- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Horror
Fright Bite
Book 5 in Dread WoodView the full series
A birthday trip to a zombie-themed escape room turns real when Club Loser find themselves trapped underground with giant poisonous rats, in a game that seems to know exactly what each of them fears most.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Scary
- Funny
- Suspenseful
- Exciting
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
It's Colette's thirteenth birthday, and Club Loser head to the Neon Perch, the coolest hangout in town, with its go-karts, crazy golf, arcade and, best of all, a brand-new immersive zombie escape room called Project Z. But when Angelo, Naira, Gus, Hallie and Colette descend into the basement to play, the fun curdles fast: their old enemies are back, the room seems to know each player's deepest fears, and there are vicious creatures with a poisonous bite loose in the dark. Trapped underground and picked off one scare at a time, the gang must keep their nerve, outwit the game and survive the giant, venomous rats hunting them. Jennifer Killick's fifth Dread Wood adventure leans into claustrophobic escape-room dread while keeping the banter and heart that carry the series, delivering another fast, funny, genuinely creepy thriller. Perfect for fans of horror who like a laugh with their scares. Read, scream, repeat.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A good fit for 9-12s who enjoy a scare; independent reading from 9 and read aloud from about 8. The venomous creatures and fear-based scares make it unsuitable for bedtime or for particularly sensitive readers.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery, violence, animal harm.
Bedtime suitability
1 / 5 · Wide awake
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Funny scary
- Reluctant readers
- Goosebumps fans
- Horror adventure
Avoid if
- Wants gentle bedtime
- Sensitive to scares
- Afraid of rats
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
A zombie escape room is already a dream setting, and Killick twists it into a trap that knows your worst fears and fills the dark with giant, biting rats. It's tense, gross and funny in equal measure, with the gang scrapping and joking to the end.
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
- The underdog winning
- Having a nemesis
Why parents love it
The fifth book keeps the formula fresh with a claustrophobic escape-room setting and a fear-reading game, while holding the scares at thrill level and the friendships front and centre. Short, propulsive and reliably devoured.
- Quick to read
- Shared humour
In the series
Dread Wood.
6 books · open the series →
About the author
Jennifer Killick.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
