Zoje Stage Archives - Over The River PR

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

Zoje Stage delivers another knockout with a blood-chilling follow-up to international sensation Baby Teeth, taking readers back into the unsteady world of a young sociopath who’s all grown up.

“Stage has become a popular voice in the space where psychological suspense and horror overlap, and readers have long clamored for a sequel to her debut novel, Baby Teeth (2018). She has finally thoughtfully obliged with a stand-alone follow-up, a story that can be read either before or after that first book, with each informing the other… All will squirm uncomfortably and yet be unwilling to look away, furiously turning the pages until the final twist is revealed. A great choice for those who enjoy the work of Sarah Pinborough, Catriona Ward, and Katrina Monroe.” ―Booklist

“Once you get inside the head of this suburban whirlpool of psychological madness, there is no escape until the shocking final pages.” ―Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall

“The most unsettling child you’ve ever read about is all grown up . . . Just like our dear Hanna does with her beloved charcoals, Zoje Stage masterfully draws you into a story made up entirely of shades of gray. You won’t know what to believe, you won’t know who to pull for, and you won’t put it down until the last page is turned.” ―Tony Wirt, bestselling author of Just Stay Away

Now the supremely talented screenwriter-turned-novelist Zoje Stage is back with a stand-alone sequel to Baby Teeth, DEAR HANNA (Thomas & Mercer; August 13, 2024).

Hanna is no stranger to dark thoughts: as a young child, she tried to murder her own mother. But that was more than sixteen years ago. And extensive therapy―and writing letters to her younger brother―has since curbed those nasty tendencies.

Now twenty-four, Hanna is living an outwardly normal life of domestic content. Married to real estate agent Jacob, she’s also stepmother to his teenage daughter Joelle. They live in a beautiful home, and Hanna loves her career as a phlebotomist―a job perfectly suited to her occasional need to hurt people.

But when Joelle begins to change in ways that don’t suit Hanna’s purposes, her carefully planned existence threatens to come apart. With life slipping out of her control, Hanna reverts to old habits, determined to manipulate the events and people around her. And the only thing worse than a baby sociopath is a fully grown one.

With its dark humor and chillingly seductive protagonist, DEAR HANNA is sure to thrill returning and new readers alike.

To help celebrate the release of this new psychological thriller, we are hosting a virtual book tour with this stellar list of book influencers who will post reviews, features, and giveaways. We hope you will follow along!

Thursday, August 1 Nikki H Rose AND Andi Reads 2024

Friday, August 2 Fieldstone LFL AND Rebecca Reviewed It

Saturday, August 3 Where The Reader Grows

Sunday, August 4 Reading Mama Reviews AND Elsie Loves Lit

Monday, August 5 Briana’s Best Reads AND Books And Coffee MX

Tuesday, August 6 Bethany Buried In Books AND Sue The Bookie

Wednesday, August 7 Purrfect Pages AND Books Love and Understanding

Thursday, August 8 Meg’s Book Club AND Sarah and Her Bookshelves

Friday, August 9 We Love Big Books And We Cannot Lie AND Just Another Mother With Books

Saturday, August 10 We Break For Books AND The Book Lover Book Club

Sunday, August 11 La La’s Bookish Life AND Lit Wit Wine Dine

Monday, August 12 K2Reader AND Nik’s Bookshelf