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Guys Read: Thriller
A body on the tracks
A teenage terrorist
A mysterious wish-granting machine
The world’s worst private detective
The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.
A teenage terrorist
A mysterious wish-granting machine
The world’s worst private detective
The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.
Unknown Binding
First published September 20, 2011
120 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
About the author
Jon Scieszka
244 books1,555 followersJon Scieszka is an American children's writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
December 10, 2018
Most of the stories were good fun & thrilling, but there was one outstanding one told by a boy of 14 who is a Somalia pirate - very realistic & fairly horrible. No one dies, but he tells of his motivations & a kidnapping. Quite sobering. I'm tempted to add a star just for that one story, but I won't. It's pretty much just entertaining fare.
October 16, 2017
The book: Guys Read has a lot of different stories, you can read about the life of a somali pirate, teenagers finding monsters down the sewer, and middle schooler
defending a haunted house.
This book makes you want to read more and makes you addicted to this book well, if you like thriller, anyways This book is truly recommended for people (and kids) who likes thrilling stories.
defending a haunted house.
This book makes you want to read more and makes you addicted to this book well, if you like thriller, anyways This book is truly recommended for people (and kids) who likes thrilling stories.
April 2, 2017
As an anthology, some stories are better than others, but there are plenty of cool stories here from some outstanding writers, however I think that the 'thriller' aspects are very downplayed. Not a bad book, but it does leave some things to be desired.
December 6, 2019
Guys Read thriller by Jon Scieszka is an great book. I love this series and this book did not disapoint i really enjoy the format of them. Any way this book is awesome and although i do perfer some of the stories more than others everything in the book is awesome! I recomend this book to all guys that want a good book to read.
September 27, 2011
Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/...
I am not the demographic for this book, so I tried to rate it based on how middle school boys would like it.
Summary: The second volume of Jon Scieszka's Guys Read short story collections are filled with all types of mysteries and thrillers- from ghosts to monsters to life and death situations to bad guys to a train accident to other exciting stories.
What Kellee Thinks: This short story collection was touch and go for me, but we have to remember that I am not the demographic for this short story collection. I think that all of my boys (and some of my girls) would truly love this collection. When I gave my reading interest survey at the beginning of this year, so many of my students wanted scary books or ghost stories- this collection is right up their alley.
My favorite story in the bunch was Walter Dean Myers's story "Pirate" which is a thriller in a different sense than the other books in the collection. Myers's story is about Somalian pirates and is a true life and death situation that kept me on the edge of my seat. It is was also so beautifully written; most of my snatches that I marked in my Kindle were from this story.
I also truly enjoyed "Ghost Vision Goggles", "Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter", and "Thad, the Ghost, and Me". The three of them are all such fun stories filled with mystery. "Nate Macavoy" even finishes with a cliffhanger and now I want another!! Matt De La Pena's story "Believing in Brooklyn" is a touching story as well as a mystery. I felt that Anthony Horowitz's short story "The Double Eagle has Landed" is a great introduction to the Diamond Brothers and it was the first Diamond Brothers story I've ever read and now really want to read some of the novels. I'll also now be able to book talk the series and I think many students would love the mystery and humor aspects of these stories.
I am not the demographic for this book, so I tried to rate it based on how middle school boys would like it.
Summary: The second volume of Jon Scieszka's Guys Read short story collections are filled with all types of mysteries and thrillers- from ghosts to monsters to life and death situations to bad guys to a train accident to other exciting stories.
What Kellee Thinks: This short story collection was touch and go for me, but we have to remember that I am not the demographic for this short story collection. I think that all of my boys (and some of my girls) would truly love this collection. When I gave my reading interest survey at the beginning of this year, so many of my students wanted scary books or ghost stories- this collection is right up their alley.
My favorite story in the bunch was Walter Dean Myers's story "Pirate" which is a thriller in a different sense than the other books in the collection. Myers's story is about Somalian pirates and is a true life and death situation that kept me on the edge of my seat. It is was also so beautifully written; most of my snatches that I marked in my Kindle were from this story.
I also truly enjoyed "Ghost Vision Goggles", "Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter", and "Thad, the Ghost, and Me". The three of them are all such fun stories filled with mystery. "Nate Macavoy" even finishes with a cliffhanger and now I want another!! Matt De La Pena's story "Believing in Brooklyn" is a touching story as well as a mystery. I felt that Anthony Horowitz's short story "The Double Eagle has Landed" is a great introduction to the Diamond Brothers and it was the first Diamond Brothers story I've ever read and now really want to read some of the novels. I'll also now be able to book talk the series and I think many students would love the mystery and humor aspects of these stories.
July 2, 2011
Gennifer Choldenko gives us a Hollywood-ready action story involving snakes and conspiracy; Bruce Hale 's protagonist has to go up against monsters in the sewers. Walter Dean Myers takes us to Somalia; we get a short, funny Diamond Brothers mystery from Anthony Horowitz; and Patrick Carman conjures up a ghost from the back pages of an old Archie comic.
Notably, the Guys Read books include plenty of stories that are entirely devoid of magic, and magic is what a lot of those foot-draggers in the children's section are trying to avoid.
I don't want to delve too deeply into why some kids think fantasy is a waste of time, or whether I think that maybe those kids are on to something, but it is a sure and true fact that contemporary realistic fiction for boys is in short supply in middle grade...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
Notably, the Guys Read books include plenty of stories that are entirely devoid of magic, and magic is what a lot of those foot-draggers in the children's section are trying to avoid.
I don't want to delve too deeply into why some kids think fantasy is a waste of time, or whether I think that maybe those kids are on to something, but it is a sure and true fact that contemporary realistic fiction for boys is in short supply in middle grade...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
November 30, 2016
Guys Read: Thriller is a good book! Some of the stories didn't really grab my attention, yet I still read them and they turned out to be good. My personal favorite story was "The Old, Dead Nuisance" by M. T. Anderson and "Thad, the Ghost, and Me" by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I really like the fact they do talk about ghost and paranormal things, unlike the other stories which are just thriller. I know thriller is what all the stories should be about because of the name, but I love ghost stories more than any other stories. I recommend this book to anyone who really like being on the edge of there seat waiting to find out the ending. I also like the story "Pudding" by Jarrett Krosoczka because the story is told in comics and I thought that was pretty cool. I really like the book and I hope you read it too.
October 17, 2011
Guys Read: Thriller edited by Jon Scieszka, who also wrote the introduction, begins with a bang. The introduction is all about the book cover, opening the realm of possibility and letting the reader know that the 10 short stories by 10 prominent middle grade and young adult authors are going to be exciting and obviously thrilling. Each story features a male protagonist, which I think is a great way to reel in male readers. So, because this is a book of short stories, I thought I would write a sentence or two summarizing each short story and a sentence on my verdict of each short story.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
Read
October 4, 2019Story 1
They warned him not to eat the pudding
So these kids friends told him not to eat the pudding but it was his first carnival so he had to have some.But he had it anyway because he did not have it in the city,but later indigestion was the least of his problems.At midnight they were going to his friends lab but he had a upset stomach and his friend wanted to know if he was OK and he said yes.So they asked him if he could get them into a fence without being noticed and he said he could try but he have powers and blow up the fence instead of opening it.And Dan did and men were working on a amusement.And the men said to run along but they didn't so the men started to punch the kids so Dan used his superpowers and started to slam the men when they started to take his friends so he got mad and beat them up.And he found the person that made him have powers and asked to turn him back.
Story 2
Nate Macavoy monster hunter
Nate's best friend gets taken. Nate is trying to figure it out so he ask's Jeremy's mom where he went
she said his dad took him.But Nate ran outside to catch up to a cop car he saw out the window and asked them if they could help him find his friend Jeremy.So the police officers asked him if his mom had filed a report and he said no and they said no and they said they could not help then.So he went to school and when he got done with lunch he got on a chrome book and searched up cryptid whipple boro. He could not find any thing so he went to go ask Brandon one of the toughest kids in the sixth grade if he knew any thing about pud wedgies. And he did but the deal was each question they had to play flinch.So Nate starts to ask questions and getting punched but he finally had enough info he need to go find Jeremy so he starts looking for Jeremy in drains and caves. And at the beginning of the cave there was Jeremy's bike.So he knew he had to be in here and walked about 15 feet into the cave and sees Jeremy inside and he untied him with a switch blade and pud wedgies start chasing them and he take a screen shot and they all disappear.
Story 3
The double eagle has landed
Nick and his parents don't live together because when the taxied the plane he did not get on and his parents went to Australia.So he had to live with Tim diamond a private detective . He was the kid without a new iPhone or a new Xbox. Nick comes home from school and trudges up the stairs and a 300 pound man is sitting in his chair and the man says that he is looking for a private agent to help him guard his coin that is worth 5 million pounds.And the guy that is planning to steal it is his security. That night they go up the vault and when they do alarms and security lights and they gets chased off a roof and they end up hanging off of a flagpole.
This book was good and funny. I would recommend it to people that like thriller and scary movies.And the reason i like it is because there are all different books in one book .
They warned him not to eat the pudding
So these kids friends told him not to eat the pudding but it was his first carnival so he had to have some.But he had it anyway because he did not have it in the city,but later indigestion was the least of his problems.At midnight they were going to his friends lab but he had a upset stomach and his friend wanted to know if he was OK and he said yes.So they asked him if he could get them into a fence without being noticed and he said he could try but he have powers and blow up the fence instead of opening it.And Dan did and men were working on a amusement.And the men said to run along but they didn't so the men started to punch the kids so Dan used his superpowers and started to slam the men when they started to take his friends so he got mad and beat them up.And he found the person that made him have powers and asked to turn him back.
Story 2
Nate Macavoy monster hunter
Nate's best friend gets taken. Nate is trying to figure it out so he ask's Jeremy's mom where he went
she said his dad took him.But Nate ran outside to catch up to a cop car he saw out the window and asked them if they could help him find his friend Jeremy.So the police officers asked him if his mom had filed a report and he said no and they said no and they said they could not help then.So he went to school and when he got done with lunch he got on a chrome book and searched up cryptid whipple boro. He could not find any thing so he went to go ask Brandon one of the toughest kids in the sixth grade if he knew any thing about pud wedgies. And he did but the deal was each question they had to play flinch.So Nate starts to ask questions and getting punched but he finally had enough info he need to go find Jeremy so he starts looking for Jeremy in drains and caves. And at the beginning of the cave there was Jeremy's bike.So he knew he had to be in here and walked about 15 feet into the cave and sees Jeremy inside and he untied him with a switch blade and pud wedgies start chasing them and he take a screen shot and they all disappear.
Story 3
The double eagle has landed
Nick and his parents don't live together because when the taxied the plane he did not get on and his parents went to Australia.So he had to live with Tim diamond a private detective . He was the kid without a new iPhone or a new Xbox. Nick comes home from school and trudges up the stairs and a 300 pound man is sitting in his chair and the man says that he is looking for a private agent to help him guard his coin that is worth 5 million pounds.And the guy that is planning to steal it is his security. That night they go up the vault and when they do alarms and security lights and they gets chased off a roof and they end up hanging off of a flagpole.
This book was good and funny. I would recommend it to people that like thriller and scary movies.And the reason i like it is because there are all different books in one book .
December 25, 2018
An astonishing book. Packed with mystical stories.
One thing unique about the guys read series is that it includes multiple different stories within the same content and type therefore if you are interested in one specific book topic, it would your best choice to read it.
I chose the one about thrillers, as always, thrillers and horror kind of drags me into the story in order to feel the narrator's senses. I just couldn't pause my readings once I started the book therefore I specify the book to be really addicting to me.
The uniqueness of the series provides it's own feelings to the readers. All of its stories are really short, nevertheless really really interesting.
An example would be that if you disliked a story in the book and found it boring, you may just give away the certain story instead of throwing the whole book away. A wider amount of stories would lead to more choices towards reading them. One story I found the most enjoyable was the second story in the book, named believing in Brooklyn, it wrote about a boy Benny. Who's friend firstly drew a wish machine on his wall and mentioned to him that what if the machine actually worked.Benny took that as a huge joke and told him that he never believed in any kinds of magic. However, as the scene developed, there were proves that the machine actually turned out to be something magical. He didn't believe it at all and tried to figure out who was pranking him. The story ended with a scene that nobody even expected, that's the whole part about why the book was such amazing. It made readers go "Woow" and always leaving detailed text descriptions to emphasize the theme and the motif. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book in the guys read series, in fact I managed to finish it in 1 day since I was totally absorbed by it.
I would recommend this to anyone that haven't read it yet.
One thing unique about the guys read series is that it includes multiple different stories within the same content and type therefore if you are interested in one specific book topic, it would your best choice to read it.
I chose the one about thrillers, as always, thrillers and horror kind of drags me into the story in order to feel the narrator's senses. I just couldn't pause my readings once I started the book therefore I specify the book to be really addicting to me.
The uniqueness of the series provides it's own feelings to the readers. All of its stories are really short, nevertheless really really interesting.
An example would be that if you disliked a story in the book and found it boring, you may just give away the certain story instead of throwing the whole book away. A wider amount of stories would lead to more choices towards reading them. One story I found the most enjoyable was the second story in the book, named believing in Brooklyn, it wrote about a boy Benny. Who's friend firstly drew a wish machine on his wall and mentioned to him that what if the machine actually worked.Benny took that as a huge joke and told him that he never believed in any kinds of magic. However, as the scene developed, there were proves that the machine actually turned out to be something magical. He didn't believe it at all and tried to figure out who was pranking him. The story ended with a scene that nobody even expected, that's the whole part about why the book was such amazing. It made readers go "Woow" and always leaving detailed text descriptions to emphasize the theme and the motif. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book in the guys read series, in fact I managed to finish it in 1 day since I was totally absorbed by it.
I would recommend this to anyone that haven't read it yet.
November 15, 2020
This was an interesting collection of short stories. It includes stories about pirates and ghosts and other interesting creatures. My favorite story involved a boy trying to toughen up his younger brother while a paranormal encounter affects them. The story has various twists and turns, and the main character has an interesting character arc. It felt like a whole novel in a single short story. Another story details a young man accompanying his father on a paranormal investigation. He finds secrets while the physics argue among themselves. Most of the stories are kid friendly, but one of the stories follows a terrorist who is involved in the kidnapping of a young girl. That story alone moves the collection from 10 up to 14 up in my recommendations
Content warning
kidnapping (of a little girl)
violence (terrorists threaten children with guns, though nothing happens)
ghosts (of a child that died young)
Content warning
kidnapping (of a little girl)
violence (terrorists threaten children with guns, though nothing happens)
ghosts (of a child that died young)
December 6, 2022
Guys Read: Thriller is a book consisting of short stories written by various authors but put together by a guy named Jon Scieszka. It is the second book in the Guy Read series specifically filled with thrillers. These short stories are filled with mystery, suspense, and horror as you read along. It is filled with various main characters and storylines and is pretty easy to read.
This book was pretty good. It was an easy read and I liked that I could take it one story at a time. I gave it 3 starts because it's personally not my typical genre of reading and I am not a fan of thriller's. Though it was very well written and I loved that it had pictures!
Content Warnings: None
This book was pretty good. It was an easy read and I liked that I could take it one story at a time. I gave it 3 starts because it's personally not my typical genre of reading and I am not a fan of thriller's. Though it was very well written and I loved that it had pictures!
Content Warnings: None
March 5, 2020
What I Did Like:
-Boys Will be Boys specifically had good language and dialogue. It flows nicely and the pacing works.
-As a collection, this is great. Some are scary, some are funny, some are quirky, and some are cute. It’s a great mix of lessons, mysteries, and scares.
-Believing in Brooklyn is the BEST story in this anthology. The message is great and the story is awesome. I would’ve rated that one much higher if it were stand-alone.
Who Should Read This One:
-Middle-grade readers OF ANY GENDER who like mysterious and scary stories will love this collection.
-Readers who like a fast, short story that gives you chills.
My Rating: 3 Stars. This is a good MG anthology that will appeal to anyone who likes this genre. I’m only afraid that they put themselves in a tight niche that will scare off too many readers by calling it “Guys Read”.
For Full Review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/bEc6QN40trU
-Boys Will be Boys specifically had good language and dialogue. It flows nicely and the pacing works.
-As a collection, this is great. Some are scary, some are funny, some are quirky, and some are cute. It’s a great mix of lessons, mysteries, and scares.
-Believing in Brooklyn is the BEST story in this anthology. The message is great and the story is awesome. I would’ve rated that one much higher if it were stand-alone.
Who Should Read This One:
-Middle-grade readers OF ANY GENDER who like mysterious and scary stories will love this collection.
-Readers who like a fast, short story that gives you chills.
My Rating: 3 Stars. This is a good MG anthology that will appeal to anyone who likes this genre. I’m only afraid that they put themselves in a tight niche that will scare off too many readers by calling it “Guys Read”.
For Full Review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/bEc6QN40trU
June 18, 2024
RA-
-short story collection on the theme of mystery and thrillers
-author's were selected to write short stories specifically for this collection
-published in 2011 so many students might not recognize the authors within
-could pull other works from these authors to highlight like "Feed" by MT Anderson or literally anything by Walter Dean Myers
-10 stories, all about 20-30 pages long with one being a graphic novel short
-despite the title, could be for girls too
-ages 8 - 12
-short story collection on the theme of mystery and thrillers
-author's were selected to write short stories specifically for this collection
-published in 2011 so many students might not recognize the authors within
-could pull other works from these authors to highlight like "Feed" by MT Anderson or literally anything by Walter Dean Myers
-10 stories, all about 20-30 pages long with one being a graphic novel short
-despite the title, could be for girls too
-ages 8 - 12
September 27, 2017
While most of these stories didn't exactly pique my interest, a few of them DID keep me on the edge of my seat. These were the stories that were, in my opinion, well written, well crafted and well developed. Though "Guys Read" may be below my reading level, trying out this book helped me sample a new genre that I came to like. I look forward to exploring the world of thrillers in the future.
June 8, 2025
Spent years searching for this as I remember reading this collection and loving it as a kid. Probably not worth reading as an adult, but some of these really freaked me out when I was ten and the writing isn’t all that bad. Ghost Vision Glasses is the one i remember specifically liking and being creeped out by.
January 3, 2022
The Old, Dead Nuisance 4 stars
Believing in Brooklyn 5 stars
The Double Eagle Has Landed 4 stars
Pirate 2 stars
Thad, the Ghost, and Me 5 stars
Pudding 1 star
Snake Mafia 2 stars
Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter 5 stars
Boys Will Be Boys 4 stars
Ghost Vision Glasses 4 stars
Believing in Brooklyn 5 stars
The Double Eagle Has Landed 4 stars
Pirate 2 stars
Thad, the Ghost, and Me 5 stars
Pudding 1 star
Snake Mafia 2 stars
Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter 5 stars
Boys Will Be Boys 4 stars
Ghost Vision Glasses 4 stars
May 22, 2023
"Guys Read: Thriller", by Jon Scieszka. This is a story about a boy is on location with his dad who produces a tv show about ghosts and crackpot psychics. The boy has his own experience with a ghost who has left behind a treasure.
July 6, 2024
These collections of short stories never disappoints. While I use these books as a tutoring tool, I am always surprised how much I love the stories as well. This particular collection delivers exactly as promised: suspenseful thrillers.
October 13, 2024
This is a book of YA short stories which I picked up by accident. I read it anyhow and it was actually kind of fun. In fact the first few stories were pretty good considering they’re written for kids probably around 11. lol.
May 23, 2025
I may not love short stories, but reading these short stories gave me more appreciation for them! I love mystery stories and thrilling stories, with a passion! These are so well written and they are totally gripping. I certainly did not want to put the book down for anything!
August 13, 2017
Great for my 8 year old, he loves this series. I read it with him.
February 17, 2018
This is a great book for young teens. High action. Loved it
September 29, 2019
Really disappointing. Was recommended by a friend. But just wasn’t for me, I’m afraid.
November 23, 2019
3.5 stars
While most stories were lovely and thoroughly enjoyable,a few of them couldn't hold my interest so I just skimmed through them.
While most stories were lovely and thoroughly enjoyable,a few of them couldn't hold my interest so I just skimmed through them.
January 10, 2020
This is a fun bunch of short stories espaically the last one with the weird stuff. I find it hilarious and creative how he does what he does. Espaically the bully specticol is just great.
April 27, 2020
I found a few of these stories quite boring. To be honest, I thought this writing was much weaker than the Guys Read Thriller edition.
August 27, 2020
Ezra and I loved this collection of short stories that we read during the summer of 2020. Sometimes I would start a story and he’d continue it on his own.
October 13, 2020
Loved all of the stories, they were amazinging
Read
January 5, 2021The stories aren't really scary so i didn't really like it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews