Student Saturday: Scary Tales Home Sweet Horror by James Preller

Student Reviewer:  Amari B.
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror

A book called "Scary Tales" will send goosebumps up your spine! The amazing author of this book is named James Preller. He is one of my favorite authors! He eve wrote a second Scary Tales called I Scream You Scream. In this amazing book of scary tales, there is a story about how this family of three moved into this thousand year old house. They have two children named Liam Finn, and Kelly Finn. They feel uncomfortable about this spooky house. Liam is the one who is so freaked out about this house. When something strange happens....
It was fascinating to learn about the kids experience with scary things happening. I would recommend this scary book to the carers who would want to read this book in the bathroom with only candle light letting you be able to read.  I loved this book!

The Carvings: A Short Story Anthology by Drake Vaughn

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Source: I received a copy in exchange for my honest review

From Goodreads:

The Carvings Collection: A selection of ten shocking tales from the crinkled mind of Drake Vaughn. The short stories span every arena of horror - from psychological tales of imagination gone wrong (“Dolls” and “Carvings”), to supernatural monsters (“Master Key,” “Sales,” and “Flatheads”), to realistic crime (“In The Chair,” “The Test,” and “Driver’s Seat”), along with a new spin on old tropes (“Trip to V-Town” and “The Garden”). All are bite-sized chunks for fans of horror and dark pulpy fiction.

My Thoughts:

I love short stories.   When I only have a few minutes to read I can sit with a good short story and get my reading fix.  This book is filled with great stories.  I must tell you that some of the language is a little rough in a couple of the stories.  However, if you can just jump over those words you will thoroughly enjoy the book.   The first story “Dolls” held the utmost creep factor.  When I read stories like this it makes me wish I could spend the day getting to know the author, just to see how they really think.  “In the Chair”  reminded me of one of those great movies you see on TV where you think the criminal is going to get caught only to have things spun around in some weird twisted way that catches you by surprise.  I mean this in a good way.  “The Garden” was one of those stories that took me by surprise.  It leads you to think one thing and then you get to the last page only to have it be something completely different than what you thought.  I would have to say my favorite of all of the stories was the one the book was named after, “The Carvings”.  Once again the author leads you down a path only to surprise you at the end.  I have to say that this was one ending that completely surprised me and I completely agreed with.  You really need to read this book to see what I am talking about because I’m not going to say anything more that I have said.

About the Author:

Drake Vaughn is the author of The Zombie Generation, along with many other pieces of dark fiction. His self-proclaimed “crinkled fiction” is a blend of horror, dark fantasy, and speculative fiction with a heavy psychological bent. His tales appear deceptively simple, but transform into a wild spree of suspense, madness, and trauma. He lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife and a black cat named Shadow (who he is certain has come back from the dead on a number of occasions.)

To discover more of his crinkled tales, please visit his Amazon page.

Likewise, feel free to follow him on Twitter and like his page on Facebook. Or join his mailing list at his website:  www.DrakeVaughn.com

Student Saturdays: More Bones - Arielle North Olson

Student Reviewer: Jose M-M

From Goodreads:

Ready for scary?! Shhh! Have you heard about the man who marries . . . a corpse?! Or what about the magic school where one student in every class is never allowed to leave? Or the beautiful red-haired maiden whose hair is actually serpents? Many of these tales go back hundreds of years and to the farthest corners of the earth, but as diverse as they are, they also reveal one important truth: everyone loves a scary story. The authors have dug deeply?from Egypt to Iceland?to find the spookiest stories for More Bones. Listen! Can you hear the bones beginning to rattle?

 

Student's Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading the book.  As a kid or student I have seen so many movies that are horror, like "Paranormal 3".  Well this book talks about legends about ghosts from different countries.  These stories take place in China, Egypt, Spain and Hawaii.  I love the book because it was a bit of horror.  I can't wait to tell my teachers and friends to read this book.

Student Saturdays: Revenge of the Gnomes - R.L. Stine

Publisher:  Scholastic
Pages:  144
Genre:  Middle Grade Horror
Student Reviewer:  Lauren

Goosebumps Revenge of the Gnomes is written by R.L. Stine.  It is about a family with two kids and the dad is obsessed with tacky yard decorations.  So one day they buy two gnomes.  At night the kids hear the gnomes scrumaging through the garden but the parents don't believe them.  The main characters are the two gnomes, the dad, and the two kids. In Palm Springs there was a gnome hunt and some were mean gnomes and some were nice.

Pricker Boy - Reade Scott Whinnem

Publisher - Random House, 2009
Genre:  Horror
Age:  MG/YA
Pages: 288
Source:  Purchase

Stucks Cumberland is ready for summer vacation.  It is a time when many of his friends return to their vacation homes.  However, their vacation doesn't go the way they plan.  Something is in the woods.  No one goes beyond Widow's Stone for fear of running into the Pricker Boy.

The Pricker Boy was a young boy tricked into believing his fur trapping father was keeping his mother in a cage in the forest and feeding her raw bits of meat.  The boy goes looking for his mother.  When he doesn't return, the kids start rumors that the thorns have taken him and now he seeks revenge against those who were so cruel to him.  He has taken on the form of a being made from and covered with thorns.

This is the story that Ronnie tells around the campfire every year.  All of Stuck's friends say that it is not real but when Stucks claims to have seen the Pricker Boy, they all start wondering how much of it is true.  Mysteriously the items they have given to the forest and the Pricker Boy to keep him from getting revenge on them have all mysteriously returned.  What does it mean?

I wasn't really sure what to make of this book.  I couldn't put it down.  I still don't know if the Pricker Boy was someone they made up from legend or if he was real.  There were other issues going on and the author purposely left the ending the way he did so the reader could decide.  This is what made this such a delicious read.  I read this in e-book form and have ordered several hard copies for my shelves at school.  My students who are fans of horror will love this book.