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Weenies #1
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
Kids can be such monsters. Literally.
From the award-winning author of Hidden Talents, two remarkable short story collections - Kidzilla and The Witch's Monkey - together for the first time. Plus several brand new stories. Each hilarious and harrowing. A substitute teacher finds out she has some monsters for students. A group of kids attempt a levitation trick with hair-raising results. A neighborhood is so boring the grown ups are turning into...well...you know. And dozens more.
So don't be a weenie! Read these stories!
From the award-winning author of Hidden Talents, two remarkable short story collections - Kidzilla and The Witch's Monkey - together for the first time. Plus several brand new stories. Each hilarious and harrowing. A substitute teacher finds out she has some monsters for students. A group of kids attempt a levitation trick with hair-raising results. A neighborhood is so boring the grown ups are turning into...well...you know. And dozens more.
So don't be a weenie! Read these stories!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
45 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
David Lubar
107 books244 followersDavid Lubar created a sensation with his debut novel, Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Thousands of kids and educators across the country have voted Hidden Talents onto over twenty state lists. David is also the author of True Talents, the sequel to Hidden Talents; Flip, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror selection; several short story collections: In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, The Curse of the Campfire Weenies, The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, and Attack of the Vampire Weenies; and the Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series. Lubar grew up in Morristown, New Jersey, and he has also lived in New Brunswick, Edison and Piscataway, NJ, and Sacramento, CA. Besides writing, he has also worked as a video game programmer and designer. He now lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidl...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
September 21, 2017
The book I read was called “Invasion of The Road Weenies”, which is one of the Weenies Series. I liked the fact that the book had many different little stories. My book had a total of 35 tiny stories, some stories were only two pages long. Most of the stories where silly and offbeat but some had a creepy and weird ending. I liked the variety of stories my book offered. It definitely keeps the reader entertained and guessing what kind of story is coming up next. I think the Weenies series is more appropriate for older kids, maybe 4-6 graders. The stories are pretty short and simple but has some vocabulary that might be a bit harder to understand for the younger students. One way I would use this book in my future class is by getting students in small groups and discussing the moral of each story. Even though most stories were silly or creepy they did tend to have a moral at the end. The first story I read was about a girl who was bullied and tormented by older kids. She decided to end the bulling herself by confronting her fears. This book does a great job in teaching kids that its important to stand up for themselves with confidence. One kind of activity I would do with this book is to have each student pick out a story from the book and add more to it. Since most stories are super short, some only two pages long, it would be fun to see what kind of ideas kids come out with when adding to the story. This would help a student with critical thinking and also allows them to brainstorm ideas for alternative endings.
January 29, 2021
I thought the stories were amazing and the one with the Reptile Zoo was creepy. More of these books should be made but a little more scarier.
July 27, 2017
I saw this book on a shelf at school and had to grab it just because of the title. Lawn weenies?!
This is a book of short stories for children. They are creepy and rather "Twilight Zone"-like. The first two kind of made me wonder what I'd picked up to read because they were creepy and I thought that little children everywhere would be creeped out. After reading a few of them, I started to see a pattern and the humor in them. A child might feel the same way, creeped out at first, and then feel high interest in the other stories.
Some of the stories have good foreshadowing and would make for a good lesson in class. After reading the whole book, students should be able to analyze the way the stories are set up and even write their own creepy tale.
One story that sticks in my mind is that of a couple of boys, doing what boys do and lurking around an abandoned creepy house. They go downstairs to the cellar only to find a wooden box. As they are looking at it, the lights go out and the box opens. Guess what's inside! A vampire. The vampire tries to bite the boys, but they get away safely. Or do they? As one boy is walking along in his leather jacket, the jacket tries to bite him. It's been turned into a vampire jacket! The boy escapes just in time, and the jacket runs off into the woods. One is left wondering what will happen. Will it come back?
Update: The kids loved!!! this book! We read it with the lights off, and they begged me to keep reading and reading. One girl was creeped out and went into the hall to read by herself every day. One out of 24 isn't too bad! The above story is still my favorite. Some of the stories aren't scary, but funny. The "Lawn Weenies" story was very disappointing, as it is nothing like the cover - not one dang weenie in the story.
This is a book of short stories for children. They are creepy and rather "Twilight Zone"-like. The first two kind of made me wonder what I'd picked up to read because they were creepy and I thought that little children everywhere would be creeped out. After reading a few of them, I started to see a pattern and the humor in them. A child might feel the same way, creeped out at first, and then feel high interest in the other stories.
Some of the stories have good foreshadowing and would make for a good lesson in class. After reading the whole book, students should be able to analyze the way the stories are set up and even write their own creepy tale.
One story that sticks in my mind is that of a couple of boys, doing what boys do and lurking around an abandoned creepy house. They go downstairs to the cellar only to find a wooden box. As they are looking at it, the lights go out and the box opens. Guess what's inside! A vampire. The vampire tries to bite the boys, but they get away safely. Or do they? As one boy is walking along in his leather jacket, the jacket tries to bite him. It's been turned into a vampire jacket! The boy escapes just in time, and the jacket runs off into the woods. One is left wondering what will happen. Will it come back?
Update: The kids loved!!! this book! We read it with the lights off, and they begged me to keep reading and reading. One girl was creeped out and went into the hall to read by herself every day. One out of 24 isn't too bad! The above story is still my favorite. Some of the stories aren't scary, but funny. The "Lawn Weenies" story was very disappointing, as it is nothing like the cover - not one dang weenie in the story.
July 27, 2020
Extremely competent children's horror. I remember reading a few of these in third grade--I was afraid of anything even remotely scary (or intense), so it's kind of wild to me that I made myself read any of it. "Hide" has remained in my memory ever since... if I'm being honest, it's still pretty scary today!
March 20, 2024
“How? Then I knew. The diamond. She'd tricked me. She knew I wouldn't take that tiny diamond.
She also knew it could cut through the glass.
She was free. Somewhere, she was sleeping.
But night was coming. And she would wake. And she would come for me.
I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight. I don't think I will ever sleep again.”
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar is the third book in the series I have read and the first of the three that I had not read as a kid. Overall, this one was a solid start to the series and would likely rank slightly above The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, but doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights of my (so far) favorite Attack of the Vampire Weenies. Again though, it is a great collection that was well worth a read overall, and below are my reviews and thoughts for each short in the book.
Fairy in a Jar - Fun story to start this collection off. What comes around goes around, not the best karma story as we don’t get to see the repercussions of the kid, but a good concept.
The Touch - Jesus, that was dark. Great setup and fantastic execution, even if it was a tad predictable. Still a great one.
At the Wrist - Meh. Not executed well, but the concept of a limb harassing you like Ash’s hand in Evil Dead 2 is always going to have a soft spot in my heart.
Crizzles - Good setup, good execution, fun little story. Nothing groundbreaking, but simple and effective.
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board - That was awesome, really great short. It reminded me of the extremes of South Park episodes like “Marjorine”, just done with the underlying tension of horror and anxiety rather than comedy. Great story, great ending, all-around great story.
The Evil Tree - Another okay story that had more setup than payoff, and the payoff itself wasn’t anything great. Fine, not bad, not good.
Kidzilla - Really fucking wholesome and sweet. So goddamn fun and cute, I could feel the imagination and creativity from the perspective of the kid and just like childhood, this was way too short and all I wanted to do was look back and read it again.
Everyone’s a Winner - Eh. It was okay, but the lack of explaining 1) the monster of this story better and 2) why everyone forgot what happened irked me.
A Little Off the Top - Another okay story. This plays on expectations and misunderstandings more than anything, which makes this one more comedic than scary. Cheesy as all Hell, but enjoyable, not memorable, though.
The Slide - Eh. It had a good start, but about halfway through I got what was going on and where it was going, so nothing too out there or great in this one.
Big Kids - Pretty cool and creative story with this one. Not the best, but definitely better than the last few and had a good character arc.
Your Worst Nightmare - Great setup with a mediocre payoff. I love the idea of a bully getting cursed from a victim, but it didn’t play out as well as it should have.
Phone Ahead - That was great. Part Final Destination, part science fiction, equal parts amazing and shocking. Really fun and had a great dark ending that I enjoy.
Sand Sharks - That was fucked up. Really twisted that in a way that makes the main character proactively evil, not a bystander like most in these shorts. Really fun and creative.
On the Road - This was one of those wholesome and wholly relatable stories that I love to read in these collections, and the repetition and imagery really are easily relatable to anyone who has been on a road trip before. Great short story.
The Language of Beasts - That was so mean but a great example of the Needful Things formula given to a kid's short story. Fun, good but not great, and clever.
Class Trip - Eh. That one was pretty dumb. For the first half, I could only think of the South Park “Plane-arium” episode, and the second half had me rolling my eyes. Not a great story.
Collared - Awesome, really awesome story! The twist is super cheesy, but the rest of the story more than makes up for it. The imagery is super vivid and imaginative, I could picture this as a short film the whole time reading.
The Substitute - Goddamn that one was dark. Another one where the main character is directly evil for what she does or doesn’t do, but here I believe it’s more justified in a twisted way. Creepy as hell but truly great.
The Vampire’s Rat - That was perfectly written. It was a bit too morbid considering the target age range, dealing with death, even if it was that of a rat, but nothing that I couldn’t handle or that offended me, just shocked me. But holy hell, this was truly the best of the best so far out of what I’ve read from David Lubar if anything being just under “A Cure for the Uncommon Vampire”. Perfect setup, fantastic payoff, and the twist, it works so damn well.
Slugs - A little on the depressing side and one with plenty of potential, but little payoff; a good story that should have been great.
Snakeland - That one really struck a never with creating anxiety in me while reading this. The tension of waiting for something bad to inevitably happen was intense, and the payoff was a surprise to me. Great fun and the scenery of the desert and environment was vivid and easily visible in my mind.
Burgers and Fries - A solid wholesome story. Nothing crazy good, but solid in its setup and execution.
Game Over - That one was good. Not great, close, and had a great dark ending, but not perfect. The setup was the okay part with a great finish.
Smunkies - A fun little story about cheap kids' toys, a bit too unbelievable compared to some stories, but still all right.
Pretty Polly - This was dumb. I am not negative about any of these stories, but a killer parrot is just too ridiculous of a concept to be fun or taken with any seriousness.
Join the Party - Surprisingly uplifting and endearing, I really enjoyed this one. I like the use of anxiety and fears to play to internal horror rather than outside entities being the horror. Solid short, a memorable one.
The Billion Legger - Absolutely fuck that. I’m not a fan of reading about the descriptions of insects, and reading a story like this really gets under my skin.
The Battle-Axe - This one was a blast to read! It was fun from the first sentence to the last, with a great setup and even better execution. The ending was predictable and not the greatest, but still, a great story overall that I won’t forget.
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies - The titular short story, this one was not the best, but very fun and comedic, especially to someone who has grown up in a suburban town and neighborhood like the one in the story.
Sunburn - That was a dud. It was one of those rare instances where the payoff only occurs on the last page, but this was one example where the setup was not worth the payoff. Easily forgettable and leaves a lot to be desired.
Thin Silk - Australia, am I right? This one was okay, nothing great, sorta creepy if you don’t like spiders.
The Witch’s Monkey - Well that was fucked. I love the stories where a kid has a passion or love or desire more than anything else in this world which inevitably ends with karma or getting exactly what they want, just in a twisted way. Great short story.
As You Say - I liked this one. It wasn’t great or too memorable, but it had a fun setup and an okay payoff.
Hide - This one. This one was dark. Like, damn, there is a lot that is left to the imagination, but because of the inferring of certain points to this story, it can be as light or as dark as you imagine it, and I imagined some dark shit. Like does the brother have shining basically, what happened at the end, does anyone get out alive after the story ends where it does? Great story that lets the reader imagine more than interpreting.
She also knew it could cut through the glass.
She was free. Somewhere, she was sleeping.
But night was coming. And she would wake. And she would come for me.
I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight. I don't think I will ever sleep again.”
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales by David Lubar is the third book in the series I have read and the first of the three that I had not read as a kid. Overall, this one was a solid start to the series and would likely rank slightly above The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, but doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights of my (so far) favorite Attack of the Vampire Weenies. Again though, it is a great collection that was well worth a read overall, and below are my reviews and thoughts for each short in the book.
Fairy in a Jar - Fun story to start this collection off. What comes around goes around, not the best karma story as we don’t get to see the repercussions of the kid, but a good concept.
The Touch - Jesus, that was dark. Great setup and fantastic execution, even if it was a tad predictable. Still a great one.
At the Wrist - Meh. Not executed well, but the concept of a limb harassing you like Ash’s hand in Evil Dead 2 is always going to have a soft spot in my heart.
Crizzles - Good setup, good execution, fun little story. Nothing groundbreaking, but simple and effective.
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board - That was awesome, really great short. It reminded me of the extremes of South Park episodes like “Marjorine”, just done with the underlying tension of horror and anxiety rather than comedy. Great story, great ending, all-around great story.
The Evil Tree - Another okay story that had more setup than payoff, and the payoff itself wasn’t anything great. Fine, not bad, not good.
Kidzilla - Really fucking wholesome and sweet. So goddamn fun and cute, I could feel the imagination and creativity from the perspective of the kid and just like childhood, this was way too short and all I wanted to do was look back and read it again.
Everyone’s a Winner - Eh. It was okay, but the lack of explaining 1) the monster of this story better and 2) why everyone forgot what happened irked me.
A Little Off the Top - Another okay story. This plays on expectations and misunderstandings more than anything, which makes this one more comedic than scary. Cheesy as all Hell, but enjoyable, not memorable, though.
The Slide - Eh. It had a good start, but about halfway through I got what was going on and where it was going, so nothing too out there or great in this one.
Big Kids - Pretty cool and creative story with this one. Not the best, but definitely better than the last few and had a good character arc.
Your Worst Nightmare - Great setup with a mediocre payoff. I love the idea of a bully getting cursed from a victim, but it didn’t play out as well as it should have.
Phone Ahead - That was great. Part Final Destination, part science fiction, equal parts amazing and shocking. Really fun and had a great dark ending that I enjoy.
Sand Sharks - That was fucked up. Really twisted that in a way that makes the main character proactively evil, not a bystander like most in these shorts. Really fun and creative.
On the Road - This was one of those wholesome and wholly relatable stories that I love to read in these collections, and the repetition and imagery really are easily relatable to anyone who has been on a road trip before. Great short story.
The Language of Beasts - That was so mean but a great example of the Needful Things formula given to a kid's short story. Fun, good but not great, and clever.
Class Trip - Eh. That one was pretty dumb. For the first half, I could only think of the South Park “Plane-arium” episode, and the second half had me rolling my eyes. Not a great story.
Collared - Awesome, really awesome story! The twist is super cheesy, but the rest of the story more than makes up for it. The imagery is super vivid and imaginative, I could picture this as a short film the whole time reading.
The Substitute - Goddamn that one was dark. Another one where the main character is directly evil for what she does or doesn’t do, but here I believe it’s more justified in a twisted way. Creepy as hell but truly great.
The Vampire’s Rat - That was perfectly written. It was a bit too morbid considering the target age range, dealing with death, even if it was that of a rat, but nothing that I couldn’t handle or that offended me, just shocked me. But holy hell, this was truly the best of the best so far out of what I’ve read from David Lubar if anything being just under “A Cure for the Uncommon Vampire”. Perfect setup, fantastic payoff, and the twist, it works so damn well.
Slugs - A little on the depressing side and one with plenty of potential, but little payoff; a good story that should have been great.
Snakeland - That one really struck a never with creating anxiety in me while reading this. The tension of waiting for something bad to inevitably happen was intense, and the payoff was a surprise to me. Great fun and the scenery of the desert and environment was vivid and easily visible in my mind.
Burgers and Fries - A solid wholesome story. Nothing crazy good, but solid in its setup and execution.
Game Over - That one was good. Not great, close, and had a great dark ending, but not perfect. The setup was the okay part with a great finish.
Smunkies - A fun little story about cheap kids' toys, a bit too unbelievable compared to some stories, but still all right.
Pretty Polly - This was dumb. I am not negative about any of these stories, but a killer parrot is just too ridiculous of a concept to be fun or taken with any seriousness.
Join the Party - Surprisingly uplifting and endearing, I really enjoyed this one. I like the use of anxiety and fears to play to internal horror rather than outside entities being the horror. Solid short, a memorable one.
The Billion Legger - Absolutely fuck that. I’m not a fan of reading about the descriptions of insects, and reading a story like this really gets under my skin.
The Battle-Axe - This one was a blast to read! It was fun from the first sentence to the last, with a great setup and even better execution. The ending was predictable and not the greatest, but still, a great story overall that I won’t forget.
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies - The titular short story, this one was not the best, but very fun and comedic, especially to someone who has grown up in a suburban town and neighborhood like the one in the story.
Sunburn - That was a dud. It was one of those rare instances where the payoff only occurs on the last page, but this was one example where the setup was not worth the payoff. Easily forgettable and leaves a lot to be desired.
Thin Silk - Australia, am I right? This one was okay, nothing great, sorta creepy if you don’t like spiders.
The Witch’s Monkey - Well that was fucked. I love the stories where a kid has a passion or love or desire more than anything else in this world which inevitably ends with karma or getting exactly what they want, just in a twisted way. Great short story.
As You Say - I liked this one. It wasn’t great or too memorable, but it had a fun setup and an okay payoff.
Hide - This one. This one was dark. Like, damn, there is a lot that is left to the imagination, but because of the inferring of certain points to this story, it can be as light or as dark as you imagine it, and I imagined some dark shit. Like does the brother have shining basically, what happened at the end, does anyone get out alive after the story ends where it does? Great story that lets the reader imagine more than interpreting.
March 11, 2024
Ignore the title and the early 2000s CGI cover art for a moment. David Lubar did more than Stephen King, Shirley Jackson and almost any of the typical gateways to get me into horror
His books are a collection of short fiction, running the spectrum from short stories that are practically jokes to genuinely thrilling, frightening bits of short fic. It's tempting to call them more mature than children's horror but the truth is that horror can work at any age, and these stories know exactly how to find the perfect nugget of an idea to stick with you. Even at the time I don't think any of these stories truly frightened me the way Alvin Schwartz did, but the fact that I can remember a good handful of these 15 years later is proof of the quality of this collection.
His books are a collection of short fiction, running the spectrum from short stories that are practically jokes to genuinely thrilling, frightening bits of short fic. It's tempting to call them more mature than children's horror but the truth is that horror can work at any age, and these stories know exactly how to find the perfect nugget of an idea to stick with you. Even at the time I don't think any of these stories truly frightened me the way Alvin Schwartz did, but the fact that I can remember a good handful of these 15 years later is proof of the quality of this collection.
October 16, 2008
He makes everything so real, but it is still fiction. In The Land of Lawn Weenies is a bunch of stories that David Lubar made up. He puts funny, mystery, scary, and weitd (in a good way) stories.One of them are the land of the lawn weenies. There all really fun.
August 16, 2021
This book is the reason why I am the way I am today. Well, this and Animorphs.
April 27, 2021
I have fond memories of picking this book up at the Scholastic Book Fair at school and taking it with me for Easter vacation at a relative's house in Kentucky. It was the absolute perfect fourth-grade time passer: weird, funny and as "warped and creepy" as the title implied.
More than a little better than "Goosebumps," David Lubar blends genuine surreal weirdness with kid-friendly horror, and he isn't afraid to go for the "bad ending" or a genuinely gory finale more often than R. L. Stine dared. The best story in the book has stuck with me all these years: "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board," in which the classic ritual game takes a more occult turn, leading to an unexpected need to improvise a second ritual.
More than a little better than "Goosebumps," David Lubar blends genuine surreal weirdness with kid-friendly horror, and he isn't afraid to go for the "bad ending" or a genuinely gory finale more often than R. L. Stine dared. The best story in the book has stuck with me all these years: "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board," in which the classic ritual game takes a more occult turn, leading to an unexpected need to improvise a second ritual.
November 11, 2021
¨In The Land of the Lawn Weenies and other Misadventures¨ by David Lubar is a horror book about different short scary stories. One of the stories is about a burger restaurant that's owned by a family. The family sees some construction across the street. The next day the building was finished and it was called ¨Monster Burger¨. Later that day the family opened their restaurant and no one came in. So, the son went over to Monster Burger and the employees were suspicious. So, at night the family went over to monster burger through the back door and found something horrifying. Overall, this book was funny and scary at the same time. I gave this book 5/5 stars because it's funny and well written. The theme of one of the stories was to ¨not be scared¨ and I really like that message.
September 21, 2017
This book is great for students who have a hard time getting into reading. Through David Lubar's use of short stories it allows for a wide range of characters and adventures. I loved how some stories had a lesson learned at the end while others kept the reading guessing. I think this book would be great for lesson plans on writing short stories. Lunar writes from a child's point of view and knows their thoughts on school, friends, bullies, and life in general. *Know that before allowing a student to read this book they must be ok with some very scary stories. The book says 10 and up which I would also recommend.
July 11, 2022
The other week I was telling my coworker about how I read Invasion of the Road Weenies as a kid, and how so many of the bizarre stories had stuck with me over a decade after. A few days later, I found this in a thrift store for 80 cents. I didn't even know there were more of these... of course I had to pick it up.
Happy to report that even as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. Each one has such a simple premise but goes somewhere so utterly bizarre in no more than eight or so pages. If it's anything like Road Weenies, many of them will live rent-free in my mind for years to come.
Happy to report that even as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. Each one has such a simple premise but goes somewhere so utterly bizarre in no more than eight or so pages. If it's anything like Road Weenies, many of them will live rent-free in my mind for years to come.
October 23, 2017
Predating Matheson, King, Bradbury, Jackson (chronologically, in terms of my age; actually the most recently published). Most likely inspired by these authors, and certainly left an impression on me at a young age. Scholastic book fairs in my elementary and middle school libraries!! Hiding a book under my desk to read when the teacher wasn't looking!!
I must've reread this tattered paperback several times over, because I explicitly remember each story. Favorites? Hide (what's in a cow?), The Slide (insectile revulsion, what kids imagine in the unknown), Sunburn (body horror).
I must've reread this tattered paperback several times over, because I explicitly remember each story. Favorites? Hide (what's in a cow?), The Slide (insectile revulsion, what kids imagine in the unknown), Sunburn (body horror).
August 24, 2021
When I was in elementary school the author came to my school as a guest author. I bought a copy of this book and got his signature on it. I hated horror (still do) but for some reason I remember very much enjoying this book.
I was at my parents house a few weeks ago and was going through some stuff in the basement when I found this book again. I thought I'd give it a read for old times sake and yeah, most of it was still enjoyable. But I think reading it as an adult just made me think about how... Yeah. Kids suck haha I hate them.
I was at my parents house a few weeks ago and was going through some stuff in the basement when I found this book again. I thought I'd give it a read for old times sake and yeah, most of it was still enjoyable. But I think reading it as an adult just made me think about how... Yeah. Kids suck haha I hate them.
May 30, 2024
My 9 year old daughter read me one of the stories from this collection, then told me I should read the whole thing.
I like to every now and then read the books my kids are into because, well, I guess it's just nice to read the stuff my kids are into.
This was enjoyable.
For a kids' book, it's fairly dark and creepy.
The stories are clever, many have little fun twists.
Not gonna pretend this is my favorite book ever, but it was an enjoyable read and gives me something to talk about with my daughter, so it's a win.
I like to every now and then read the books my kids are into because, well, I guess it's just nice to read the stuff my kids are into.
This was enjoyable.
For a kids' book, it's fairly dark and creepy.
The stories are clever, many have little fun twists.
Not gonna pretend this is my favorite book ever, but it was an enjoyable read and gives me something to talk about with my daughter, so it's a win.
November 25, 2021
The stories were hit and miss, as they always are. But there were some very good ones, Fairy in a Jar, On the Road, Join the Party, and The Battle Axe being my personal favorites of the bunch. The series is worth reading just for the diversity of stories-I guarantee there will be at least one you’ll like.
October 2, 2023
I really adored these books as a kid - I picked one up not realizing it was horror and was so impressed that I read and reread these constantly. As an adult who is still into horror, the short stories inside are naturally less impressive, but I am going to try to read all of these collections this October because maybe there are ones that still got it.
June 16, 2018
The tales are a bit twisted and that's what makes them so fun and interesting. Kidzilla and The Witch's Monkey are just a couple of the great collections in this book. Kids are going to love the fun stories that will resound as stories of their own lives.
November 18, 2019
An enjoyably creepy collection of short stories for kids. Some of the reviews describe them as "Twilight Zone" stories, which I think is an apt description. Good fun, although they do seem a little repetitive.
August 4, 2019
Just a really fun book of short stories.
September 25, 2020
Cute and charming, but still creepy. Like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark lite. I still think about the one where the kid is attacked by the sewage tank monster.
August 8, 2021
Really what all the Goosebumps stories are trying to be & to be honest I'm seeing a lot of influence on my own work with the abrupt, strange endings & general what-the-fuckery.
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May 5, 2022This is the book that first got me into horror as a kid. I generally don't rate kids books, but I give it five nostalgia stars.
December 5, 2022
Thank you for traumatizing me in the fifth grade
November 13, 2023
A collection of short, creepy/scary stories that my kids love and that are constantly checked out of my library.
Some stories are darker than others so beware to sensitive readers.
Some stories are darker than others so beware to sensitive readers.
January 12, 2025
Talking about old books, movies, and shows we read as a kid and Reddit helped me track down this gem. 10/10 recommend snagging this series at your next scholastic book fair
April 11, 2025
This book was cute, definitely cooky and crazy like I remember as a kid!
December 3, 2025
All of David Lubar's books make me laugh and tremble in fear in the best of ways.
December 12, 2025
Nostalgic. Still as creepy/weird as I remember when I was a kid.
May 24, 2021
🌭In the Land of the Lawn Weenies: Short Story Plots
🧚♀️Fairy in a jar
Boy is catching fireflies in a jar and ends up with a fairy. She looks mean, so he decides not to free her. Each day he asks for her to give him a wish, and each day she tells him to let her free. When she decides to make an offer, he must come up with a plan. If you know anything about fairies, you might know they are tricky creatures.
🤏The touch
Antique and vintage shops usually have rules like no kids, no bags, no photos, no touching. When Laura? and her mom go to a shop, Laura sees an item she can't help but touch. But it breaks! When she looks back it's gone... and the next morning her favorite doll is gone, and her food... What disappears next is the biggest loss of all.
🤚At the wrist
When his dad accidentally cuts his hand off, kid notices it's still in the garage and takes it to the hospital. When they open the cooler it's empty. At night he hears strange noises and SOMEONE keeps smacking his butt!
And more...
Short horror stories about a boy who turned into a giant lizard, a group of kids whose game of light as a feather stiff as a board takes a turn, a legend about creatures called Crizzles that chomp human bones, a rat that was bit by a vampire, and more...
Review
I accidently listened to this one, thinking it was still in our library catalog; however, I had just discarded it and when I realized that I just stopped reading. Kids probably enjoy these, and I might have when I was younger, but my adult self was very meh about the stories.
🧚♀️Fairy in a jar
Boy is catching fireflies in a jar and ends up with a fairy. She looks mean, so he decides not to free her. Each day he asks for her to give him a wish, and each day she tells him to let her free. When she decides to make an offer, he must come up with a plan. If you know anything about fairies, you might know they are tricky creatures.
🤏The touch
Antique and vintage shops usually have rules like no kids, no bags, no photos, no touching. When Laura? and her mom go to a shop, Laura sees an item she can't help but touch. But it breaks! When she looks back it's gone... and the next morning her favorite doll is gone, and her food... What disappears next is the biggest loss of all.
🤚At the wrist
When his dad accidentally cuts his hand off, kid notices it's still in the garage and takes it to the hospital. When they open the cooler it's empty. At night he hears strange noises and SOMEONE keeps smacking his butt!
And more...
Short horror stories about a boy who turned into a giant lizard, a group of kids whose game of light as a feather stiff as a board takes a turn, a legend about creatures called Crizzles that chomp human bones, a rat that was bit by a vampire, and more...
Review
I accidently listened to this one, thinking it was still in our library catalog; however, I had just discarded it and when I realized that I just stopped reading. Kids probably enjoy these, and I might have when I was younger, but my adult self was very meh about the stories.
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