Adam Tiller visits Dark Cove every year. Only the legend of an evil mermaid who haunts the bay makes this sleepy fishing village interesting. Adam sets out to make a hoax video of her. But other forces are at work in the village and the mermaid might be the least of Adam’s problems. After all, she’s just a legend, and legends aren’t real. Are they?

Papercuts is an eerie and haunting series written to appeal to students aged 13+ who find full-length novels overwhelming. All titles have an accessible word count of 5000-6000. Written by respected and accomplished authors, they are packed with horror and elements of the supernatural. But be warned, they're not for the faint-hearted!

This hi-lo series for struggling and reluctant readers has been written for children aged 13+, whose current reading age is between 8 and 9 years. These age-appropriate short reads range from 51 to 57 pages and are written by accomplished authors. They incorporate a large font size and text separated into bite-sized chunks, along with carefully considered letter and paragraph spacing that can reduce visual stress. The series has plenty of practice at one level, allowing consolidation of learning before moving on to more challenging reads. 

Illustrated by: Mark Penman