Product Description

Timeless favorites told by grandparents, as well as many more contemporary thrillers, will be found in this collection. Classic urban legends such as "Hook-Arm," "Last Kiss," and "Don't Look Back" lead off the collection following an informative introduction by Dr. Jan Brunvand, folklorist at the University of Utah.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #544427 in Books
• Published on: 1993-12-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 174 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780874833829
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Compiled and retold by the Youngs, this anthology of 41 spine-tingling short-short stories is aimed at the pre-teen set. Included in the collection are familiar campfire favorites such as "Hook-Arm," "11:11," "Step-Drag," as well as numerous lesser-known hair-raisers from a variety of ethnic and regional backgrounds. Though according to the authors' afterword, the stories reflect various upbeat social messages such as "Choose friends carefully, Don't stay out too late, Be brave, Be strong, Be truthful," it's unlikely that young readers will be caught up in these concerns. Instead, these snappy thrillers deliver the sheer shiver power that kids value most. Thanks to their brevity (only a few are longer than four pages) and the swift delivery of their delightfully creepy punch lines, these tales will hold particular appeal for reluctant readers. Ages 10-13.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-In this collection of 41 creepy tales, there are bound to be several selections that will be new to YA audiences. Yes, it does include "Drip, drip, drip" (at least, that's what it's sometimes called) and that hoary old chestnut, "The Vanishing Hitchhiker." A must for Halloween programming.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. This collection of 41 scary urban legends is deliberately aimed at the junior-high and high-school crowd. Many of the tales are familiar--the baby-sitter who receives threatening phone calls, the vanishing hitchhiker who leaves a borrowed jacket behind, the parking couple who find the hook from a murderous maniac's arm dangling from their car's door handle. All are brief, creepy, and easily remembered for storytelling or for reading aloud. The collectors include some less familiar tales from across the U.S., such as "Children of the Glacier" from Alaska and "The Curse of Kilauea" from Hawaii. The stories are primarily from oral sources, which are acknowledged at the book's conclusion, and an afterword for teachers, librarians, and parents provides a rationale for telling such tales to teenagers (they are modern parables, cautionary tales for young people, etc.). Related in the abbreviated style typical of urban legends, the stories are sure to be popular with the intended audience, many of whom will be eager to tell their own versions of these creepy, contemporary chillers. Janice Del Negro

Customer Reviews

Best Scary Story Book for Kids and Teens!
This is, without a doubt, the scariest book for young adults. The stories are told with a creepy voice, and the pictures add to the mood. I highly recommend it!

Awesome book
This book is easily the scariest treatise on urban legends I have ever read. Instead of analyzing these stories, the author brings them back to what they should be: hair-raising stuff that will make u stay up late at night watching your windows.

One thing that totally enhances this book are the illustrations, especially in the stories dealing with psychotic killers. The pictures do not depict violence. They are representations of what the killers in the stories such as "The Hook" and "The Licked Hand" would look like.

Trust me when I say that the illustrator's attention to detail will chill you.

An Awesom Thriller
Scary Stories Reader is an awesome book about the world's most scary stories,from "Urban Legend Thrillers" to the jump ending stories.Each story has its own chill.Great selections will scare you to death.Read it to find the real scares and chills!You will really love this 5 star book.