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CollectionAges 9–12Chapter Books

Dread Wood

A universe by Jennifer Killick

A funny-scary horror series where a gang of mismatched classmates battle engineered monsters at sinister Dread Wood High. Reliable page-turners for readers who like a laugh with their scares.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    6
  • Best for

    9–12
  • Status

    Complete

At a glance

Primary creator
Jennifer Killick
First book
Dread Wood · 2022
Tone
Scary, Funny, Suspenseful, Exciting
Overall sensitivity
Moderate

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

Dread Wood is Jennifer Killick's funny-scary horror series for older primary and early-secondary readers, set around the sinister Dread Wood High. Across six fast-paced books it follows a gang of mismatched classmates who name themselves Club Loser as they face wave after wave of genetically engineered monsters, spiders, vampire birds, deep-sea horrors, venomous rats and killer moths, all engineered by the vengeful caretakers Mr and Mrs Latchitt. The formula is reliably brilliant: real chills and genuine peril offset by laugh-out-loud banter and a friendship group worth rooting for. Pitched squarely at reluctant readers who love a scare with their laughs, the collection blends sci-fi horror, mystery and comedy into some of the most dependable page-turners in the 9-12 space.

A funny-scary horror series where a gang of mismatched classmates battle engineered monsters at sinister Dread Wood High. Reliable page-turners for readers who like a laugh with their scares.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Scary
  • Funny
  • Suspenseful
  • Exciting

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

Cultural ubiquity

3/ 5

Well-known to people who know the room.

Sensitivity

Moderate, and collection-wide.

ModerateCollection-wide

Content notes

  • Scary imagery
  • Violence
  • Animal harm
  • Death of character

Across the collection

All 6 books.

About the creator

Jennifer Killick.

Jennifer Killick

Author

Jennifer Killick: the reigning name in funny-scary middle-grade horror, whose Crater Lake and Dread Wood series pair genuine chills with laugh-out-loud banter — reluctant-reader catnip for 9–12s who like to read, scream, repeat.

More from Jennifer Killick
How we recommend

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