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Maggie the Dread (a Novel)

by Austin Gilkeson

A school-day mishap sets an apocalypse in motion

Regular price $23.48 USD
Regular price $39.14 USD Sale price $23.48 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    School Library Journal starred review

    Starred review; described as “A wonderful romp with a fresh premise.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A school-day mishap sets an apocalypse in motion

After seventh-grader Sebastian frees Maggie, a vampire-goddess imprisoned in a cursed obelisk, the two face a deadline: an approaching solar eclipse that threatens reality. Maggie’s cosmic role clashes with her very immediate interests—snacks, television, and spending time with her first friend. The story combines a world-ending supernatural problem with the everyday terrain of middle school, as Sebastian and Maggie search for an ancient spell while negotiating friendship and bravery. Its comic premise draws on the contrast between enormous stakes and the routines and preferences of two young characters.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Kids ages 9–12 interested in humorous fiction
  • Readers who enjoy supernatural stories involving gods and apocalyptic stakes
  • Readers interested in friendship and middle-school adventures

Themes

FriendshipBraveryMiddle-school lifeApocalyptic fantasyHumor

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The end is nigh. Bring snacks!

When Sebastian accidentally releases a long-imprisoned vampire-goddess after a rough day at school, he sets off a chain of events that will result in the destruction of reality as he knows it, unless he can find a way to stop it.

"A wonderful romp with a fresh premise." -School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"A must-read." -Booklist


Seventh-grader Sebastian Onizuka is having a terrible Friday. He overslept after making a video game, spilled orange juice on his pants so it looked like he peed on himself, and then accidentally freed a vampire-goddess from a cursed stone obelisk in the detention room.

Wait, what?

Centuries ago, twelve-year-old goddess Maggorthulax was imprisoned to stop her from devouring the universe. But now that she's free, Maggorthulax--or Maggie as she likes to be called--is going to destroy reality during the upcoming solar eclipse.

Despite being the Princess of the Abyss, Maggie would rather eat shrimp chips, blip bullies in and out of existence, and binge-watch episodes of The Adventures of Toilet Man than fulfill her evil destiny. Besides, she's never had a friend before meeting Sebastian, so she'd like to hang out a little longer before wiping out the universe. There's just one catch . . . there's nothing she can do to stop the end of the world.

In this laugh-out-loud book about friendship and bravery, Sebastian and Maggie have six days to find an ancient spell, navigate middle school, and save the world.
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