The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief

Book excerpt: As the townsfolk sleep, something creeps into the neighborhood. Hidden in the shadows, its presence is as old as time itself, its intent not born of goodness. Nick, a teenager who fancies himself a detective, wakes to find his carved masterpiece missing. Now a mystery is afoot and Nick has his first assignment, to find out who or what is snatching up the town's pumpkins and why. Unfortunately, as with all great detectives, obstacles stand in Nick's way—the neighborhood bully and his cronies and the strange old lady and her dog who share the run-down house at the end of Nick's block. As Nick investigates, an urban legend unravels . . . the legend of the Pumpkin Thief. Nick fears the legend as he embarks on the most dangerous adventure of his young life. Collecting clues, getting ever closer to the true nature of evil, he learns that curiosity comes with a high price.