Books in Major League Chillers series

Lauren Conrad wants one thing: to help people. So she writes a report about robots that can help the blind. She never dreams that the teacher will submit it for the chance to win a $10,000 research grant. But he does. And Lauren wins. Now she’s finding out that building robots is harder than she thought. She’s in over her head. The robot is behind schedule, the legs are creeping her out, and she’s ordering strange parts off the internet. The teacher takes pity and tries to help by lending her an old book about robots. A strange and mysterious book. A frightening book. The chapters are scary, and the illustrations are even scarier. But Lauren will soon find out that her own robot is scariest of all. (Includes three robot illustrations.)

Jeremy Youngblood can’t stand when his cousin Thomas comes to visit. That’s because Thomas is a total nerd. All he cares about is knights and magic. And he always wants to see the old family books. Those creepy old books with the strange symbols and the funny language. But this time he’s brought something with him: eight stones, carved with symbols from the book. He claims they give him special powers. Jeremy doesn’t believe him. The next thing he knows, he’s back in time, in a foreign land, about to set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Brandon loves playing his guitar. He’s good at it too. Good enough to attract the attention of a professor who recruits talented musicians to take part in his shadowy research. He says his work is secret, that he’s trying to unlock the powers of the mind. And music is the key. He arranges for Brandon and the other subjects to be taken to an abandoned factory. Inside is an assortment of mysterious equipment, topped off by a standing replica of Stonehenge. Now it’s time for the tests to begin, and Brandon is about to find out that the separation between dimensions is a very thin line.

Carrie does not believe in ghosts. She does not believe in magic, or curses, or any other so-called supernatural phenomenon. She believes only in what she can see with her own eyes. Her cousin Adam is exactly the opposite. He believes in ghosts so strongly that he wants to become a professional ghost hunter. Carrie rolls her eyes when Adam buys a ghost detector from the strange new store in town. “You’re only wasting your money,” she warns. He buys it anyway. They are about to leave the store when an item catches Carrie’s eye. A shadowbox. “I’ll get it for my mom,” she figures. The store owner warns that the shadowbox comes with a curse. Carrie buys it anyway. Big mistake.

Max and Lonnie wish their father would spend more time at home. But that’s what happens when your dad works on top-secret government projects. The work is important, everyone says. Sacrifices must be made. So when their father announces a family vacation everyone is stunned. A trip to the lake. Fishing. Awesome! The universe had other plans. Their father gets a phone call; there’s been an accident at the lab. It’ll only take a few minutes, he says. Yeah right. Now Max and Lonnie are finding out exactly what their father’s been working on, and their lives will never be the same.

Nathan and his best friend J.T. are always playing pranks at the Dobbins Petal Orphanage. Nobody takes them too seriously, though. It’s all in good fun. They never push the envelope too far. Until one horrible night… J.T. wants to sneak out past curfew. He wants to go all the way to the most dangerous corner in the neighborhood, and he dares Nathan to come with him. “Fine,” Nathan says. “What’s the worst that could happen?” But he should have listened to his gut. He never should have gone along. Because now Nathan is finding out that you can’t trust a stranger. Especially a stranger who gives you a mysterious round object wrapped in newspaper: a cursed shrunken head.