Kate Alice Marshall started writing before she could hold a pen properly, and never stopped. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with a chaotic menagerie of pets and family members, and ventures out in the summer to kayak and camp along Puget Sound. She is the author of the YA novels I Am Still Alive, Rules for Vanishing, and Our Last Echoes. Thirteens was her middle grade debut, followed by its sequel, Brackenbeast. Visit her online at katemarshallbooks.com and follow her on Twitter @kmarshallarts.

SPOOKY MIDDLE GRADE: In the era of Stranger Things, horror for the middle grade crowd is on the rise. Readers are craving stories that keep them on their toes.RISING AUTHOR: With rave reviews and a movie deal (backed by Ben Affleck!) for her debut, I Am Still Alive, and great buzz leading up to her sophomore YA, Rules for Vanishing, Kate's star is on the rise. She's turned her signature jump scares and irresistable characters into the perfect spooky middle grade confection.TRIO OF FRIENDS: At its heart, this is a friendship story and this trio are fast friends, all of whom bring different skills and experiences to the table. It's the kind of friendship you feel a part of as you read.PITCH-PERFECT HORROR: Horror for the middle grade crowd requires a delicate balance-it has to be scary enough to hook thrill seekers, but not so scary that it keeps them up at night. This story hits that sweet spot with age-appropriate horror.BOOK TWO TEASER: The paperback will include a teaser for the second book in the series, Brackenbeast.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline meets Stranger Things in a dark and twisted story about a sleepy town with a dark secret--and the three kids brave enough to uncover it.

Every thirteen years in the town of Eden Eld, three thirteen-year-olds disappear.

Eleanor has just moved to the quiet, prosperous Eden Eld. When she awakes to discover an ancient grandfather clock that she's never seen before outside her new room, she's sure her eyes must be playing tricks on her. But then she spots a large bird, staring at her as she boards the school bus. And a black dog with glowing red eyes follows her around town. All she wants is to be normal, and these are far from normal. And worse--no one else can see them.

Except for her new friends, Pip and Otto, who teach her a thing or two about surviving in Eden Eld. First: Don't let the "wrong things" know you can see them. Second: Don't speak of the wrong things to anyone else.

The only other clue they have about these supernatural disturbances is a book of fairytales unlike any they've read before. It tells tales of the mysterious Mr. January, who struck a cursed deal with the town's founders. Every thirteenth Halloween, he will take three of their children, who are never heard from again. It's up to our trio to break the curse--because Eden Eld's thirteen years are up. And Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are marked as his next sacrifice.