Book of Screams (2023)
Tanya is a huge fan of horror author Joel Southland...AND he's coming to visit her school!
Even though she is his biggest fan, she barely gets a chance to say hello. But he does give her a signed bookmark: For Tanya. Stay Scared! Reading later that night, she figures it's just her eyes playing tricks on her when she sees the ink on the bookmark move a little. But when the ink slithers toward her, it's too late...
As Tanya tries to get to the bottom of Southland's nefarious schemes, the book is broken up by nine other creepy tales, including one about middle-school horror movie fans who track down the scariest horror movie of all time, another about a kid whose "baby eye" is beginning to fall out, and yet another about a vampire suffering due to a virus that is keeping people indoors. A mix of squirmy, funny and downright terrifying, these tales will leave readers thinking twice about the things that go bump in the night.
Reviews
“Particularly dark imagery (both written and illustrated) will be a strong draw for the intended age range. The contemporary relevance of the opening tale, which involves mask-wearing, will serve as a hook for young readers, and insertion of other pieces of short fiction results in the cliffhangers that heighten the suspense. This well-paced, rather disturbing, and very creepy collection will appeal to a wide variety of readers.” -Kirkus Reviews