Book Description

Dim the lights, lock the doors -- and BEWARE! It's time to read R.L. Stine's favorite scary stories.

Discover a ghastly secret in "The Judge's House," a terrifying tale of evil rats by Bram Stoker, the author of dracula. Laugh out loud at the scary surprises in poems by Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. Visit an evil carnival in "The Black Ferris" by Ray Bradbury. (R.L. Stine says this story changed his life!)

Within these pages you will find spine-tingling stories by writers and artists who are famous for hair-raising fun. R.L. Stine has selected them just for you, and he has included two new tales of his own!


About the Author
Robert Lawrence Stine is the best-selling children's author in history. He began his writing career at the age of nine, writing short stories, joke books, and comic books for his friends. He has been at it ever since. A graduate of Ohio State University, Mr. Stine served as editor-in-chief of Bananas, a humor magazine for children, before teaming up with Parachute Press to create Fear Street, the first young adult horror series. After the enormous success of Fear Street, Stine and Parachute went on to launch Goosebumps, the best-selling book series that made Stine an international celebrity and the #1 best-selling author in America for several years. His latest projects include The Nightmare Room book series, TV show, and videos/DVDs; and his brand-new hardcover book, Beware!. R. L. Stine lives in Manhattan with his wife, their teenage son, Matt, and their dog, Nadine.

ANNOTATION

A selection of unsettling stories--one in graphic form along with two poems--by such authors as Ray Bradbury, William Sleator, Robert Service, Edward Gorey, Roald Dahl, Jane Yolen, and Mr. Stine himself.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dim the lights. Lock the doors. Pull down the shades -- and beware! It's time to read R.L. Stine's favorite scary stories, plus two new tales of his own. R.L. Stine has gathered a selection of all things scary. Short stories, tales old and new, comics, and poems. It's a spine-tingling collection of work by dozens of writers and artists who are famous for hair-raising fun. Discover a ghastly secret in a retelling of the classic story "The Judge's House," by Bram Stoker. Peek into a Christmas stocking that holds a shocking surprise in a Vault of Horror comic, "A Sock for Christmas." Meet an ice cream man who will chill your blood in "Mister Ice Cold" by Gahan Wilson. But first, visit an evil carnival in "The Black Ferris," by Ray Bradbury. R.L. Stine says that this story changed his life! Find out why in his introduction. Be sure to read all the introductions -- because R.L. reveals why he picked these stories for you, why he finds them the creepiest ... the funniest ... the scariest!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The renowned horror author selects 19 nailbiting tales for Beware!: R.L. Stine Picks His Favorite Scary Stories, including "The Black Ferris" by Ray Bradbury, William Sleator's "The Elevator," a couple by Alvin Schwartz and a few by Stine himself. Each opens with a brief introduction by the Goosebumps author and includes bewitching b&w pictures by a number of illustrators. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Jayme Derbyshire

One can't go wrong when reading this anthology of scary stories selected by R.L. Stine. Poems, short stories, and well done illustrations line each page. Stine includes an introductory page to each selection telling why he selected the story and why he personally likes each selection. Some of the stories are unique in the fact that they date back more than five hundred years. While most of the stories are probably not appropriate for very young children￯﾿ﾽdue to the fact that these selections contain ghosts, vampires, witches, etc.￯﾿ﾽthere are a few that are cute and humorous and not too scary. I especially like "Joe is Not a Monster" and "Blood-Curdling Story." Younger children may also like the less scary selections such as "The Conjure Brother," "Haunted," and "The Witches." For older children who really like suspenseful tales I would recommend "The Surprise Guest," "The Judge's House," and "A Sock for Christmas." Overall, I feel that Stine searched for selections that he really thought highly of and by reading his introductory words and the few works of his own that he includes, one can tell that he has a knack for storytelling and certainly is aware of what kids like to read. Any child who has enjoyed Stine's "Goosebump" or his "Fear Street" series will surely love this book. 2002, Parachute Press,

VOYA - Debbie Earl

This compilation of nineteen scary stories has something for everyone. Stine, best known for his Goosebumps series, gathers a collection of varied formats: poetry from Shel Silverstein, a classic horror story from Ray Bradbury, modern spine-tinglers by Jack Prelutsky and William Sleator, and even a graphic novel-like comic episode from A Vault of Horror (Gladstone Comics). The shortest entry is barely a page; the longer stories are about twenty pages long. By turns tongue-in-cheek and seriously gruesome, these diverse tales would provide most middle school and junior high aged teens with several hours of blood-chilling pleasure. Stine also pays attention to the tastes of younger teens through the packaging of his material. The oversized cover art is wonderfully lurid, with a clawed werewolf-like monster leering at the reader over a moonlit tombstone. Spiderwebs grace all the pages without major illustrations as well as Stine's enticing introductions to the tales. Master illustrators such as Shel Silverstein, Gahan Wilson, and Jack Kamen shine, but lesser-known artists also deliver some edgy, eerie black-and-white line drawings. This collection would make fascinating Halloween recreational reading for most teens and is also suitable for reluctant readers. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2002, HarperCollins, 224p,

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