Isn't it great when a collection of stories is centered around a great theme? The tales in this anthology are all based around light (or darkness.) Enter portals, see eerie flickers, get blinded, try to escape the dark, and learn how to commit murder in these bizarrely entertaining worlds.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the introduction by Gina Cargas: “Thank you for picking up our 2025 Spooky Story Collection! This is my first year at Aptos, and it has been a privilege to work on this collection. I have been continually impressed by these writers' imaginations...even when their ideas are somewhat disturbing. Within these pages, you will find possessed dolls, job-seeking zombies, super-intelligent babies, ghosts wielding scissors, Shaquille O'Neal fighting off a toilet invasion, and a number of sleepovers that go terribly awry. You'll find stories set in haunted forests, fast food restaurants, the Aptos bathroom, the freezing village of Ravenglör, and parallel universes. You'll find humor, suspense, and genuine spine-tingling horror. This collection includes prose, poetry, and scripts written by students working individually, with friends, and collaboratively with their whole class.”