Half-Minute Horrors

by Susan Rich, Various (Illustrator), Various

Overview

How scared can you get in just thirty seconds?

Dive into the shortest, scariest stories ever created, with more than seventy instant thrills from the likes of Lemony Snicket, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, R.L. Stine, Holly Black, Brett Helquist, and Margaret Atwood. You’ll never look at your closet door, your cat, your sock drawer, or even yourself in the mirror the same way again!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061833816
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/06/2011
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Susan Rich has edited a frightening number of books, including those in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gloria Whelan's National Book Award–winning Homeless Bird, and the series Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures. Born in Winnipeg, she attended McGill University in Montreal and received her master's degree in children's literature from Simmons College in Boston. She has haunted old publishing houses in New York and then Toronto, where she now lives with her devilish husband and ghastly children.

Editorial Reviews

This one’s a creepy keeper.

ALA Booklist

It’s a party game: write a scary story that will take less than thirty seconds to read. With a party of seventy-five that includes such guests as Neil Gaiman, Sonya Sones, Jon Scieszka, and Margaret Atwood, the results are bound to be pretty good.

Horn Book (starred review)

Only have a minute to be scared? This is your book. Writing just a paragraph or a page, some of the best-loved kids’ book authors each contributed a compact creepy tale to this collection. A definite spook-fest.

Washington Post

Only have a minute to be scared? This is your book. Writing just a paragraph or a page, some of the best-loved kids’ book authors each contributed a compact creepy tale to this collection. A definite spook-fest.

Washington Post

It’s a party game: write a scary story that will take less than thirty seconds to read. With a party of seventy-five that includes such guests as Neil Gaiman, Sonya Sones, Jon Scieszka, and Margaret Atwood, the results are bound to be pretty good.

Horn Book (starred review)

"It’s a party game: write a scary story that will take less than thirty seconds to read. With a party of seventy-five that includes such guests as Neil Gaiman, Sonya Sones, Jon Scieszka, and Margaret Atwood, the results are bound to be pretty good."

Horn Book

Featuring a who's who of authors and artists (Margaret Atwood, Avi, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, Lauren Myracle, James Patterson, Brian Selznick and many more), this collection of more than 70 chilling snippets is ideal for campfires and car trips. The stories—some a couple sentences, some a few pages—range from darkly humorous (Jerry Spinelli's murderous twist on the age-old “chicken or egg” question) to outright creepy (Josh Greenhut and Brett Helquist's illustrated story about terrifying revelations from a Ouija board). These are inherently quick reads, but with enough plot and detail to encourage further imagining. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4–8—This thrilling addition to the shiver-inducing arsenal will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers. The book contains dozens of short (most are one to three pages long) tales that range from silly (Adam Rex's one-page graphic comic) to grotesque (M. T. Anderson's "An Easy Gig") to morbid (Faye Kellerman's "Deep Six"). Unlike many short-story collections, this anthology forms a cohesive unit based on its purpose—scaring children silly. It possesses that delicious campfire quality of urban legends and lame jokes told late at night when everyone wants to be entertained. Youngsters may choose to read it straight through or to browse the stories, folktales, poems, and illustrations that make up this eclectic yet unified volume. Chock-full of selections by notable contributors such as Lane Smith, Neil Gaiman, Kenneth Oppel, Jack Gantos, James Patterson, and R. L. Stine, Half-Minute Horrors is the perfect choice for that smirking child who disdains fiction starring happy puppies or home-run heroes.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

School Library Journal

Only have a minute to be scared? This is your book. Writing just a paragraph or a page, some of the best-loved kids’ book authors each contributed a compact creepy tale to this collection. A definite spook-fest.” — Washington Post

“This thrilling addition to the shiver-inducing arsenal will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers.” — School Library Journal

“This one’s a creepy keeper.” — ALA Booklist

“It’s a party game: write a scary story that will take less than thirty seconds to read. With a party of seventy-five that includes such guests as Neil Gaiman, Sonya Sones, Jon Scieszka, and Margaret Atwood, the results are bound to be pretty good.” — Horn Book (starred review)

From the Publisher