The Haunted Mustache (Night Frights)

The Haunted Mustache (Night Frights)

From the author of Junior Monster Scouts comes new spooky and silly series perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In this first book, things get hairy for two fifth graders who take on a haunted mustache! Wolver Hollow is not a normal town. The adults are too busy shuffling off to work at the old coffin factory to notice or care, but the kids know all about monsters, ghosts, and strange lights in the sky. Strange things happen in Wolver Hollow. Creepy things. But fifth graders Parker and Lucas are determined to debunk one of Wolver Hollow’s legends: Over a hundred years ago, Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an unfortunate accident and all that remained was his magnificent mustache. People say it returns every year, on the anniversary of Bockius’s death, seeking a lip to claim as its own! When the boys try to prove the story is fake, they find more than they bargained for. Gr 5 Up—A creepy new series sure to crawl into the hearts of your young scary story fans. The town of Wolver Hollow has a haunting mystery. Each year on October 19th, every man, woman, and child must wear a mustache from dusk till dawn. After a quarry explosion, a man is never seen again, and only his mustache was found. Two fifth grade friends, Parker and Lucas, want to get to the bottom of what happened. They want to know if his mustache still really haunts the town, and how to get it to its final resting place. Parker and Lucas team up with a classmate to confront the mystery of the haunted mustache head-on. This series will be a great recommendation for those readers who enjoy R.L. Stine or any of the "Scary Stories" collections. The mystery aspect is easy to follow and lets students put the clues together alongside the main characters. VERDICT A hair-raising paranormal mystery for middle grade readers that won't disappoint. A must-have title for elementary or middle schools where supernatural and scary books circulate well.—Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East H.S., IL Joe McGee (1972–2025) always loved to write about monsters and magic and other strange, curious, and quirky things. He grew up with his nose in a book and his imagination exploring other worlds. He knew when he was ten years old that one day he would grow up to be an author! He earned an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a master of arts in writing from Rowan University. A former Army officer, Joe lived in many places, including New Jersey and West Virginia with his wife, Jessica Rinker (who is also a children’s author), and their two dogs, Pepper and Odin. Visit JoeMcGeeAuthor.com to learn more about Joe and his books. Teo Skaffa currently lives in Italy but is from a village in the Netherlands which you’ve probably never heard of, and for good reason. He loves music, video games, cinema, and swimming. He hates drawing in accurate perspective and room temperature watermelon (cold is fine though, delicious even). Coming from a traditional background, he now focuses on digital illustration and storytelling. Most of his inspiration comes from that short moment when you wake up and don’t quite understand what is happening yet, where he sees brief flashes of images and ideas which he turns into colorful illustrations. Chapter 1 1 “…And his mustache was all that remained.” Mr. Noffler leaned against the edge of his desk and watched the class. They were silent for a moment. Their eyes were wide. None of the students knew whether or not to believe what they’d just heard. Every kid in Wolver Hollow grew up going through the same weird routine on October 19, but until now, they never knew why. Every October 19, the town shut down before dusk. Shops closed. Parents made their children stay inside. Curtains were drawn. And doors were bolted. Every year, men who were normally clean-shaven grew mustaches in preparation for October 19. Women and children took their fake mustaches out of the drawer and taped them above their lips. Parents made a game of it, but their eyes were filled with fear. When children would ask why they had to wear mustaches, or what Mommy was so afraid of, it was always the same answer: “You’re too young” or “It’s nothing, just a silly old legend.” But now that they were in fifth grade, they were finally learning the truth. They were finally going to hear about the legend of October 19. “And that is today’s local history lesson,” said Mr. Noffler. He clapped his hands and sat down. Parker frowned. That couldn’t be it, he thought. He had the feeling that Mr. Noffler was leaving out all of the good parts. He hadn’t told them why it was all such a big deal in the first place. He hadn’t told them why they locked their doors and wore fake mustaches. Parker sensed a mystery, and he wanted answers. He was not about to let Mr. Noffler stop there. Not when he was so close to learning the truth. Parker leaned forward at his desk and raised his hand as high as