DARE TO BE SCARED
Thirteen Stories to Chill and Thrill
By Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated By David Ouimet
Cricket Books / Carus Publishing
Ages: 8 to 12
Hardcover
ISBN 0-8126-2688-5
Price: $15.95
Page count: 168 pages
Illustrations: 13 black & white

Read about how DARE TO BE SCARED came about at this online Cobblestone Publishing article.

An IRA (International Reading Association) Children's Choice for 2004

Thirteen scary stories—of ghosts, dark fantasy, science fiction, and things that make you "jump"—are presented here in original stories by the award winning author. Drawing on legends, folklore, cultural traditions, and the author's imagination these never-before available tales are ideal for telling around campfires, during summer sleepovers, or for reading under the covers while listening for the patter-patter orscritch-scritch of . . . well, you'll have to read these stories to find out.

 

"Robert D. San Souci pens a collection of fantastic, frightful stories in DARE TO BE SCARED. Selections range from short tales like 'Nighttown', in which a boy's vacation in the Caribbean goes horribly awry, to longer entries like 'Hungry Ghost', in which a restless spirit swallows a boy's soul. All provide a suspenseful atmosphere and plenty of dark doings, complemented by Ouimet's eerie b&w artwork." -- Publishers Weekly

"Some kids better watch out. That's the ultimate, dark message in the majority of these stories in which nasty brats get their comeuppance in a variety of unpleasant, eerie ways. The good kids—well, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The tales range in scare level from amusingly macabre to downright spooky, and some seem to have bolted straight out of The Twilight Zone. What's not to like -- fanglike teeth, alien commuter buses, killer ants, relatives who return from the dead, becoming one's own ancestor, deathly amusement-park rides, and legendary (yet, alas, all too real) monsters? Readers will relate -- maybe at their peril -- to the culturally diverse middle-grade boys and girls who people these strange accounts. Ouimet's black-and-white etchings are fittingly bizarre." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Although they are all original, many of these stories feature themes and plots that are the staples of folklore, making them natural candidates for reading or telling aloud, prefereably around a campfire or at midnight during a sleepover." -- School Library Journal

"Gr. 4-8. With crisp, straightforward delivery and some intriguing endings, these 13 tales are great fun for young readers who like to be spooked. Some stories tread traditional ghostly ground: nightmares that turn out to be reality, children who take up a dare to visit haunted places, teens pretending to do incantations in the woods on Halloween. Yet the scariest tales use ordinary small things, such as ubiquitous ants or an incessantly ringing cell-phone, to thrilling effect. The characters are diverse in race, culture, and personality, and their age range will invite both elementary and middle-grade readers to enjoy the thrills. Although never heavy-handed, several tales provide a moral, which makes this a good find for reading aloud and discussing, especialy at Halloween gatherings and summer camp, where some stories take place. One black-and-white illustration per story helps heighten the horror, which is never too tense or graphic for the intended audience." -- Roger Leslie, Booklist

"Award-winning author Robert. D. San Souci has penned a chilling collection of thirteen original short stories just for readers who, as the author notes in his dedication, "love to be scared." In "Nighttown," Sammy knows he is dreaming by the way the town looks at night, but yet he cannot wake up. When he asks for directions to the hotel where he and his parents are staying, the would-be helpers' teeth suddenly become longer and longer. Just when Sammy thinks he's safe in his hotel room, though, the reader knows his nightmare is not over. Other stories feature haunted houses, ghosts who return for treasured items, aliens, marauding ants, a cave monster, an amusement park ride that never ends, and a dead ancestor who takes over the body of a young boy. The tales are a satisfyingly creepy read, perfect for dark nights with a flashlight under the covers. Black-and-white drawings by David Ouimet complete the otherworldly atmospherics." -- Valerie O. Patterson, Children's Literature

Robert D. San Souci is the award-winning author of the Short & Shivery series of tales, as well as many picture books based on folktales from around the world.

David Ouimet's artwork has appeared in Cat in Glass and Other Tales of the Unnatural by Nancy Etchemendy, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults selection.