Hampton Heights One Harrowing Night in the Most Haunted Neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin By Dan Kois

Dan Kois’s Hampton Heights is a thrilling, nostalgic, and unsettling adventure set over one extraordinary night in 1987. Six middle-school paperboys, drawn from different walks of life, venture into an eerie Milwaukee neighborhood to sell newspaper subscriptions. Promised cash bonuses and fast food by their manager Kevin, the boys soon discover that Hampton Heights is teeming with primordial monsters, from werewolves to witches and a memory-eating creature.

Divided into pairs, the boys confront both external monsters and internal demons. Sigmone, a Black student bussed to a white school, is paired with Joel, a white kid obsessed with Black culture. Mark, grappling with his sexuality, joins his secret crush, Ryan. Nishu and Al, both outsiders—one a second-generation immigrant, the other from a poor background—face their fears together. Throughout this perilous night, the boys' encounters challenge them to confront their identities and vulnerabilities, while Kevin, their reckless manager, faces an unsettling encounter of his own at a neighborhood tavern.

Blending the camaraderie and coming-of-age energy of Stand by Me with the eerie, fantastical elements of Stranger Things and The Twilight Zone, Hampton Heights is a tender horror-comedy that explores the complexities of adolescence, fear, and friendship. Kois’s novel is rich with humor, suspense, and a bittersweet look at the cusp of adulthood, delivering a story that is both fun and profound. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Paul Tremblay, this is a unique tale of bravery, vulnerability, and growing up in a world filled with monsters. 📚❤️