new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: scary stories, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 18 of 18
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: scary stories in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
We hop straight from the Quaker Craft Fair to Scary Stories around the Fire!!! So much hopping. Check out our Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild's newsletter about Saturday night's event at Jordan UCC, 1837 Church Road, Allentown, PA 18102. They have a nice big fire circle in their Peace Garden.
Dress warmly. Bring a donation of non-perishable food for Second Harvest Food Bank or the Pennsylvania Avenue Interfaith Food Pantry. (You get $3 off the admission price if you donate.) Bring blankets. There are benches around the circle.
Here's a link to MORE information about this stellar (hopefully) event. If it rains,...please check The Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild's website before heading out.
“Stories can conquer fear, you know.
They can make the heart bigger.”
— Ben Okri, Nigerian poet and novelist
Beware, indeed. The Ninja Weenies are a bunch of martial arts wannabes causing havoc at the narrator's school. Then his birthday party threatens to be ruined by the bullies until a real ninja comes to his rescue. That's just one of the more than two dozen short stories in David Lubar's latest collection. The stories are super short--most run three to four pages--and all feature outlandish or downright weird happenings. A snow globe that makes real snow, a pool that becomes the ocean, casting its young swimmer adrift, bedbugs that suck an unfortunate hotel guest dry. Boys are the protagonists in the majority of the tales, but one of my favorites features a girl. In "A Christmas Carol," Carol loves Christmas so much she wishes it will never end. When a genii dressed as Santa grants her wish, savvy readers suspect how it will end. The tale, however, turns our expectations upside down.
While not all the stories deliver, enough do to make this a worthwhile collection. Fans of
The Twilight Zone will find much to enjoy between its pages. Lubar wraps up his book by revealing how he got the idea for each story, a nice touch.
Beware the Ninja Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
by David Lubar
Starscape/Tom Doherty, 192 pages
Published: June 2012
Ever since Ichabod Crane was chased by the Headless Horseman, the real and imagined threats that lurk in the darkest shadows have been celebrated in urban legends, novels and picture books.
Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann. Roaring Book, 2011
Gus loves his dog, Ella, but she is getting old and she warns him that she will not be around much longer. Before she dies she promises Gus that she will always be with him. Gus is sad and missing his dog as Halloween arrives but he puts on his skeleton costume and goes out trick or treating anyway. On his way home through a graveyard (of course!) he is surrounded by threatening skeletons. Just as they are about to attack, Ella appears as a bone dog to save him. The skeletons are unimpressed until Gus and Ella begin to howl into the night, calling real live dogs to their aid. The final pages confirm and assure the young reader that love never dies and Gus will never be alone.
Rohamann's visual storytelling is cinematic here. He opens and closes the story, viewing Gus and Ella together before an iconic full moon that frames the two friends. The reader (and Ella?) watch from above as Gus sits alone, rakes leaves alone and heads out for trick-or-treating, alone. Once Ella, the bone dog, returns to the scene, the view returns to ground level. The skeletons are at once comic and scary. Rohmann pans their frenzied retreat across a two page spread as they flee from ... turn the page ... the pack of real dogs in pursuit. The next page turn will be a laugh-out-loud read aloud moment. This is a beautiful story told with humor, sweetness and delicious creepy moments. I predict this book will not linger for long on the library's return book cart. I cannot WAIT to share it with children.
On a Windy Night
by Nancy Raines Day; illustrated by George Bates. Abrams, 2010
Outstanding read aloud story about a scary walk home on Halloween night. A young boy's imagination turns shadows, sounds and dark shapes
This is part five of Glenn's six-part blog series featuring Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off!
Chapter One: The Snot Guy Scares Your Pants Off
Chapter Two: Bats, Vampires and the Scary Unknown
Chapter Three: Tornadoes, Turbulence and Terror
Chapter Four: Fall Out Boy
Let’s face it, few people actually like wasps and bees. Fewer still are fond of hornets, scorpions, and other stinging creatures. Most of us are wary of them, many of us hate them with a passion, and some of us are so terrified of them that we scream, freeze, or sprint for the horizon whenever we see one. In fact Apiphobia (the fear of bees) and Vespaphobia (the fear of wasps) are among the most common of human fears, worldwide.
As I explain in my book Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off, this is all perfectly understandable. After all bee and wasp stings are very painful and unpleasant. What’s more, if you’re allergic to them - and you don’t make it to a hospital in time - your body’s reaction to a nasty sting could actually kill you.
Me? I’m not allergic, and I’m not particularly scared of them. But believe me, I’ve had my fair share of bee battles and wasp wars.
The first time I can remember being stung was when I was about 10 years old. I was walking home from school when a bee flew into my straggly hair, got all tangled up, and swung down into my face, Indiana Jones-style, to plant its sting right in the center of my forehead. Ouch. It burned like crazy, and I remember crying a bit. But my mum plucked the sting out with a pair of tweezers, and the swelling and pain soon went away.
A week later, a wasp stung me in the armpit while I was out playing football with my friends. A week after that, a bee stung my hand as I tried to swat it away. I was starting to think maybe I had a big target painted on me, in a colour only wasps and bees could see.
But in reality, I was just a bit unlucky. Or stupid. Maybe both.
by Glenn Murphy
This is part three of Glenn's seven-part blog series featuring Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off!
Previously:
Chapter One: The Snot Guy Scares Your Pants Off
Chapter Two: Bats, Vampires and the Scary Unknown
“Quickly, into the basement! Don’t forget the radio! I’ll bring my laptop, and we can track it online for a bit. But it’ll be useless if the power goes out...”
“What about torches---have we got torches?”
“Yep---in there already. Austin! Austin! C’mere, kitty! Ouch! Don’t claw me---I’m trying to save your life, you stupid animal! Quick---get in! Are we all here? Okay---shut the door. Here it comes...!”
I’ve got a very special story for you this month. I wrote my previous two blog entries---for March and April---sitting in my big, sunny house in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. But this time, I’m in the middle of a book tour in the UK. I’ve just spent a week doing shows and signings at the Edinburgh Science Festival in Scotland, and at the Science Museum in London. Right now, I’m kicking back with a laptop to write this at a friend’s house in Southern England.
It’s a big, old house in the countryside---near Hastings, in East Sussex. Today is a lovely, sunny day. The sky is blue, the birds are singing, there’s hardly a cloud in the sky and barely a breath of wind.
Looking at the quiet, peaceful landscape outside the window, it’s hard to believe that just one week ago, I was in 3000 miles away in America, and the wind and rain were roaring furiously outside my home. I’d just heard on the radio that a deadly tornado was headed our way. Within seconds, my wife and I were scrambling for the concrete basement room beneath the house, grabbing supplies and our two pet cats---Austin and Ka-geh---along the way.
Funny thing is, for this month’s blog entry, I was thinking about writing about scary storms and dangerous tornadoes, anyway. Little did I know that I would be basing this on my own, terrifying experience.
Thirteen Days to Midnight
by Patrick Carman
Jacob Fielding can’t die. He can’t even suffer injury. His foster father transferred this amazing power to him just before they crashed into a tree, killing Mr. Fielding instantly. But while being indestructible sounds great, it has a darker side, as Jacob and his friends Milo and Oh (short for Ophelia) discover as they try to understand the power, then use it to help people. Death can’t be defeated; put on hold it lies in wait. And the three teens find that there is a terrible price to pay for trying.
Patrick Carman has a knack for writing gripping stories with lots of teen appeal. The straightforward writing style, combined with a dark and creepy story and credible teen characters, should make this a win with reluctant readers. Yet there’s enough depth and character development to also appeal to good readers who enjoy a creepy story. I like that Jacob, the narrator, is just an ordinary teen boy who does the kinds of things that teens do, like trying to impress the girl. Mr. Fielding never explained the power to Jacob, and as the three friends struggle to understand the “black lion,” as they call the power, they make mistakes that they will have to pay for in the end.
Thirteen Days to Midnight was a 2010 Cybils nominee in the Fantasy & Science Fiction—Teen category.
Buy Thirteen Days to Midnight from:
Amazon.com
Your local independent bookseller through IndieBound
Audio book from audible.com
Barnes & Noble
FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.
by Glenn Murphy
This is the second of Glenn's seven-part blog series featuring Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off! What do bats, revenge and ice cream sundaes have in common? Read more to find out!
Check out his previous blog entry here.
When I was about 6 years old, my family went on a camping holiday in the south of Spain. There was me, Mum, Dad, my sister Lorna, and my brother Heath. I’m the youngest of the Murphy siblings---with 6 years between me and Heath, and 8 between me and Lorna. We’re all grown up now, of course. But for many years, I was the “baby” of the family. I explain this so that you’ll understand the point of this story. I was only little, so I should have been the biggest scaredy-cat at the table. As it happens, I was not . . .
You'll have to excuse our mid-week slacking...we had a couple of crazy days (the fun kind of crazy!). Now we're back on track again and ready to announce our next October giveaway!
If you grew up in the 80's you probably recall these iconic collections of terrifying tales. They were all the rage among grade school kids who loved being scared out of their wits. The series has stood up to the test of time and gained notoriety along the way - the original was the #1 most challenged book between 1990 and 2000! (If by some chance you never heard of them, reviews for all three can be found on our 'Reviews by Title' page.)
Anyway, we're giving away all three as a set to some lucky horror fiend: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (all by Alvin Schwartz).
Same old rules: to enter just leave a comment on this post! Earn extra entries by sharing the giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or your blog, etc (but remember to tell me you did! I'm not really omniscient, even if that is what I tell the kids...).
The giveaway will run until next Wednesday. Hop to it!
I wonder if any of you have written a scary story that's already out or coming out in time for Halloween. Or, maybe you've read one that you enjoyed in a gruesome sort of way. (g)
If so, please tell us something about it here in the comment section to get us in the proper frame of mind for celebrating the holiday.
Or, maybe you're going to a Halloween party, and you'd like to describe your costume. You're welcome to do that as well.
Morgan Mandel - http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
PS - Here's Rascal in her not-that-great pirate costume from last year. We're hoping to think up a better one for her for the Halloween party at Bentley's Corner Barkery next Thursday, but the DH (Good Paul) and I are very lacking in the creative department where costumes are concerned.
I’ve known Heathcliff for a long time.
I met him in the pages of Emily Brontë’s classic novel, Wuthering Heights, when I was only nine years old. That’s a hard novel for nine-year-olds to read, but my mother was an English professor, and hard novels were the only kind she owned. During the summer, I would start out playing with my dog, Brit (the inspiration for the German shepherd robot in my book, The Sky Inside). Then I would walk around our neighborhood, looking for other bored kids to play with. But sooner or later, I’d run out of things to do, and I’d sit down with one of my mother’s hard novels.
That’s how I met Heathcliff.
If you’ve never read Wuthering Heights, it’s a strange, creepy story. Near the beginning, on a snowy night, a ghost named Cathy comes knocking at the window of Heathcliff’s house, begging to be let in. It turns out that twenty years ago, Cathy and Heathcliff were childhood sweethearts, but when she decided to marry someone else, he ran away from home. Cathy died a few years later, blaming Heathcliff for breaking her heart.
(Heathcliff disagreed. He blamed her for breaking his heart.)
Now Heathcliff’s a grown man—a grim, silent man—with a mansion and a farm and the two children of his most hated enemies living in the house with him. But underground, Cathy misses him, and he misses her. Even in death, they don’t want to be parted.
This is a picture of Heathcliff and of Cathy in her grave from the book I read when I was nine.
Wuthering Heights scared me half to death. But it didn’t just scare me. It fascinated me! I wanted to find out more about these two sweethearts and their pledge to remain true to each other after death.
Emily Brontë, the author of Wuthering Heights, doesn’t give many clues about that. She doesn’t tell readers where Heathcliff is from, how he got his money, or what promises he and Cathy have made to each other. She doesn’t even give a hint about whether she thinks Heathcliff is the hero or the villain. We readers have to decide that for ourselves. And readers have been arguing about it for over a hundred and fifty years—ever since the book came out.
So I decided to write my own story about Heathcliff, to explain where he’s from and what he wants out of life and why he intends to stay on earth after he dies.
In my book, Heathcliff is a little boy. He hasn’t met Cathy yet. What he does meet in my book are ghosts. Here are some of them:
Because my story is creepy too! It gave me nightmares when I wrote it, and readers have already been telling one another on the Internet not to read it at night.
I think that’s a good thing! It means my book matches Wuthering Heights. When I was nine years old, I didn’t dare to finish that book after dark.
(Top illustration by Fritz Eic
In honour of today (Canada Day) and as a sort of apology for our extended blog slacking, we're giving away these four awesome books:
The Haunted Canada series by Pat Hancock is three volumes of 'true ghost stories' collected from all over Canada and sure to give you the shivers! As an added bonus we're throwing in The Unexplained (edited by Janet Lunn), a collection of scary stories by Canadian writers. Geared toward middle grade readers, these books are lots of fun. What better way to celebrate Canada than creeping yourself out with tales of our native ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night?
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment and tell us if you've ever had a ghostly encounter of your own! Get extra entries by being/becoming a follower, blogging, tweeting or facebooking about the giveaway, or becoming a fan on Facebook.
Good luck!
In honour of today (Canada Day) and as a sort of apology for our extended blog slacking, we're giving away these four awesome books:
The Haunted Canada series by Pat Hancock is three volumes of 'true ghost stories' collected from all over Canada and sure to give you the shivers! As an added bonus we're throwing in The Unexplained (edited by Janet Lunn), a collection of scary stories by Canadian writers. Geared toward middle grade readers, these books are lots of fun. What better way to celebrate Canada than creeping yourself out with tales of our native ghosts, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night?
To enter the giveaway just leave a comment and tell us if you've ever had a ghostly encounter of your own! Get extra entries by being/becoming a follower, blogging, tweeting or facebooking about the giveaway, or becoming a fan on Facebook.
Good luck!
The Curse of the Campfire Weenies: And Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar, Audiobook read by Paul Michael Garcia, Blackstone Audio, 2009 (review copy source: public library audiobook download)
Dear David Lubar,
I confess that I've seen references to books that you have written and I have had the general impression that you were an author whose work I would enjoy. Alas, I never got around to picking up one of your books.
As I listened to story after story in this collection, I realized that I had no idea, not one, zip, zero to the negative 39th power that this splendid, enthralling, original, perfectly paced and balanced assemblage of creepy, odd, and perfectly, wonderfully, strange stories existed.
All these years, all those OPAC searches watching kids type in the keyword "scary" and I could have been handing kids THESE books.
This book includes stories that will make the reader laugh, snort, shiver, gasp, gulp and start with surprise. There are several I've already marked for read-alouds. "The Unforgiving Tree" about a tree with a grudge, has to be one of my favorites so far. Reluctant readers would fight over this book. I can only imagine what the other books in the Weenie series are like.
I stand abashed and humbled. I will, however, now strive to make amends. I cannot think of a better book to celebrate Halloween or to share at the next camp out or sleepover.
Apparently some politicos are fond of spouting a factoid (please note correct usage, book reviewers everywhere) that links third-grade reading scores to the formulas states use to estimate their future requirements for prison beds. Not so.
No word yet whether or not Baby Einstein foretells a playdate with Old Sparky.
Dewey: 001.994
Are You Afraid Yet?: The Science behind Scary Stuff written by Stephen James O'Meara, illustrated by Jeremy Kaposy, Kids Can Press, 2008
I have to issue a disclaimer right off the bat, I do not really do "horror-scary" stories very often. I'm not opposed to them, I just don't enjoy them. I have never read a Stephen King novel. I do know that the number one most frequently searched term in my school library OPAC was "scary." So, anticipating how much this book might thrill young readers I eagerly opened it.
Then I shrieked!
Yes, this book made me scream.
The author's introduction to the physiology of fear, "Have a SAFE Fright" was reassuring, almost comforting knowing my amygdala was on alert! I looked through the parts on mummies, UFOs, vampires, and mad scientists with interest. Then I read "Keeping you Head" concerning the guillotine, followed by "The Staring Eyes" and I shrieked, screamed, hollered, dropped the book and shuddered.
Good job, Stephen James O'Meara. Mission accomplished.
O'Meara entwines stories from history along with scientific "Freaky Facts" which leave the 
reader to ponder the nature of skeletons, oxygen deprivation, werewolves and maggots.
Jeremy Kaposy's artwork evokes the old Marvel Comics Strange Tales. Although, the black and white drawings offer some distance from some of the grisley subjects, that image of "the staring eyes" which is also the cover art, has [shivers] stayed with me.
I had an opportunity to visit with one of my former students recently. As their "librarian-for-life," I am always interested in their current reading choices and interests. He said, "You have to read William Sleator, Mrs. P."
My sojourns into middle school libraries have reinforced my belief that is is NEVER too late for a kid to become a reader.
Hell Phone by William Sleator, Harry N. Abrams, 2006
Start with some classic Rod Serling-Twilight Zone; add in some of Dante's Divine Comedy with extra "Inferno" sprinkled on top. Mix in cell phones, video games, part time jobs, and a high school romance and you have a book that grabs the most reluctant, uninterested, I-don't-read-books guy (or girl) and keep them turning the pages.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
[1855 H. G. Bohn Hand-Book of Proverbs 514]
Nick is an "A" student works a part-time job at a hospital. His income helps his mother who is working two jobs to support them. He does not have a car but gets around on an old bike.
For the first time in his life, Nick has a girlfriend and he is crazy about her. He is respectful to her parents and mindful of her commitment to the high school soccer team. He just wants to be able to talk to her on the phone in the evening.
A flier advertising the "cheapest phones in town" lures him to a store in a seedy part of town to look for a cell phone The fact that the caller id does not work, does not dissuade him from buying the phone that is offered to him. The whiff of sulfur about the cell phone store foreshadows the events to come.
He begins to receive threatening calls the moment he turns the phone on. A sobbing young woman and dire warnings from the former owner of the phone frighten him. When an anonymous, sinister caller threatens him, Nick's life begins to spin out of control.
He begins lying, stealing and becomes enmeshed with unsavory characters. The reader can sense the downward spiral Nick is on and calls to him at every turn to stop and reverse his course. The cell phone takes on a life of its own and plays on his insecurities. Nick acts heroically to rescue his girlfriend from an attempted rape (before anything happens) but then commits a crime for which he is tried and punished.
The book has great appeal to middle school boys. Seventh and eighth grade guys are looking towards high school when they will be have a part time job, working for good grades to earn college scholarships, and dating for the first time. Books are a safe way for kids to "try on" a future.
In every way, Hell Phone is a cautionary tale. The ease in which Nick slips away from his former life is frightening as each decision seems to be made almost innocently or as an attempt to protect his girlfriend and mother.
Sleator allows for redemption but harsh lessons are learned and no one escapes scot-free. The situations are grim and the book is creepy but there is no vulgar language or "Sam Peckinpaugh" style violence. The filth and ordure of Hell is vividly described and provides a hefty, "eeewww..." factor.
What a great teen book club read this would be!
There is much to ponder and discuss here about right and wrong, religious implications, free will and the nature of evil.
The book design is by the imaginative Chad Beckerman. (who also designs The Last Apprentice series) This cover grabs the reader by the shoulders and dares them to move on to another book. The opening pages shows a cell phone signal strength icon with the final and tallest bar in flames. Flames edge the pages exactly where a reader holds the book to read.
No wonder the book hardly ever makes it back to the shelf before it is checked-out again.
Ghost Fever/Mal de Fantasma by Joe Hayes, 2004
Ghost Fever won the Texas Bluebonnet Award for 2007, joining previous Bluebonnet ghost stories winners. including The Ghost of Fossil Glen in 2000, Time For Andrew: A Ghost Story in 1996, Wait 'Til Helen Comes in 1989 and Christina's Ghost in 1988.
Joe Hayes is a professional storyteller known for his Southwestern stories. This 87 page book is the kind of chapter book I love because young readers, still gaining fluency, can move through the story quickly and feel successful that they have mastered "a chapter book." It certainly qualifies as the kind of "scary" book young readers seek.
Cole Cash rents houses in Duston, Arizona on the wrong side of the tracks. No matter what he does though, he cannot rent one abandoned house to anyone. In desperation he offers 6 months free rent to whoever will sign a one year lease. Rumors of ghosts keep the house empty until Elena’s father hears about it. Newly unemployed with two young daughters, Frank Padilla decides to move his family in despite warnings and advice from family and friends. Luckily, Abuelita knows a thing or two about the spirit world so she takes fourteen year old Elena aside to warn her about ghosts.
She instructs Elena on how to talk to a spirit and warns her that she may be the only one who can hear or see it. Mona Pennypacker did the soft pencil illustrations which nicely evoke the apparition on pages 43 and the very creepy on page 63. I know these 2 pictures elicited the “oooooohs” when I introduced the Bluebonnet list last fall.
I look forward to hearing Hayes speak at the TLA Convention in April.
.jpeg?picon=3300)
I love these books! Such fun spooky stories and great to read to the little ankle munchers (that is a baby zombie). You can never have enough of these!
I concur with D.M. These books are phenomenal! Stephen Gammell illustrations always gave me the heebie jeebies as a kid.
I think I'm one of the few who has heard of but not actually READ these books. I would like to win one please. Thank you please.
As a writer of scary Kidlit books I keep one of these three on my desk. The stories are a little tame by todays standards (though still great fun), but the images by Stephen Gammell, are simply inspiring!
When the kids say "I want to read something scary", the covers for these books pop into my mind, and depending on the kid, a twisted version of that Jack Nicholson movie scene pops in my mind as well: "You want the scare? You can't handle the scare!" (Yes, it's sad what pops into my mind during the day.) I haven't seen them on the shelves lately - I hope they weren't stolen!
the worms crawl in.. the worms crawl out.. the worms play pinnacle in your snout.. :) !
My son had these books when he was young. I'd love to have a set of them again. Thanks for the giveaway.
I shared this giveaway on my Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/erick.bognar
wandered into this reading about blaxploitation horror.
i remember these books being read to us by our grade 4 teachers and scaring the crap out of everyone.
best of all is the artwork. i think that really stuck to me as evidenced by my own work.