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Scream and Scream Again!: Spooky Stories from Mystery Writers of America
The bestselling children's author of all time, Goosebumps's R. L. Stine has partnered with the Mystery Writers of America to bring together an original anthology of the scariest, spookiest middle grade stories from some of the most popular authors working today.The author of Goosebumps, R. L. Stine brings his unrivaled mastery of all things fearsome, frightening, and fantabulous to this original anthology of scary short stories, Scream and Scream Again! Collected in conjunction with the Mystery Writers of America, this set includes works from New York Times bestselling authors such as Chris Grabenstein, Wendy Corsi Staub, Heather Graham, Peter Lerangis, and, of course, Stine himself-as well as stories from Bruce Hale, Emmy Laybourne, Lisa Morton, Steve Hockensmith, Ray Daniel, Beth Fantaskey, Phil Mathews, Carter Wilson, Doug Levin, Jeff Soloway, Joseph S.Walker, Alison McMahan, Daniel Palmer, Tonya Hurley, and Stephen Ross.From tales of wicked ice cream trucks to time-traveling heroes to witches and warlocks and haunted warehouses, every story here has one key thing in common-they all begin or end with a scream. Read it if you dare! Scream and Scream Again! is full of twists and turns, dark corners, and devilish revenge. With twenty never-before-published scary stories, it's sure to leave young readers screaming for more.
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First published July 24, 2018
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About the author
R.L. Stine
1,676 books18.6k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 6, 2021
Scream and Scream Again is a collection of short horror stories aimed at middle grade and young adult readers (truth be told, I can’t resist anything that has R.L. Stine involved.) The nostalgia impact had me wanting to pick this up. I have been a lifelong Goosebumps fan and it is after all what got me so heavily invested in the horror genre. However, as I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of short story collections it is notoriously hard to review as no one story is the same, not one story has the same feel, the same atmosphere so overall this collection was okay but didn’t feel like anything special.
Raw Head and Bloody Bones was probably about the best of a mediocre bunch. Maybe I’m just no longer the target audience for this type of collection. It has been about twenty years since I indulged in the Goosebumps collection and maybe my kids would enjoy it better. It was a fun walk down nostalgia road but I definitely enjoy different genres of horror these days.
Raw Head and Bloody Bones was probably about the best of a mediocre bunch. Maybe I’m just no longer the target audience for this type of collection. It has been about twenty years since I indulged in the Goosebumps collection and maybe my kids would enjoy it better. It was a fun walk down nostalgia road but I definitely enjoy different genres of horror these days.
March 15, 2023
This was such a fun collection! If you enjoy MG horror, I strongly recommend checking out this anthology. R.L. Stine picked a lot of gems to put together, and they offer a nice variety of subgenres and levels of cheesiness or darkness (with a few even feeling downright wholesome). I think this would be a perfect book for any young horror lover, especially one who might be new to horror and uncertain of what exactly they'd like best, since there's so much to pick from here!
✨ Representation: several stories feature BIPOC main characters
✨ Content warnings for:
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✨ Representation: several stories feature BIPOC main characters
✨ Content warnings for:
———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog
November 6, 2018
Some of these are hits - some not so much. #R.L.Stineislife
October 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this collection of short horror stories geared toward a young adult audience. I think it is perfect for the tween/early teen crowd and may even give the some goose bumps and nightmares along the way. If you have a young adult that likes horror then I recommend this book for you.
October 22, 2021
This collection is a prime example of why I’m always on the fence about short story collections. They typically turn out to be only a few gems thrown in amongst the stinkers. And that’s exactly how this collection turned out! I only REALLY thoroughly enjoyed 2 stories and that’s not a great average out of 20 stories. The rest left me feeling either indifferent or bored out of my mind and wanting to skip through them. That’s a lot of stories to feel indifferent about and I was definitely disappointed. I always hope to discover new authors when reading a collection of short stories, it’s usually a good intro to their other work but after this one, I won’t be racing to read any more from these authors.
May 23, 2018
I have to say I really enjoyed this anthology of stories. It really harkens back to my childhood where there were all these scary story anthologies I used to read under the cover during middle school. And there were a large variety of stories-- some that were beautifully written, others with surprise endings, and others in the format that reminded me of stories written in the 90s. There were only a few that I didn't really get into, but I feel like there is a little something for everyone. I really did like the stories that ended with a twist! If you want a fun read, especially if you like to be a little scared, this is the book for you!
May 8, 2025
"When you read a book, do you enjoy a cold tingle of fear at the back of your neck? A tense feeling that tightens every muscle in your body and makes you suddenly breathless? You’ve come to the right place."
Twenty horror/mystery shorts by twenty different authors--what a treat! A fun collection for middle grade and YA readers.
Twenty horror/mystery shorts by twenty different authors--what a treat! A fun collection for middle grade and YA readers.
November 29, 2020
4 stars:
-Some stories were blah. Those stories that were blah felt like something was missing. However, a lot of good ones.
-Cover on this book and R. L. Stine name is why I read this.
🇺🇸💀🐼🦋
-Some stories were blah. Those stories that were blah felt like something was missing. However, a lot of good ones.
-Cover on this book and R. L. Stine name is why I read this.
🇺🇸💀🐼🦋
June 18, 2024
My daughter and I have been reading this for literally months. The library website says “no more renewals allowed.” 😂
It could just be my bad sleep habits but I swear two pages in every night I was falling asleep.
That being said there were some genuinely good stories. There’s the one about the kids and the ice cream truck- that was 10/10. Good solid creep factor, you sorta know where it’s going, easy to imagine and sufficiently scary.
There was another one also, Don’t feed the birds? I think? That one was good too.
Most of the other stories I genuinely could not recall the next DAY. I don’t mean now, months later, I mean the very next night when I went to finish a story I had no idea what was happening.
Another story was too gross to finish - something about squirrels and roadkill and grilling iguanas? Both the kiddo and I agreed to skip. Odd choice for a kids book.
Anyway. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you cherry pick the stories you want to read, but not bad.
It could just be my bad sleep habits but I swear two pages in every night I was falling asleep.
That being said there were some genuinely good stories. There’s the one about the kids and the ice cream truck- that was 10/10. Good solid creep factor, you sorta know where it’s going, easy to imagine and sufficiently scary.
There was another one also, Don’t feed the birds? I think? That one was good too.
Most of the other stories I genuinely could not recall the next DAY. I don’t mean now, months later, I mean the very next night when I went to finish a story I had no idea what was happening.
Another story was too gross to finish - something about squirrels and roadkill and grilling iguanas? Both the kiddo and I agreed to skip. Odd choice for a kids book.
Anyway. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you cherry pick the stories you want to read, but not bad.
October 24, 2025
I found this collection to be an enjoyable read, filled with nostalgia that transported me back to my childhood. Stories like Goosebumps and Point Horror captivated me and sparked my initial interest in the horror genre, so it was a delight to revisit similar themes in this book.
As with any anthology of short stories, the quality varied from one tale to another, which I anticipated. While some stories captured my imagination more than others, I appreciated the overall experience. I recognised that this collection is tailored for a younger audience, but I still found myself engaged and entertained throughout. It’s a testament to the timeless appeal of horror that can resonate with readers of all ages.
As with any anthology of short stories, the quality varied from one tale to another, which I anticipated. While some stories captured my imagination more than others, I appreciated the overall experience. I recognised that this collection is tailored for a younger audience, but I still found myself engaged and entertained throughout. It’s a testament to the timeless appeal of horror that can resonate with readers of all ages.
October 31, 2018
OMG I just loved this anthology of spookiness! This book is twenty short stories that either start or end with a scream. Of course, I have my favorite stories but all of them are very well done and great for kids of all ages. The book is filled with lots of creepy stories that are very unique and creative. I highly recommend it to everyone especially during the Autumn/Halloween season.
September 28, 2018
Some stories were good, a chunk were flops though for me.
August 10, 2024
This is hard to rate. I think the definition of 'scream' is used very loosely, so readers shouldn't go into this expecting constant scares. Some of the stories are quite silly. But there are quite a few of these that hit where they land with the scare factor. I'm glad I kept listening because if I read one that wasn't great, I found a good one in the next story or the one after that.
Highlights:
"The Unknown Patriot" by Chris Grabenstein--not a scary story at all, but it was so fun. The main character is an underdog and he is fantastic to root for.
"The Trouble With Squirrels" by Doug Levin--another one that was so fun and adventurous. It was a bit of a thriller, but not scary.
"The Only Child" by Tonya Hurley--genuinely creepy and quite scary.
I would give this 3.75/5.0 stars because when they are good, they are really good and overall, there was a lot of creativity on offer despite how silly some of the stories came off as. I read a lot of middle grade fiction, so it wasn't that the stories were too young for me. I just didn't think they delivered on the concept across the board.
Highlights:
"The Unknown Patriot" by Chris Grabenstein--not a scary story at all, but it was so fun. The main character is an underdog and he is fantastic to root for.
"The Trouble With Squirrels" by Doug Levin--another one that was so fun and adventurous. It was a bit of a thriller, but not scary.
"The Only Child" by Tonya Hurley--genuinely creepy and quite scary.
I would give this 3.75/5.0 stars because when they are good, they are really good and overall, there was a lot of creativity on offer despite how silly some of the stories came off as. I read a lot of middle grade fiction, so it wasn't that the stories were too young for me. I just didn't think they delivered on the concept across the board.
December 11, 2019
Salve Confine,
anche oggi porto alla vostra attenzione un romanzo che ha come tema unico “la Paura”, una raccolta horror che sin da subito mi ha convinta, diversamente da una lettura precedente simile ma paradossalmente anche molto diversa.
Il romanzo in questione è “Storie da brividi. Non leggetele prima di dormire” di Robert Lawrence Stine, edito Mondadori, che ringrazio per l’invio del file.
Si tratta di una raccolta di venti storie horror, firmate da altrettanti autori del genere, più o meno conosciuti, tra cui appunto Stine, firma nota della serie per ragazzi “Piccoli brividi”, che io ho letto e apprezzato a suo tempo.
I protagonisti di questi venti racconti sono tutti ragazzini che si ritrovano a vivere avventure più o meno inquietanti, se non terrificanti.
Per citarne alcuni, leggerete di due ragazzini che, nell’ambizione di creare nel loro garage la casa degli orrori più spaventosa del quartiere, si ritrovano ad evocare qualcosa di molto maligno che dovranno affrontare. Oppure di due fratellini che, vittime di due bulli, riserveranno a questi una vendetta veramente inaspettata.
Un altro bambino, aiutato da una sorta di “fantasma custode”, deve affrontare un fantasma cattivo e assetato di sangue con lo scopo di salvare la sua babysitter. Una ragazzina a cui è morta la madre riceve in regalo dal padre un bellissimo cellulare che ha l’inquietante caratteristica di ricevere chiamate direttamente dall’inferno. E così via.
Chiaramente non sono storie che fanno rizzare i capelli a lettori scafati di horror, perché sono prevalentemente indirizzate ad un pubblico di ragazzi, ma anche noi adulti possiamo apprezzarle.
Per quanto mi riguarda a me sono piaciute tutte molto, mi hanno riportato indietro a quando leggevo, per l’appunto, “Storie da Brividi” di Stine o i primi romanzi di King.
Le storie sono veramente brevi, venti raccolte in circa 400 pagine.
Gli stili sono diversi, come diversi sono gli autori, ma tutte scorrono veloci e a ritmo serrato.
Ogni tanto, in alcuni punti cruciali, ho avvertito un brividino e la pelle d’oca sulle braccia, nulla a confronto con alcune altre recenti letture dello stesso genere, ma le immagini che alcuni autori riescono a creare sono davvero molto vivide.
Mi è piaciuta molto “Suona e scappa” di Hockensmith, in cui un ragazzino timido e pieno di paure, costretto dal fratellino più audace, va fuori a fare dolcetto o scherzetto in una cupa e piovosa notte di Halloween e si imbatte in una casa la cui proprietaria è tanto inquietante quanto in pericolo di morte.
Se volete passare un paio di giorni in un clima cupo e pieno di piccoli brividi, vi consiglio questa raccolta davvero speciale. Buona lettura.
Voto libro – 4
anche oggi porto alla vostra attenzione un romanzo che ha come tema unico “la Paura”, una raccolta horror che sin da subito mi ha convinta, diversamente da una lettura precedente simile ma paradossalmente anche molto diversa.
Il romanzo in questione è “Storie da brividi. Non leggetele prima di dormire” di Robert Lawrence Stine, edito Mondadori, che ringrazio per l’invio del file.
Si tratta di una raccolta di venti storie horror, firmate da altrettanti autori del genere, più o meno conosciuti, tra cui appunto Stine, firma nota della serie per ragazzi “Piccoli brividi”, che io ho letto e apprezzato a suo tempo.
I protagonisti di questi venti racconti sono tutti ragazzini che si ritrovano a vivere avventure più o meno inquietanti, se non terrificanti.
Per citarne alcuni, leggerete di due ragazzini che, nell’ambizione di creare nel loro garage la casa degli orrori più spaventosa del quartiere, si ritrovano ad evocare qualcosa di molto maligno che dovranno affrontare. Oppure di due fratellini che, vittime di due bulli, riserveranno a questi una vendetta veramente inaspettata.
Un altro bambino, aiutato da una sorta di “fantasma custode”, deve affrontare un fantasma cattivo e assetato di sangue con lo scopo di salvare la sua babysitter. Una ragazzina a cui è morta la madre riceve in regalo dal padre un bellissimo cellulare che ha l’inquietante caratteristica di ricevere chiamate direttamente dall’inferno. E così via.
Chiaramente non sono storie che fanno rizzare i capelli a lettori scafati di horror, perché sono prevalentemente indirizzate ad un pubblico di ragazzi, ma anche noi adulti possiamo apprezzarle.
Per quanto mi riguarda a me sono piaciute tutte molto, mi hanno riportato indietro a quando leggevo, per l’appunto, “Storie da Brividi” di Stine o i primi romanzi di King.
Le storie sono veramente brevi, venti raccolte in circa 400 pagine.
Gli stili sono diversi, come diversi sono gli autori, ma tutte scorrono veloci e a ritmo serrato.
Ogni tanto, in alcuni punti cruciali, ho avvertito un brividino e la pelle d’oca sulle braccia, nulla a confronto con alcune altre recenti letture dello stesso genere, ma le immagini che alcuni autori riescono a creare sono davvero molto vivide.
Mi è piaciuta molto “Suona e scappa” di Hockensmith, in cui un ragazzino timido e pieno di paure, costretto dal fratellino più audace, va fuori a fare dolcetto o scherzetto in una cupa e piovosa notte di Halloween e si imbatte in una casa la cui proprietaria è tanto inquietante quanto in pericolo di morte.
Se volete passare un paio di giorni in un clima cupo e pieno di piccoli brividi, vi consiglio questa raccolta davvero speciale. Buona lettura.
Voto libro – 4
August 1, 2018
Genuinely enjoyed these little nuggets of RL Stine level lighthearted spooks. Perfect for young, reluctant readers. These stories have modern day references and characters kids can relate to. Any young reader, or baby of the 80s-90s will very much enjoy this.
dnf
March 1, 2021DNF (read a few stories)
2018; HarperCollins
None of these stories really grabbed me. At this point I want to read books that catch my interest.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2018; HarperCollins
None of these stories really grabbed me. At this point I want to read books that catch my interest.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
September 27, 2018
Out of 20 stories there are like 5 that I loved. A lot of them were just meh. 3.5 stars
January 29, 2020
DNF at 30%
This was so boring I just couldn’t keep going.
This was so boring I just couldn’t keep going.
December 31, 2020
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
Since this is an anthology, and I’m not going to be doing a mini-review like other anthologies I’ve read in the past, I thought I would talk a little about the anthology as a whole when I’m done reading it, but as I read, if there’s a story that I think needs particular attention, good or bad, I’ll write it up separately. Got it? Don’t worry, just follow along. It’ll make sense. I think.
Trigger warnings for animal cruelty, also. Other things, too, but a couple of stories are really bad for the animal cruelty.
Best Revenge by R. L. Stine: Oh my god this is the most ridiculous thing ever. This is the first story and it’s not a great start, lol. It’s really repetative, and super cliche for a Goosebumps-type story. Like, there’s a character named Cletus who heehaws like a donkey. CLETUS. I can’t. It’s also quite juvenile. This is not one Stine’s best works, and it’s not a great start.
Bricks and Bones by Emmy Laybourne: This is the third story, and it’s not bad, but there’s some serious plot holes. I don’t think you can play finders keepers with three million dollars worth of gold. I don’t think that’s how it works. I’m also pointing out that this story is a white woman writing a main character who is a young black boy. This is the second story with a white person writing characters of colour. Haven’t gotten the one yet with a writer of colour, but we’ll see.
Ring and Run by Steve Hockensmith: There’s a Trump joke in this one and I don’t know how to feel about that but also I kinda laughed my butt off. I honestly really liked this one? It had a super neat premise and I liked the blending of a real dangerous thing with a paranormal dangerous thing. Good job. Big fan.
Cat Got Your Tongue by Wendy Corsi Staub: I really like this one. I think it’s probably the best one at being a story that really fits the “scream” thing. It’s really creepy, and interesting, and I’m a big fan. Leaves a few strings dangling, but I liked it enough that I don’t mind.
The I Scream Truck by Beth Fantaskey: So you can tell someone’s “eaten a lot of ice cream” by looking at the size of their bodies. Six nights of eating ice cream makes you fat. Literally, they gorge themselves on ice cream for a week and end up fat. Kids who were previously thin. And being fat makes them slow and clumsy, obviously. Then the story calls it “a few pounds” but goes out of its way to describe their swollen stomachs in great detail. Are you writing feedee porn, story?
Remember, kids, if your parents are vegans, you’ll be so deprived of ice cream because the only option you have is “frozen tofu” and not, like, coconut ice cream or sorbet, that you’re willing to jump into a creepy ice cream truck and gorge yourself for a week, and you’ll be eaten by cannibals.
No, I’m sorry, how is there a sign that says “Welcome to Nightingale Corners! Home of America’s Only Cannibal Feast!” AND NO ONE WHO VISITS OR MOVES THERE NOTICES??
This story is ridiculous and not in a good way.
Area Code 666 by Carter Wilson: Ugh, this one has fat-hate too. The MC’s teacher is just soooo fat and gross, and of course he’s sweaty (because sweating is a moral failure) and waddles. One of her friends literally calls him a “fat monster”. Overall the theme of this story is technology is evil and you are brainwashed to check your phone every time it makes the least noise because silencing your phone isn’t a thing that exists.
Also if you say “red balloon” and horror, I’m kinda just thinking about Pennywise. And also, balloons aren’t scary. What happens after the balloon is scary. (In It, I mean, not in general. Balloons don’t rain from the sky when I see a spider or something.) The ending of this one is just kind of a let-down, and the screaming thing here is super tacked on.
The Only Child by Joseph S. Walker: This is incredibly creepy. Like I’m straight up adult creeped out, not just kid-level creeped out. Wow! There is an episode of Alice Isn’t Dead that I consider one of the scariest, creepiest things I’ve ever encountered. This is right up there with that.
The Nightmare Express by Daniel Palmer: This starts out really promising, and then flops right down onto a racial slur. (The g-word.) And then it rolled over onto a pile of racist stereotypes about Romani people. And it follows that up with ableist language.
The Girl in the Window by Tonya Hurley: The author expects you to believe that girls are still freaking out over “frocks” on Snapchat (I guess Forever21 doesn’t exist in this world?) and they get birthday dresses as their “big gift” to wear to school the next day, and this is a giant deal that the rest of the school cares about. It also expects you to believe that a family that barely has enough money for food and rent with the mom working two jobs has enough money that her eleven year old daughter has a phone so she can Snapchat and Instagram and all that jazz.
Meanwhile a page before, it says that the mom only buys the main character and her brother a new pair of shoes on their birthdays because new shoes cost “a tiny fortune”. She buys her a pair of navy blue sparkly flats. I guess it doesn’t get muddy or snowy there? If you only can buy one pair of shoes for your kids a year… well, first, you better hope their feet don’t grow fast, but also would you really buy cute flats? Like, what if it rains? Also, she apparently spent “a week’s salary” on these flats. Let’s do that math actually. Lowest wage in the US is $2.13 for tipped workers (like waitstaff, so, you know, tip your waitstaff), so let’s times that by 8 for a full-day. If you go by 5, that’s $85.20 before taxes, and if you go by 7, $119.28. I have a lot of feelings about spending that much money on flats for a child who can’t wear them in the winter.
I wasn’t even going to write about this one, but I got annoyed trying to write about it in the summary thoughts because it was just so frustrating. It felt like the author took a short story set in the fifties and then added Snapchat because that’s what the kids are into, you know!
Feed the Birds by Stephen Ross: This is a good one. It’s set in 1872, and it’s about the only story of the grouping that isn’t set in modern day. It’s creepy, it’s weird, it’s got a good atmosphere. All good.
Over all thoughts: A middle grade horror anthology is a great idea, and a lot of these stories I really liked. However, some really flopped. Kind of what you get in an anthology, though, I guess.
Some of the authors handled having modern technology well, and use it well to add to their stories. Others really do not. Some stories, the inclusion is just really awkward and unnatural, and some of them feel like they really don’t like the idea of having to have technology in them but they’re just doing it because that’s what they’re supposed to do.
There’s also another underlying problem. Specifically, only three out of twenty of these stories are about kids who aren’t white. And all of those stories that feature characters of colour are written by white authors. Now, a few of these authors don’t really have online prescences so it’s hard to really know for sure, but near as I can tell, at least seventeen of the authors are white. There’s a possibility some of the three I couldn’t find anything about aren’t, but if they are, and I highly suspect they are, this is an anthology where out of twenty authors, all are white.
Even if some of them aren’t white, that’s still seventeen out of twenty! That’s ridiculous! Not to mention The Nightmare Express which is entirely based on the idea of “g*psy curses” which is horribly racist. There’s almost something of an attitude where it almost feels like some of the authors are… well, to be frank and to use phrasing I don’t love, they have a political agenda. Like they’re annoyed that they have to be thinking about diversity now that we’ve made a big stink out of it. One story makes a big point of saying “this isn’t politically correct, but (sexist thing)” and I just don’t get that. Why do you want that message going out to kids??
Cover comments: This is an amazing cover and I think kids will love it. It’s creepy and draws your eye in, and it has the R.L. Stine name that’s a big draw.
Conclusion: My final words honestly are that I cannot feel comfortable recommending this. I cannot ignore the fact that this is an entirely or near-entirely white-authored anthology and recommend it in good faith. I’m white. It is not appropriate for me to look at an anthology with *twenty* authors and be like,”they’re all white? Cool, that’s fine! I see no problem with this!” That’s not okay!
So, while I enjoyed this, and I think it’s something that kids would love, I can’t recommend it in good faith. Two roses mostly for the stories I did like.
Since this is an anthology, and I’m not going to be doing a mini-review like other anthologies I’ve read in the past, I thought I would talk a little about the anthology as a whole when I’m done reading it, but as I read, if there’s a story that I think needs particular attention, good or bad, I’ll write it up separately. Got it? Don’t worry, just follow along. It’ll make sense. I think.
Trigger warnings for animal cruelty, also. Other things, too, but a couple of stories are really bad for the animal cruelty.
Best Revenge by R. L. Stine: Oh my god this is the most ridiculous thing ever. This is the first story and it’s not a great start, lol. It’s really repetative, and super cliche for a Goosebumps-type story. Like, there’s a character named Cletus who heehaws like a donkey. CLETUS. I can’t. It’s also quite juvenile. This is not one Stine’s best works, and it’s not a great start.
Bricks and Bones by Emmy Laybourne: This is the third story, and it’s not bad, but there’s some serious plot holes. I don’t think you can play finders keepers with three million dollars worth of gold. I don’t think that’s how it works. I’m also pointing out that this story is a white woman writing a main character who is a young black boy. This is the second story with a white person writing characters of colour. Haven’t gotten the one yet with a writer of colour, but we’ll see.
Ring and Run by Steve Hockensmith: There’s a Trump joke in this one and I don’t know how to feel about that but also I kinda laughed my butt off. I honestly really liked this one? It had a super neat premise and I liked the blending of a real dangerous thing with a paranormal dangerous thing. Good job. Big fan.
Cat Got Your Tongue by Wendy Corsi Staub: I really like this one. I think it’s probably the best one at being a story that really fits the “scream” thing. It’s really creepy, and interesting, and I’m a big fan. Leaves a few strings dangling, but I liked it enough that I don’t mind.
The I Scream Truck by Beth Fantaskey: So you can tell someone’s “eaten a lot of ice cream” by looking at the size of their bodies. Six nights of eating ice cream makes you fat. Literally, they gorge themselves on ice cream for a week and end up fat. Kids who were previously thin. And being fat makes them slow and clumsy, obviously. Then the story calls it “a few pounds” but goes out of its way to describe their swollen stomachs in great detail. Are you writing feedee porn, story?
Remember, kids, if your parents are vegans, you’ll be so deprived of ice cream because the only option you have is “frozen tofu” and not, like, coconut ice cream or sorbet, that you’re willing to jump into a creepy ice cream truck and gorge yourself for a week, and you’ll be eaten by cannibals.
No, I’m sorry, how is there a sign that says “Welcome to Nightingale Corners! Home of America’s Only Cannibal Feast!” AND NO ONE WHO VISITS OR MOVES THERE NOTICES??
This story is ridiculous and not in a good way.
Area Code 666 by Carter Wilson: Ugh, this one has fat-hate too. The MC’s teacher is just soooo fat and gross, and of course he’s sweaty (because sweating is a moral failure) and waddles. One of her friends literally calls him a “fat monster”. Overall the theme of this story is technology is evil and you are brainwashed to check your phone every time it makes the least noise because silencing your phone isn’t a thing that exists.
Also if you say “red balloon” and horror, I’m kinda just thinking about Pennywise. And also, balloons aren’t scary. What happens after the balloon is scary. (In It, I mean, not in general. Balloons don’t rain from the sky when I see a spider or something.) The ending of this one is just kind of a let-down, and the screaming thing here is super tacked on.
The Only Child by Joseph S. Walker: This is incredibly creepy. Like I’m straight up adult creeped out, not just kid-level creeped out. Wow! There is an episode of Alice Isn’t Dead that I consider one of the scariest, creepiest things I’ve ever encountered. This is right up there with that.
The Nightmare Express by Daniel Palmer: This starts out really promising, and then flops right down onto a racial slur. (The g-word.) And then it rolled over onto a pile of racist stereotypes about Romani people. And it follows that up with ableist language.
The Girl in the Window by Tonya Hurley: The author expects you to believe that girls are still freaking out over “frocks” on Snapchat (I guess Forever21 doesn’t exist in this world?) and they get birthday dresses as their “big gift” to wear to school the next day, and this is a giant deal that the rest of the school cares about. It also expects you to believe that a family that barely has enough money for food and rent with the mom working two jobs has enough money that her eleven year old daughter has a phone so she can Snapchat and Instagram and all that jazz.
Meanwhile a page before, it says that the mom only buys the main character and her brother a new pair of shoes on their birthdays because new shoes cost “a tiny fortune”. She buys her a pair of navy blue sparkly flats. I guess it doesn’t get muddy or snowy there? If you only can buy one pair of shoes for your kids a year… well, first, you better hope their feet don’t grow fast, but also would you really buy cute flats? Like, what if it rains? Also, she apparently spent “a week’s salary” on these flats. Let’s do that math actually. Lowest wage in the US is $2.13 for tipped workers (like waitstaff, so, you know, tip your waitstaff), so let’s times that by 8 for a full-day. If you go by 5, that’s $85.20 before taxes, and if you go by 7, $119.28. I have a lot of feelings about spending that much money on flats for a child who can’t wear them in the winter.
I wasn’t even going to write about this one, but I got annoyed trying to write about it in the summary thoughts because it was just so frustrating. It felt like the author took a short story set in the fifties and then added Snapchat because that’s what the kids are into, you know!
Feed the Birds by Stephen Ross: This is a good one. It’s set in 1872, and it’s about the only story of the grouping that isn’t set in modern day. It’s creepy, it’s weird, it’s got a good atmosphere. All good.
Over all thoughts: A middle grade horror anthology is a great idea, and a lot of these stories I really liked. However, some really flopped. Kind of what you get in an anthology, though, I guess.
Some of the authors handled having modern technology well, and use it well to add to their stories. Others really do not. Some stories, the inclusion is just really awkward and unnatural, and some of them feel like they really don’t like the idea of having to have technology in them but they’re just doing it because that’s what they’re supposed to do.
There’s also another underlying problem. Specifically, only three out of twenty of these stories are about kids who aren’t white. And all of those stories that feature characters of colour are written by white authors. Now, a few of these authors don’t really have online prescences so it’s hard to really know for sure, but near as I can tell, at least seventeen of the authors are white. There’s a possibility some of the three I couldn’t find anything about aren’t, but if they are, and I highly suspect they are, this is an anthology where out of twenty authors, all are white.
Even if some of them aren’t white, that’s still seventeen out of twenty! That’s ridiculous! Not to mention The Nightmare Express which is entirely based on the idea of “g*psy curses” which is horribly racist. There’s almost something of an attitude where it almost feels like some of the authors are… well, to be frank and to use phrasing I don’t love, they have a political agenda. Like they’re annoyed that they have to be thinking about diversity now that we’ve made a big stink out of it. One story makes a big point of saying “this isn’t politically correct, but (sexist thing)” and I just don’t get that. Why do you want that message going out to kids??
Cover comments: This is an amazing cover and I think kids will love it. It’s creepy and draws your eye in, and it has the R.L. Stine name that’s a big draw.
Conclusion: My final words honestly are that I cannot feel comfortable recommending this. I cannot ignore the fact that this is an entirely or near-entirely white-authored anthology and recommend it in good faith. I’m white. It is not appropriate for me to look at an anthology with *twenty* authors and be like,”they’re all white? Cool, that’s fine! I see no problem with this!” That’s not okay!
So, while I enjoyed this, and I think it’s something that kids would love, I can’t recommend it in good faith. Two roses mostly for the stories I did like.
June 10, 2018
I received this ARC via my library director, who got it from the publisher at the PLA conference.
This short story collection is perfect for Goosebumps fans. Though authors have written for middle grade all the way to adult, most of the stories are not too scary and end well. There are ghosts and witches and zombies and shapeshifters and creepy dolls. Strangely, two of the stories deal with cannibalism ("I Scream" and "The Trouble with Squirrels"), but the threat is implied and no actual cannibalism takes place. This would appeal to older fans of Goosebumps as well.
This short story collection is perfect for Goosebumps fans. Though authors have written for middle grade all the way to adult, most of the stories are not too scary and end well. There are ghosts and witches and zombies and shapeshifters and creepy dolls. Strangely, two of the stories deal with cannibalism ("I Scream" and "The Trouble with Squirrels"), but the threat is implied and no actual cannibalism takes place. This would appeal to older fans of Goosebumps as well.
December 28, 2018
*4.5 stars
I read this collection aloud to my 12 year old twins in the weeks before Halloween this year, and it was the perfect read for the season! I don't think there was a single story that we disliked.
Lots of creepy stories and most were surprising and unique! I'd highly recommend this book for middle grade readers or adults who enjoy reading middle grade with light horror and mystery elements.
I read this collection aloud to my 12 year old twins in the weeks before Halloween this year, and it was the perfect read for the season! I don't think there was a single story that we disliked.
Lots of creepy stories and most were surprising and unique! I'd highly recommend this book for middle grade readers or adults who enjoy reading middle grade with light horror and mystery elements.
June 21, 2024
This was a cute middle grade anthology. I thought things could have gotten a little spookier, a lot of the stories seemed to have a theme where the main character was doing something brave (and so they had a HEA kind of ending). Which is okay! But there were so many stories like that. Also, I’m an adult reading a children’s book, so take everything this review with a grain of salt.
October 24, 2025
This was an easy read of twenty middle grade spooky stories by the thriller writers of America and it is a fun time! Each story starts or ends with a scream but all are different. As with any anthology the stories are hit and miss but it was a great book to pick up and read a story or two between main reads. Also on KU so bonus!
October 16, 2025
This is a collection of 20 short stories by different authors including RL Stein. It was nostalgic of my elementary and middle school years and fun to listen to the first few stories but I am no longer the target audience. Would be an enjoyable listen for tweens and young adults.
September 30, 2020
I really enjoyed this one! The stories were perfect for spooky season.
October 4, 2023
Fun spooky very mixed stories. I am getting a great start to October this year. <3
March 6, 2022
Fun stories
October 9, 2022
A fun short story horror collection for fans of Goosebumps. Some were absolute hits others not so much.
April 4, 2025
I didn’t realise this was a kids book lol. But even so some of them weren’t scary at all
Read
September 6, 2018it was scary
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