The Burn Beast

A middle grade horror novel about disappearing kids and a monstrous beast lurking in the woods, from the author of The Curse of Eelgrass Bog.

As the daughter of private detectives, Pira is used to moving around a lot. So when her mothers’ newest case brings them to the small town of Eyrewood, she expects to find a town just like all the other ones she’s left behind.

But Eyrewood is nothing like she expects. Ash is always falling from the skies, the local wildlife is nowhere to be found, and it’s impossible to light a fire anywhere inside the town limits. And worst of all, there are monsters in the woods—monsters that none of the adults believe in.

When Pira joins up with a group of kids intent on fighting the beasts, she discovers that the monsters may be linked to a series of missing kids going back decades—including the older sister of her new friend Jackie. As Pira and Jackie work with their friends to solve the mystery of the disappearances, they’ll have to confront the secrets at the heart of Eyrewood and the danger lurking in every corner.Mary Averling grew up across England and Canada, never far from the woods. She has degrees from the University of Victoria and Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Since she can't stay away from libraries for very long, she is currently working toward her PhD, and she lives surrounded by all the magical, spooky, heartfelt books she can find.