A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery: Thirty Creepy Tales [Paperback]

Robert D. San Souci (Author), Katherine Coville (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2004 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Ghoulies, ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties inhabit these 30 chilling tales gathered from around the world. Creepy classic and contemporary stories from Australia, Germany, India, El Salvador, and elsewhere--including a healthy helping of American apparitions--will keep readers and listeners scared stiff. Do you dare walk down the lane where "Crooker Waits"? Or would you rather shake "The Hairy Hands"? Twenty eerie illustrations highlight this companion to Robert D. San Souci's earlier collections of scary stories, which School Library Journal called "an absolute delight. . . . Young readers will gobble up these thirty thrilling snacks and beg for more." Savor this supernatural treat for spine-tingling fun!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-Fans of San Souci's previous "Short and Shivery" titles (Delacorte) and newcomers alike will welcome this latest sampling of spooky tales. Drawing on urban legends, myths, folktales, and ghost stories from around the world and across time, the reteller serves up 30 tales of the supernatural that range from eerie to downright scary. Readers are sure to shiver to stories of a pair of ghostly, hairy hands that haunt a lonely British roadway; the strange vengeance of a beautiful Chinese bride; and the horror of the Australian Yara-ma-yha-who, red-eyed creatures with octopus fingers who eat foolish hunters and careless children. Suspenseful, accessible, and energetic, the tales are uniformly brief and gripping, making them ideal for reluctant readers. Intriguing source notes expand on the lore behind each selection and comment on historical and regional influences, adding dimension and satisfying the curiosity of discerning readers. San Souci continues to blend quality and high-entertainment value in this chilling feast for the imagination.
Jennifer A. Fakolt, Denver Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The brief tales are scary enough to satisfy anyone attending a slumber party or sitting around a campfire; the source notes at the end of the volume add an educational element."
--The Horn Book Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (August 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044041878X
• ISBN-13: 978-0440418788
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 28, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery: Thirty Creepy Tales (Hardcover)

This book was really excellent and suspenseful! So far the best in the series and it's scary but not too scary! I think that it is actually one of my all-time favorite scary story books!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Chilling And Thrilling Book Ever!!! June 25 2001, June 25, 2001

By 

Shyanne (Coventry, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery: Thirty Creepy Tales (Paperback)

Windigo Island

The Rolling Head

The Croglin Grange Vampire Like San Souci's earlier collection Short & Shivery (1987), this contains a sampling of folktales in which supernatural elements take center stage. Vampires, disembodied heads, ghosts, and evil entities of varying descriptions terrify unsuspecting mortals, the nice as well as the nasty kind. Several of the 30 stories--for example, the often anthologized "King of the Cats" from the British Isles and "Knock . . . Knock . . . Knock," a popular North American urban legend--may be known to scary-story fans. But most of the tales, which have been gathered from countries as far flung as Russia, Haiti, Iceland, and Nigeria, will be unfamiliar. Some of the stories were Me, Myself,The Accursed House,and and The Thing in the Woods. Katherine Coville, who illustrated the earlier collection, will contribute 20 drawings, which, given the sample provided, promise a few chills of their own. Though creepy enough, San Souci's straightforward retellings (he sometimes uses dialogue) keep the grisly details well under control, and his thorough source notes can lead readers on to other collections of folklore, fairy tales, and myths.