Something evil is growing in this spine-tingling middle grade novel about a boy who must protect his neighborhood from a malevolent monster tree while dealing with the recent loss of his father. Something evil is growing in this spine-tingling middle grade novel about a boy who must protect his neighborhood from a malevolent monster tree while dealing with the recent loss of his father. Linus used to be an artist, like his dad. Then his father died and Linus's mom moved them to the other side of the city, hoping for a fresh start. Maybe, for the first time since losing Dad, Linus will even start drawing again. But there's something unusual about their new neighbor Maude, and something wrong with the grotesque tree in her backyard. At night Linus sees it moving, changing, growing. When increasingly bizarre events plague the neighborhood-massive claw marks, missing pets, sightings of a red-eyed creature-he suspects Maude and her tree are to blame, even if his mom doesn't quite believe him. With his new home and new neighborhood under threat, Linus teams up with his goofy best friend Spencer and no-nonsense neighbor Abby to unearth whatever sinister seeds have been planted next door . . . even as something truly monstrous is taking root. From the author of The Nightmare House ("A sophisticated choice for horror readers." -Booklist, starred review), Sarah Allen weaves the supernatural adventure of Stranger Things with a poignant tale of grief, healing, and the uniting force of friendship in Monster Tree. Sarah Allen is the author of The Nightmare House, What Stars are Made Of, and Breathing Underwater. Born and raised in Utah, she received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now lives in Orlando, fifteen minutes from the Magic Kingdom. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and blasting show tunes. PRAISE FOR THE NIGHTMARE HOUSE "Fans of Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener (2014) will find the Fear Maker alluring but may suffer some nightmares of their own after following Penny to his door. Allen deals in both beauty and terror, rendering this a sophisticated choice for horror readers." -Booklist, starred review "Both a terrifying story for kids and a poetic fight song against the prison anxiety builds around the human heart, The Nightmare House is timeless, exciting, beautiful, creepy, and above all, full of the hope that lights even the darkest nights." -Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mine "A gorgeous book with scares enough for the brave at heart and heart enough for everyone. I loved every page." -Lora Senf, author of The Clackity "A haunting and hopeful testament of art's ability to fill our broken spaces. As readers watch Penny embrace her innate bravery, they will be inspired to do the same." -Josh Allen, author of Out to Get You: 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe

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