Be Afraid!: Tales of Horror [Paperback]

Edo Van Belkom (Editor)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

What scares you? Is it vampires and werewolves, or the terror that rises from the darkness of everyday life?

Be Afraid! gathers fifteen stories, twelve of them original, by award-winning authors from both the horror and young adult fields in an anthology in which the shivers are as familiar as the touch of a cold hand on the back of your neck.

Be afraid of an innocent-looking doll. Be afraid for the changes that occur to a young boy as he matures into adulthood. Be afraid for a girl who is teased by her schoolmates for having a scar that has ruined her otherwise pretty face. The stories take everyday situations and recast them in a scary and unforgettable light.

Edited by Edo van Belkom, Be Afraid! features tales by international award-winning and bestselling authors, including Robert J. Sawyer, Monica Hughes, Tim Wynne-Jones, Ed Greenwood, Nancy Kilpatrick, Joe R. Lansdale, Ed Gorman, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Richard Laymon as well as a host of exciting new writers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-The supernatural takes a backseat in this anthology of terror tales. While a number of the stories do include ghosts, witches, and otherworldly beings, the horror is always rooted in the nightmares of teen life-gang initiations, gun deaths, and the cruelty of cliques. Even though the unnatural may be involved, there is always a connection to teen angst. A girl meets her dead best friend each night at the cemetery, but wonders how to tell the ghost that she is dating her former boyfriend. A boy pursues the gun dealer who sold the cursed handgun that his brother used in a double killing. A young witch struggles to retain her own identity as she performs a ritual demanded by her dead grandmother. The writing style is dark and suspenseful with the occasional touch of grim humor, and several of the stories contain graphic violence. All of the selections maintain their intended mood, and characterization and plot development are good. Contributors include Ed Gorman, Joe R. Lansdale, and other noted adult and young adult authors of the genre.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-12. Teens love scary stories, and the 15 tales here aren't only for teens, they're about young people, too. Subjects include a boy for whom puberty is literally beastly, a haunted laptop computer, and the rite of choosing teams in gym class. As with most anthologies, the quality varies; also, while some of these stories would be appropriate for middle-school readers, others feature characters, language, and situations (such as a spectral attempted rape) better suited to a more mature audience. A handful of the authors represented will be familiar to many YAs (Nancy Etchemendy, Monica Hughes, Tim Wynne-Jones); others will be recognized by a more select group of horror enthusiasts. Catherine Andronik
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887764967
• ISBN-13: 978-0887764967
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,508,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)