ONLY IF YOU DARE

Contemporary creeps.

This collection features recognizably realistic kids in a variety of horrific situations. The first entry involves a substitute teacher regaling his class with tales about Them, a supernatural race of vampires feeding on youth. It ends with a shocking twist that sets the stage for the rest of the stories that follow. In “The Perfect Girl,” a boy invents a fake girlfriend and discovers the dangers of projection when she arrives at his school. In “Crazy Playz,” a 13-year-old employee who looks older than his years is excited to get a summer job but gets more than he bargained for, as he’s paid to take on the physical pains of his customers. “One More Piece” uses the figure of the creepy doll to great effect, and “Lumpy, Lumpy” is a picky eater’s nightmare. Atmospheric illustrations are scattered throughout, and each tale is just the right length—short but satisfying, with consistently taut suspense that keeps readers turning pages. Ethnic diversity is signaled through names. From the standpoint of reader engagement and enjoyment, this is an excellent offering for young people looking for real scares that don’t condescend to them or pander to adult anxieties about what might be “too scary.”

This book will fly off the shelves.