Lockjaw

Death is neither the beginning nor the end for the children of Bridlington in this debut trans YA horror book for fans of Rory Power and Danielle Vega.

Chuck Warren died tragically at the old abandoned mill, but Paz Espino knows it was no accident — there's a monster under the town, and she's determined to kill it before anyone else gets hurt. She'll need the help of her crew — inseparable friends, bound by a childhood pact stronger than diamonds, distance or death — to hunt it down. But she's up against a greater force of evil than she ever could have imagined.

With shifting timeframes and multiple perspectives, Lockjaw is a small-town ghost story, where monsters living and dead haunt the streets, the homes and the minds of the inhabitants. For readers of Wilder Girls and The Haunted, this trans YA horror book by an incredible debut author will grab you and never let you go.

MATTEO L. CERILLI is a transmasc author and activist who helped found the Students for Queer Liberation (Toronto) and works with the No Pride in Policing Coalition. He writes widely across genres and age categories. Lockjaw is his debut book.

ISBN: 9781774882306
Format: Hardback
Pages: 328
Publisher: Tundra
Published: June 04, 2024

"Astoundingly smart, amazingly queer, and so gut-churningly stressful that the pages of your copy will end up dented. Lockjaw is small-town horror at its absolute finest, and it’s going to shake you up." —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bears its Teeth

"Cerilli delivers a stunning debut in this gripping paranormal horror novel about queer teens growing up in a community that doesn’t accept them and the insidious danger of apathy." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"A horrifyingly honest tale with a hopeful ending, this engrossing novel is sure to get hearts racing and leave readers reflecting upon their own place in their communities." —STARRED REVIEW, BookPage

"Experimental, metaphorical, and poetic, this quiet novel is for thoughtful readers not averse to horror themes." —Booklist

"A horrifyingly honest tale, Lockjaw will keep you guessing with its creative storytelling, while its full-bodied characters will keep you reading as they band together to kill the monster haunting their town." —BookPage