First depicted in the international sensation Baby Teeth — and now in its sequel, Dear Hanna — My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast is a quirky and charming story about a girl with a most unusual way of making new friends. Watch what grows beneath the bed…
“Nine-year-old Prudencia—Pru for short—loves big words and her charming vocabulary is on full display in Zoje Stage’s My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast. Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations from J.E. Larson, this is the story of a girl and the not-so-scary monster who lives under her bed. Pru’s ingenuity and compassion shine when her little friend becomes a big problem and she has to set things right. A lovely, whimsical tale for younger middle grade readers, My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast is also a perfect bedtime read-aloud for smaller children who want a “big kid” story. I was delighted by My UnderSlumber-BumbleBeast and kids and their grownups will be, too.” – Lora Senf, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the Blight Harbor books
“This book is my Scholastic Book Fair fantasy made real! A dark, whimsical delight for all ages. I’ll shelve it next to Gaiman’s Coraline.” — Sadie Hartmann, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered
“In My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast, Zoje Stage expertly weaves the tale of a child who embraces what would scare other children – be it the creature under the bed or the monsters in the basement. With shades of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman storytelling, and illustrations evoking Edward Gorey’s style, My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast unfolds as a slightly eerie narrative sure to captivate and intrigue young readers and their parents.” — Collen Rowan Kosinski, author of A Home Again, author/illustrator of Lilla’s Sunflowers
Zoje Stage’s debut, Baby Teeth was a breakout psychological thriller when it was published in summer 2018. It was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, a Goodreads Choice Award (and came in second behind Stephen King!), became a USA Today and international bestseller, named one of the best books of the year by Forbes Magazine, Library Journal, PopSugar, Barnes & Noble, Bloody Disgusting, and Book Bub, named a People Magazine Book of the Week, a Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book, awarded four starred trade reviews, praised by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, PopSugar, HelloGiggles, and others.
In Dear Hanna, published August 2024, fans of Baby Teeth finally got the follow-up novel they’d longed for from “master novelist” (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle) Zoje Stage. Dear Hanna —”one of the best, most squirm-inducing portraits of a deviant schemer this side of GONE GIRL” (Nat Cassidy, Mary and Nestlings)—also marked the return of the UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts. For the first time in MY UNDERSLUMBERBUMBLEBEAST (Bad Hand Books; Dec. 3, 2024) these misunderstood “monsters” are the stars of their very own book.
Nine-year-old Pru has many hobbies: inventing things, collecting stuff, and learning new and interesting words. But her newest passion is discovering the source of the weird sounds she hears at night—coming from beneath her bed.
Ever since she was very little, Pru suspected there might be a special kind of creature making a home in her room. But because UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts only come out in the dark, she had never seen one.
That all changes one day after Pru’s mom asks her to clean her room—an ordinary request that sets off an extraordinary chain of events. And Pru’s life will never be the same.
Adult readers of Baby Teeth and Dear Hanna will delight in seeing this book-within-a-book finally come to life, and young readers will fall in love with this imaginative girl and her strange but wonderful friends. (Grade level 2 – 5; Enjoyment level ages 5-125)
To help celebrate the release of Zoje Stage’s new book for young (and old) readers, we are hosting a virtual book tour with this fantastic list of book influencers who will post reviews, features, and giveaways. We hope you will follow along!
Sunday, December 1 Books Love And Understanding
Monday, December 2 Books and Coffee MX
Tuesday, December 3 Briana’s Best Reads
Wednesday, December 4 Sarah’s Bookish Reviews AND Bbecca Marie
Thursday, December 5 Carol Doscher Reader AND Nissa the Bookworm
Friday, December 6 Bookapotamus
Monday, December 9 Sarah’s Book Stack
Tuesday, December 10 Nurse Bookie
Wednesday, December 11 Jess Nicole’s Bookshelf AND Sacred Hearth Book Reviews
Thursday, December 12 Meg’s Book Club
Friday, December 13 Rebecca Reviewed It AND Sheila’s Enchanted Bookshelf
Monday, December 16 KMO Reads
Tuesday, December 17 Go Fetch A Book
Wednesday, December 18 Library of Bookish
Friday, December 20 Bethany Buried In Books AND The Dusti Bookshelf
