The Curse of Heartwood Academy

Marty Chan

$24.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Miscellaneous
17 February 2026

Thrillers (Children's&YA); Horror & ghost stories, chillers (Children's&YA); School stories (Children's&YA); Young Adult Horror

Series: Orca Soundings

Fifteen-year-old Allie Lau is not excited to attend Heartwood Academy, a posh boarding school deep in a remote forest.

Subject to the whims of senior students, Allie faces an initiation ritual called the test, which requires her and other new students to spend the entire night in the forest. The senior students warn that a ghost lurks in the woods, preying on those who trespass. Allie braves the test, but when she accidentally kicks over a gravestone in an overgrown burial site, she finds herself pursued by some kind of zombie.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading-level book for teen readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read.

By: Marty Chan
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Country of Publication: Canada
Edition: High readability edition
Dimensions: Height: 191mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 6mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9781459841895
ISBN 10: 1459841891
Series: Orca Soundings
Pages: 128
Publication Date: 17 February 2026
Recommended Age: From 12 years
Audience: Young adult , Preschool (0-5)
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Marty Chan is a prolific writer and award-winning author of over twenty books, including Cosplay Crime, Kung Fu Master and Haunted Hospital in the Orca Currents line, Dragon on the Loose, Izzy Wong's Nose for News and the award-winning Marty Chan Mystery series. As a virtual presenter, Marty has traveled the world without ever leaving his basement studio. He's presented to students in Japan, London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Mexico. Marty also tours schools and libraries across Canada, using storytelling, stage magic and improv to ignite a passion for reading and writing in kids. He lives in Edmonton with his partner and two cats.

Reviews for The Curse of Heartwood Academy

""Chan's paranormal mystery, which is designed to be accessible to dyslexic and striving readers, is compulsively readable, begging to be finished in a single sitting, with its breakneck pacing ratcheted by the escalating tension and healthy dose of red herrings. Fans of dark academia may think they have the ending figured out, but it should sufficiently shock even the most seasoned veteran of the genre--along with the healthy splashes of gore. Fresh, pulse-pounding, and page-turning."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews""