Guys Read: Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter

Armed with a flashlight and strawberry sandwiches, twelve-year-old Nate heads underground to save his best friend from hungry trolls.

Nate’s best friend Jeremy is missing, and Nate seems to be the only one worried that he’s been captured by hideous creatures that live in the sewers.

The police dismiss the case as family trouble, leaving Nate to consult the school bully for lore on Massachusetts cryptids. After a game of flinch, he learns that gray, troll-like Pukwudgies crave sweet fruit and lurk in underground tunnels.

Following four-toed claw marks to the storm drain, Nate creeps inside with a pocketknife and bait. He tracks the footprints to a torchlit cavern, where freeing his buddy proves far easier than dodging a dozen hungry trolls.

A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

• Scary Stories for Kids: A late-night text message promising cryptid secrets lands Jeremy in deep trouble, leaving Nate to decipher clues before nightfall.
• Middle Grade Adventure: An underground rescue turns chaotic when an escape dash triggers a frantic swarm of bats through the tunnel darkness.
• Short Stories for Kids: An accidental cell phone snapshot captures undeniable proof of the subterranean creatures.
• Also by This Author: Clark the Shark: Too Many Treats, Clark the Shark and Clark the Shark and the Big Book Report.