The Creeps: Middle-Grade Horror Series

In Pumpkins County, monster attacks are just another Tuesday. Giant frogs claw their way back from biology class dissection. Trolls feast on stressed-out townspeople. Jack-o-lanterns spring to life and attack everyone in sight. This is autumn in a gloriously weird corner of the world where the supernatural shatters the ordinary.

Enter the Creeps: Carol, a whip-smart big-city girl navigating small-town life; Mitchell, a walking monster encyclopedia; Jarvis, a military brat with logistics skills; and Rosario, who looks like a girly girl but commands the group’s muscle. Together, they’re Pumpkins County’s only defense against the chaos bubbling up from beneath the mundane—all while trying to get to class on time.

The Creeps is Chris Schweizer’s middle-grade horror series published by Abrams/Amulet, spanning three volumes: Night of the Frankenfrogs (2015), The Trolls Will Feast! (2016), and Curse of the Attack-o-Lanterns (2016). It channels Goosebumps meets Scooby-Doo by way of NERDS—a smart, adrenaline-fueled series that delivers the thrill of scary stories without crossing into nightmare territory.

Schweizer, who grew up on Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, brings a deep understanding of what makes kid-friendly horror work. The scares feel real enough to get the pulse racing but remain cushioned by warm character dynamics and genuine humor. His clean, expressive art style stays bright and busy, always ready with a visual gag to defuse the tension. As Kirkus noted, “Schweizer’s pacing excels, and his worldbuilding is a clever delight.”

The series builds a satisfying mythology across its three volumes, with each book raising the stakes while deepening the friendships at its core. Booklist praised the “mixed-gender band of heroes” for broad appeal, calling the series “wacky, spooky, icky, and fun.” The Creeps even tackles timely themes—The Trolls Will Feast! features a town gossip website spreading misinformation and alarm, with the trolls literally feeding on the resulting stress hormones.

The Creeps delivers horror with a heart. Schweizer balances genuine monster-mayhem with an uplifting message about finding your tribe—even if your tribe is weird, obsessed with monsters, and a little creepy. For more from this talented creator, check out his historical adventure series The Crogan Adventures and his darkly comic crime series Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton.

Perfect for fans of Goosebumps, Amulet, and The Last Kids on Earth.