The Spiral Key: An addictive, deadly game-filled thriller
By (Author) Kelsey Day
Hachette Children's Group
Hodder Children's Books
24th February 2026
United Kingdom
Young Adult
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers, or other scary
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: LGBTQIA+
320
Width 129mm, Height 198mm
What if your enemy could make your existence hell - both in real and virtual life
At the start of each school year, the spiral key invitations go out for Madison Pembroke's birthday party. For one night, a few lucky students get to enter Ametrine, a virtual paradise designed to be the party of the year - an unforgettable celebration that will secure their social status in the real world. As Madison's hated ex-BFF, Bree Benson never receives a key. Until now. Despite warnings from her boyfriend, Bree sees the invite as an olive branch, the perfect opportunity to rekindle her once-amazing friendship with Madison. But as the party games begin to turn violent, Bree finds that Ametrine might not be the virtual paradise she was promised. And that Madison may have let Bree enter Ametrine, but she has no intention of ever letting her leave . . . Can Bree turn the tables in time to survive and fight back Squid Game meets Pretty Little Liars in this addictive thriller.Kelsey Day is a young adult author and queer Appalachian poet. Their writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Orion Magazine, Freeman's and more, and garnered nominations for two Pushcart Prizes, the Penrose Poetry Prize, and Best of the Net. They are a recipient of the University of Chicago's Young Memory Fellowship and the International Women's Writing Guild Fellowship, as well as a grant recipient of the Boston Art Opportunity Fund. This is their first novel for young readers. They live in New York City.
You can find them online at KelseyDays.com or on Instagram @KelseyDays.