Double-Dare to Be Scared: Another Thirteen Chilling Tales
Grade 4-8–The creators ofDare to Be Scared(Cricket, 2003) once again combine their talents to present deliciously frightening tales. As in the first book, San Souci uses elements of urban legend and folklore to weave powerful and suspenseful yet age-appropriate stories that youngsters will revisit, finding new meaning with each reading. Malicious ghost children, demon cooties seeking revenge, haunted houses, and hungry creatures leap from the pages and into readers' imaginations with spine-tingling results. In one particularly eerie selection, a silent-movie character that terrified audiences in the early 20th century is resurrected and plans to continue scaring people by using the Internet. Each story is about 10 pages long, just right for sharing aloud or for independent reading during short time periods. The narratives are plot focused, leaving many details to the imagination. Ouimet's scratchboard illustrations create a surreal mood and are strategically placed for the most impact.DareandDouble-Dareare ideal choices for graduates of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" series (HarperCollins).–Molly S. Kinney, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.