Praise for Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shivers #1):
Selected by the New York Public Library as one of 2019's Best Books for Kids!
* "Brallier's (The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond, 2018, etc.) strong horror chops translate well into this Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark-lite package for early chapter-book readers... Simplified spooks for the we-want-it-just-scary-enough crowd." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shivers #2):
Selected by the Chicago Public Library as one of 2020's Best Books for Kids!
“Brallier effectively repeats the screamworthy formula established in Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories (2019) to add a sense of familiarity to the foreboding… The abrupt, disquieting endings mix the creepy and weird with the genuinely terrifying, creating a nice balance as readers jump bravely between stories… Easy to read but definitely not easy to forget.” Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Doll in the Hall and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shiver #3):
Selected by the Chicago Library as one of 2021's Best Books for Kids!
Praise for The School Is Alive! (Eerie Elementary #1):
"Give this early chapter book to readers who want something scary but aren't ready for the 'Goosebumps' or 'Scream Street' series." School Library Journal
Praise for The Last Kids on Earth:
A New York Times bestseller
* "Middle-grade readers, particularly boys, will find Jack's pitch-perfect mix of humor, bravado, and self-professed geekiness impossible to resist." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
2022-09-28
New readers should prepare themselves for five tales of terror (and giggles).
What do you do with the child who’s ready to start reading on their own, loves scary stuff, but may not be emotionally ready for anthologies of true terror? You appease their need for ghosts and ghouls with this illustrated collection that might make them jump but won’t keep them up into the wee hours. As in other books in the series, this installment begins with a grisly introduction via a letter from Mister Shivers, who tells readers that he was sent a notebook of tales (with a warning to share them, or else) and a box of strange items. With topics ranging from a bizarre hotel to a magical pen, the tales are reminiscent of scary stories told around a campfire: They begin suddenly, providing a few details about the setup, ramp up the suspense quickly, and end with a scare (and sometimes a laugh). Readers won’t be emotionally invested in the characters, but they’re not supposed to be; the characters exist for the startling surprise that follows. The illustrations provide an added level of suspense, mixing dark shadows and spooky characters to keep the excitement going. Readers may take a hint from Mister Shivers’ letter and share these stories (or ones of their own making) at future campfires or during sleepovers; if they do, they’ll be the hit of the night. Characters are racially diverse.
Spooky fun! (Fiction. 5-8)