Friday 5/15: Scary Stories

Last year, I posted my Top 15 Scary Stories just in time for the spooky Halloween, dark-and-scary-night season. You can find that post here.

Since I am still in love with those titles, I thought that I would add my Top 5 creepy stories from 2013. And then I realized that there are a few more than 5...but not quite 15. 

So, here you go...just in time to get your scare on! (In no particular order...)

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! I love this author, I love his dark and creepy writing, I love this collection of 7 intertwined atmospheric stories. I can't even explain this book to do it justice, because I will honestly make it sound really lame, and it's NOT. By far, one of the best books that I've read in 2013. Did I mention that I love it? I will say, that I love it as an adult. Looking at it through a teen's lens, I'm honestly not sure who the best audience for this is, but I hope that it will find it's way into the hands of sophisticated high school (and adult) readers looking for something amazing to read. Grades 9-12.


I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. Yeah, this is NOT for the faint of heart (nor is the sequel, which is actually the book that came out in 2013). I am a giant fan of Bones, CSI, The Following, and any sort of crime-solving drama on TV, so I was naturally drawn to a murder mystery story for teens surrounding the son of the nation's most infamous serial killer. VERY dark. VERY graphic. But very good if you are the reader that can handle it. Grades 10-12.


Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman. This is being touted as Stephen King for teens. Not being a huge fan of the master of the horror genre myself, I can't actually attest to that. But I did completely enjoy the author's "The Book of Blood & Shadow" so I gave this one a shot. SO GOOD! Again, not really for the faint of heart because it lives up to it's horror billing, but an excellent read. Grades 10-12.


Siege & Storm by Leigh Bardugo. I'm not sure that this is the "scary" story you might be looking for, but this book (and it's sequel, which is the book that came out in 2013), is very dark and atmospheric and has incredible world-building and writing. It feels like the perfect book to read on a dark and stormy night. Grades 7-12.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry. This edge-of-your-seat mystery will keep your heart racing right from page one. Best opening pages of a book that I've read in a long time! (I actually liked the author's Girl, Stolen just a bit better, but this one did not disappoint). Grades 8-11.


If You find Me by Emily Murdoch. I don't actually think this is a "scary" story, except for the fact that it could so easily be true and as a parent that is what is so disturbing about it. This book made me never want to camp in the woods again. Grades 9-12.

Doll Bones by Holly Black. The master of creepy tales and ghost stories, this is a terrific ghost story/road trip/adventure for the middle school set. And a great cover! Grades 5-8.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. This is book one in the new "Lockwood & Co." series by the author famous for the incredible "Bartimaeus" trilogy. Teen ghost hunters in London? Do I even need to say anything more? Fantastic! Cannot wait for the next book! Grades 6-9.

Happy reading! Don't forget to leave the lights on...

Review: On the Day I Died (Fleming)

Title: On the Day I Died: stories from the grave
Author: Fleming
Genre: Fiction, History, Ghost Stories, Death
Pages: 199
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I've never been a fan of ghost story collections, but they are wildly popular in all the schools and libraries that I've ever worked in. I am, however, a HUGE fan of Candace Fleming and her writing, so when I found out that she was going to write a ghost story collection for teens, I had to get my hands on it.

Late one dark night, teenager Mike Kowalski drives to a deserted cemetery to return a pair of old-fashioned saddle shoes to a grave (don’t ask). Once there, he is horrified to find himself surrounded by the ghosts of the many teenagers buried there, all of them "dying" to tell him their stories.

 

This collection of ten ghost stories is sure to send chills up the spines of teen readers. Set in White Cemetery, an actual graveyard outside Chicago, each story takes place during a different time period from the 1860's to the present. Some teens die heroically, others ironically, but all due to supernatural causes. Readers will meet walking corpses and witness demonic posession, all against the backdrop of Chicago's rich history: the Great Depression, the World's Fair, Al Capone and his fellow gangsters.

 

Good stuff...just in time for the "dark and scary night" season!

Review: Cryer's Cross (McMann)

Title: Cryer's Cross
Author: McMann
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural, High School, Missing Children
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In addition to my duties reading books for award committees (currently that means BFYA), I also review books for Booklist. For some reason, I often get sent 500+ page vampire romance novels to review, which is honestly not my favorite genre. In fact, "UGH!" is sometimes my response. Imagine my surprise when I received the new Lisa McMann novel to review at the beginning of January. It's possible I did a little dance upon opening the envelope. I LOVED McMann's Wake/Fade/Gone trilogy, and am very excited for a new book by her.

Kendall is a senior in a one-room high school where last spring Tiffany, a freshman, disappeared. Now it is the start of a new year and Kendall’s boyfriend Nico has gone missing. Nico understood Kendall and her OCD and she has trouble coping with the disappearance. While compelled to straighten the desks before class one morning, Kendall discovers that Nico’s desk was also Tiffany’s desk. This seems like more than a coincidence, but Kendall is afraid that people will think she is crazy. The town’s dark past is a well-kept secret and though she doesn’t want to admit it, Kendall will need the help of brooding newcomer Jacian if she is going to find Nico.

Kendall is a unique character and the details of her OCD compulsions are well-drawn. Haunting passages from another world, which provide just enough detail to intrigue and disturb readers, are intertwined with Kendall’s story. Part mystery, part ghost story, and part romance, this book has enough to satisfy a variety of readers and will find popularity with McMann’s established fan base and new readers alike.

On a side note, the best reaction that I received when I put this book out on display was from one of our 9th Grade LA teachers, who giggled like a junior high school girl when she saw that we had received the book. I wish I had video that I could upload.

Review: Me & Death (Scrimger)

Title: Me & Death: An afterlife adventure
Author: Scrimger
Genre: Death, Fiction, Ghosts
Pages: 187
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So, we're back to dead people books. As main characters go, fourteen-year-old Jim is actually a pretty bad kid. He bullies kids, kicks cats, and steals cars. So why is it that I was actually rooting for him as the book went along?

As Jim is chasing another kid, he runs into the street and is hit by a car. While in a coma, he travels to the afterlife where he is visited by three ghosts who show him his past. Each ghost wants Jim to understand that he has been a pretty crappy human being, but it is possible to change. After his travels with the ghosts, he wakes up in the hospital a new person. Now, if only he'll take the opportunity he has been given to change his ways.

Sound familiar? I'll grant you that this book is definitely a nod to "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens. However, the author creates an interesting backstory into Jim's life and why he might have been such a bad kid. And the ending will surprise you!

Review: Light Beneath Ferns (Spollen)

Title: Light Beneath Ferns
Author: Spollen
Genre: Ghost Stories
Pages: 204
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm stealing this description from the book jacket:
Elizah Rayne is nothing like other fourteen-year-old girls. More interested in bird bones than people, she wraps herself in silence. Trying to escape the shadow of her gambler father, Elizah and her mother move into an old house that borders a cemetery. All her mother wants is for them to have "normal" lives. But that becomes impossible for Elizah when she finds a human jawbone by the river and meets Nathaniel, a strangely hypnotic and mysterious boy who draws Elizah into his world.

Looking for a ghost story? This would make a great book to take camping this summer. Just freaky enough, but won't make you afraid to fall asleep!