Devries Shane - The Creakers

ALSO BY TOM FLETCHER

The Christmasaurus

FOR YOUNGER READERS

Theres a Monster in Your Book

Theres a Dragon in Your Book

FOR OLDER READERS

Eve of Man (with Giovanna Fletcher)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover, text, and illustrations copyright 2017 by Tom Fletcher

Illustrations by Shane Devries

Excerpt from The Christmasaurus copyright 2016 Tom Fletcher

Excerpt from The Christmasaurus illustrations by Shane Devries

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Originally published in hardcover by Penguin Random House UK, London, in 2017.

Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fletcher, Tom, author. | Devries, Shane, illustrator.

Title: The Creakers / Tom Fletcher; illustrated by Shane Devries.

Description: First American edition. | New York: Random House, [2019] | Originally published in hardcover by Penguin Random House UK, London, in 2017.

Summary: Searching for answers after all the adults in her town disappear, eleven-year-old Lucy goes through a passage under her bed into an upside-down world inhabited by sticky, smelly Creakers.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018050233 | ISBN 978-1-5247-7334-2 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-1-5247-7335-9 (hardcover library binding) | ISBN 978-1-5247-7336-6 (ebook)

Subjects: | CYAC: Missing personsFiction. | MonstersFiction. | Adventure and adventurersFiction. | Humorous stories.

Classification: LCC PZ7.F6358 Cre 2019 | DDC [Fic]dc23

Ebook ISBN9781524773366

Random House Childrens Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v5.4

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For Giovanna, because I havent dedicated a book to you yet and I feel bad. X

What silently waits in the shadows at night?

Whats under your bed, keeping just out of sight?

Whats patiently waiting while youre counting sheep?

What never comes out unless youre fast asleep?

What makes all the creaks, cracks, and clangs in your house?

It isnt the cat, or your dog, or a mouse.

Those noises are made by mysterious creatures.

Read on if you dare and you might meet

the Creakers.

The sun disappeared behind the pointed silhouettes of the rooftops of Whiffington Town, like a hungry black dog swallowing a ball of flames.

A thick, eerie darkness fell like no other night Whiffington had ever known. The moon itself barely had enough courage to peek around the clouds, as though it knew that tonight something strange was going to happen.

Mothers and fathers throughout Whiffington tucked their children into bed, unaware that this would be the last bedtime story, the last good-night kiss, the last time theyd switch off the light.

Midnight.

One oclock.

Two oclock.

Three oclock.

CREAK

A strange noise broke the silence.

It came from inside one of the houses. With the whole town fast asleep, who could possibly have made that sound?

Or perhaps not who but WHAT?

CREAK!

There it was again. This time from another house.

The sound of creaky wooden floorboards echoed around the hallways of every home in Whiffington.

Something was inside.

Something was creaking about.

Something not human.

There were no screams. There were no nightmares. The children slept peacefully, wonderfully unaware that the world around them had changed. It had all happened silently, as if by some strange sort of dark magic, and they wouldnt know anything about it until they woke up the next morning, on the day it all began

Lets start on the day it all began.

On the day it all began, Lucy Dungston woke up.

Right. Well, thats a start, but its not very exciting, is it? Lets try again.

On the day it all began, Lucy Dungston woke up to a rather unusual sound

OK, thats a little better. Lets see what happens next

It was the sound of the alarm clock ringing in her moms bedroom.

Well, its got a bit boring again, hasnt it? Lets try that bit one more time

It was the sound of the alarm clock ringing in her moms bedroom, because Lucys mom wasnt there to switch it off. You see, Lucy was about to find out that while she was asleep in the night her mom had disappeared

OH. MY. GOSH! Imagine waking up to find that your mom has disappeared in the night! It gives me the creepy tingles every time I tell this story. I bet youre thinking, This is going to be the best scary story ever. I cant wait to read it and tell all my friends that Im really brave because I wasnt even one bit scared.

Even though you were totally scared all the way through.

Well, this is only just the beginning. Wait until you read what happens later when the Creakers come out.