From the Pit — Elizabeth Massie

Can ancient, unknown creatures surface in your own backyard? Twelve-year-old Pablo has lived in a small California desert town his whole life, and the sticky black tar puddle by the corral fence has been little more than a nuisance to walk around or step over. But when an earthquake cracks open the bottom of the puddle and mysterious rock-like eggs begin floating up to the top, Pablo and his best friends Lauren and Victor realize they have a mystery to solve. A scary, scientific mystery that will put the whole town in danger if Pablo and his friends don't stop arguing and learn to work together.

Each Ameri-Scares novel is based on or inspired by an actual historical event, folktale, or legend specific to the state in which the story is set.