Only If You Dare
13 Stories of Darkness and Doom
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Thirteen chilling short stories to keep you up at night--but only if you dare.
You never know what's out to get you. Though you might think you're safe from monsters and menaces, everyday objects can turn against you, too. A mysterious microwave. A threatening board game. A snowman that refuses to melt. Even your own heartbeat has its secrets. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. When you stop to listen, each beat sounds more menacing than the last.
Master storyteller Josh Allen brings thirteen nightmare scenarios to life in this page-turning collection that's perfect for budding horror junkies. In his wondrous world, danger waits behind every doorway . . . even in the most ordinary places. Kids eager for age-appropriate horror will relish every thrill and chill.
Eerie illustrations by award-winning artist Sarah Coleman accompany the stories, packaged in a stunning hardcover edition complete with glow-in-the-dark jacket. Readers will sleep with one eye open!
Don't miss the author and illustrator's other creepy collections: Out to Get You and Once They See You.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From creepy dolls to self-aware smartphones, cursed ice cream to prophetic board games, tween protagonists are plagued by speculative terrors beyond their control in Allen's (Out to Get You) unnerving collection. Thirteen tales of existential dread, everyday nightmares, and disquieting fates offer fare ready to thrill, nauseate, and disturb younger readers. Happy endings are few and far between, as characters—mostly implied white, though casts feature an inclusive range of names—find themselves unable to escape consequences both accidental and deserved, such as in "Lumpy, Lumpy," in which the protagonist, after refusing to eat a bowl of oatmeal, confronts the increasingly disgusting leftovers every night, or in "My Hand, Right There," which presents an unwelcome surprise for a boy determined to leave his mark in wet cement. Attempting to assert individuality proves impossible in "One of a Kind," while a dismissive substitute teacher gets a rude awakening in "The Substitute." Realistically sketched b&w full-page illustrations by Coleman, augmented by hand-lettering and washes of ink, lend additional ambiance to each well-paced tale. Though horror fans will enjoy this spine-tingling selection, readers with more delicate sensibilities may wish to approach with caution. Ages 8–12.
