that will have you rooting for the heroes."   Goosebumps meets Lockwood & Co. meets Small Spaces in this middle grade horror story about amateur ghost hunter siblings who face two dangerous ghosts they can't ignore—because their lives are most definitely on the line.   Twelve-year-old Julian Penn and his eleven-year-old sister, Bella, just rid their house, Kingston Estate, of all the ghosts haunting it. Julian's hoping for a little ghost-free time as he concentrates on perfecting his first violin solo at his first orchestra concert. But no such luck—the crossroads tree they pass on their bike ride to school every day is showing the classic signs of a haunting—a blanket of hazy mist, cold spots, and what looks like a wild, angry ghost face with glowing green eyes, peering out from the canopy. But maybe it's just their imagination.   Then another ghost shows her ruined face—right inside Julian's orchestra room! And when one of the ghosts threatens Bella's life and rumors at school swirl about kids who have disappeared at the crossroads tree, Julian is forced to face his fears and take the lead on solving the ghost problem. Too bad he's never been great at cracking mysteries. Or being brave. Or solving complicated problems.   As the anniversary of the ghosts' death approaches, they grow stronger and angrier. One seems focused on possessing them. The other seems intent on touching them—which can kill. Julian feels way in over his head; he can't even do what he's supposed to be good at: playing the violin! Will he be able to trust himself and find his courage before someone gets hurt—or, worse, possessed or killed? Or will he disappoint everyone…and most of all himself?

Goosebumps meets Lockwood & Co. meets Small Spaces in The Legend of Woman Hollering Creek, a middle grade horror story about a family in transition, a wandering ghost, and the forgiveness that might save them all.   Eleven-year-old Julian Penn is not very happy about leaving the only home he's ever known and moving to a spooky estate on the edge of San Antonio, especially since he had to leave all his memories of Papaw behind, more especially when he learns the estate is haunted by a woman from a gruesome legend, and most especially when he sees the ghost right outside his window.   While all he really wants to do is put his head down and "give it a year," like his dad told him, Julian's younger sister, Bella (the more adventurous of the two), wants to explore the woods, solve the problem of the ghost, and make the most of their time at Kingston Estate. And since Julian can't let her do all that alone (he promised Papaw he'd take care of her), he reluctantly goes right along with her.   When Mom dips her toes in the creepily-named Woman Hollering Creek that runs through the woods, giving the spirit unintended permission to steal Julian and Bella right from their beds, Julian faces a choice: keep his head down and risk the same terrible fate as the ghost's children, or try to defeat a terrifying, unpredictable, powerful ghost?