Stephen King has written a creepy children’s book called Charlie the Choo-Choo. The story is about a train conductor and his train engine that is secretly alive.
The title is published under the fake pen, Beryl Evans. Both the title and pen name were previously featured in The Dark Tower fantasy series. Jake, the main character in the book, sees the book on a bookshelf of children’s book. “As he looked down at the cover, Jake found that he did not trust the smile on Charlie the Choo-Choo’s face,” it reads. “You look happy, but I think that’s just the mask you wear, he thought. I don’t think you’re happy at all. And I don’t think Charlie’s your real name, either.”
King also gives himself a tongue-in-cheek blurb on the book’s cover: “If I were ever to write a children’s book, it would be just like this!”
The Simon & Schuster title hits bookstores in November.