Nightmare on Scuttler Island
Between Light and Dark #6
by Chris von Halle

What if everything you knew about your life was a carefully constructed lie?

Thirteen-year-old Billy and his younger sister Megan have never seen the sun. Raised by their AI mother Darla two hundred feet underground, they’ve lived their entire lives in a two-room den—safe, comfortable, and completely isolated from the outside world. That is, until the power cuts out.

Armed with laser guns, protective gear, and a cryptic mission, Billy and Megan are forced to evacuate to the surface… and step straight into a waking nightmare.

The island above is cloaked in heavy, black mist. Withering trees line the roads. And massive black machines marked with an eerie corporate insignia patrol the streets—firing on sight. While dodging death at every turn, the siblings encounter other kids who also emerged from underground dens. But when the group uncovers the first clues about why they were hidden away, a terrifying truth begins to surface.

The world outside isn’t just dangerous—it was designed that way.

And the greatest threat may already be among them.

Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, The City of Ember, and Escape from Furnace, Nightmare on Scuttler Island is a pulse-pounding middle-grade horror adventure packed with high-stakes suspense, emotional twists, and unforgettable scares.

Between Dark and Light is a series of nonconnected children’s horror books featuring strange, eerie, supernatural events. Ages 10 and up!

5 out of 5 fairies

Dark, dystopian, and more than a bit twisted, this book is the perfect Halloween read for middle graders. We get to see things from Billy’s POV, and while he seems much older than his thirteen years, that’s not surprising, given how quickly he’s had to grow up. The descriptions transport you to this dystopian world that Billy and his sister inhabit, and I like how the first glimpse we get of how they look is by Billy comparing them to the holograms of their parents. The story has excellent pacing, and once I started reading, I was too invested to set the book down. It’s a pretty quick read for more advanced readers, but no less enjoyable. Definitely recommend for the younger horror fans!

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