Double-Dare to Be Scared: Another Thirteen Chilling Tales - Hardcover

ROBERT D. SAN SOUCI is a renowned storyteller whose folktale retellings include The Talking Eggs and The Faithful Friend, both Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor Books. He lives in San Francisco, California.

David Ouimet's illustrations appear in the first Dare to Be Scared book and Cat in Glass. He lives in New York City.

Grade 4-8–The creators of Dare to Be Scared (Cricket, 2003) once again combine their talents to present deliciously frightening tales. As in the first book, San Souci uses elements of urban legend and folklore to weave powerful and suspenseful yet age-appropriate stories that youngsters will revisit, finding new meaning with each reading. Malicious ghost children, demon cooties seeking revenge, haunted houses, and hungry creatures leap from the pages and into readers' imaginations with spine-tingling results. In one particularly eerie selection, a silent-movie character that terrified audiences in the early 20th century is resurrected and plans to continue scaring people by using the Internet. Each story is about 10 pages long, just right for sharing aloud or for independent reading during short time periods. The narratives are plot focused, leaving many details to the imagination. Ouimet's scratchboard illustrations create a surreal mood and are strategically placed for the most impact. Dare and Double-Dare are ideal choices for graduates of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" series (HarperCollins).–Molly S. Kinney, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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