Stay Too Long

An ominous presence lurks in the shadows awaiting visitors who linger too long in this eerie horror for struggling teen readers from internationally bestselling author Steve Cole.

Everyone knows the abandoned old house at the edge of the woods is haunted, but one reckless boy steps inside for a dare. Creeping through the dust-covered rooms, he finds a strange message scrawled on the wall: Stay Too Long. Then, he finds letters scattered on the floor written by previous visitors. Lingering, he begins to feel the chill of a strange presence in the gloom … is it too late to run?

About the author

Steve Cole is an internationally bestselling author who has written over 150 books and sold over 3 million copies. He has written Doctor Who fiction, succeeded Charlie Higson as the Young Bond author and worked with Ben Fogle on his Mr Dog series. His powerful middle-grade cli-fi novellas for Barrington Stoke include Drowning in My Bedroom, which won the 2024 Dudley Children’s Book Award: Short & Sweet Category.