The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales

Weenies #3

by David Lubar

A boy discovers the answer to one of the great urban mysteries: why are pigeons always pooping in parks? A second-grade class learns why they should always be nice to their math teacher….An ancient predator uses the internet to search out its prey… A young girl and her little brother escape a campfire weenie only to encounter something even more terrifying: a troupe of Girl Scouts singing campfire songs.

 

For this, his third collection of warped and creepy “weenie” tales, critically-acclaimed author and master of the macabre David Lubar traveled deep into the shadowy corners of his mind, looking for new ways to amuse and terrify his readers. And in the tradition of In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Invasion of the Road Weenies, he reveals the inspiration behind each of the thirty-five stories at the end of the book.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Humor, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

David 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...

Reviews

[Dillon Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome I will read it again

[Britt Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories lowkey felt like low-budget Goosebumps, but I actually had fun reading them. 😂

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories that would be easy for a reluctant reader to conquer. The book ends with notes from the author about how he gets his ideas to write selected stories. These ideas would be helpful to new writers.

[Jennifer Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lubar's weenie series very much. As a future teacher looking for books to put on my shelf, this is the series for the job! I believe it can reach a lot of students who are struggling to find a book that they can finish. Each book has many short stories about children who over come their fears, whether it be clowns or vacuum cleaners. It is not only an easy read, but it's humorous, and relatable. It allows a student to connect with many different characters, instead of trying to connect with one or two. These books will foster student engagement instead of hinder it.
Also, I believe it could be an awesome series for read-aloud's. Teachers can start and end a whole story in one read-aloud session. With a book such as the Harry Potter series, the students attach to a few main characters and must follow the story from beginning to end. With the weenie series, one book can tell many stories. This also allows for say a substitute teacher to fill in during read-aloud.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have an irrational fear of clowns? Maybe it is not so irrational. Do you have an annoying little brother? Maybe you should be nice to him. Hate math? Just don't make your math teacher angry.

This book rocks! The stories are a combination of Twilight Zone and Stephen King for kids. They are stories that you would tell while camping or having a sleepover. And they are awesome for scaring your kids. I would love to read these to my daughter, but she doesn't want to read scary stories. So I will just have to read them myself and hope when my son is older, he will enjoy them.

The great thing is that they are short stories so you can read a scary story from the beginning to end at one sitting. It's not so easy to do that with a Stephen King book. And the reason I point this out is because I think adults will enjoy these stories too. They are creepy and fun!

[Allison Hite · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is popular among my stronger readers in my third grade class, so I decided I would give it a try. Despite the silly title, this book has a very challenging vocabulary for most eight and nine year olds. The plot skips around in a random order and without purpose. Although the vocabulary is quite context related I felt like I was reading a series of short stories rather than a chapter book. In these short stories the author tries to combined scary books and joke books all in one. I could see how it is appealing to my third grader; however, from an academic point of view, I felt it hard to get to the end with all of the changing genres chapter to chapter.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the third edition in David Lubars' weenie collection this book was great. It was hilarious and a bit creepy. It did not have a specific storyline but instead was full of 35 different short stories. One of which WAS about campfire weenies. That one story was based upon someone very boring and annoying during a camping trip. My three favorites were Fat Face, Mr. HooHaa!, and The Soda Fountain. They were very scary and creeped me out the most. I would recommend this book to ages ten and up. Anyways I just met him today and he was very nice and not to mention hilarious!

[Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of stories in this book. I didn't think it would be that great because of the cover. But when my mom started reading the first story to me, it was really interesting. That one was about a 10-year-old who tried to convince himself that clowns weren't scary, but the clown, Mr. Hoo-ha was actually a warped person! I read the rest of the book myself, and they were all scary. It was cool because I learned that it doesn't matter about the cover; it matters how good the book is.

[hexagonalhotdogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decided to go down memory lane and read this book series from my childhood. A collection of short stories that freaked me out as a kid, much like “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark” by Alvin Schwartz.

I admit, even as an adult now, some of the stories are still freaky and a little messed up lol. Perfect for a short read when you need some easy horror in your life.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was okay but I thought it was not great but not bad but it was in the middle

[libreroaming · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story collection for kids who are at a Goosebumps scare level but maybe want to get to the jump scare instead of spending too much time on the tension and suspense. Also, spoilers: not all the kids survive their chapters. Some are morality plays, some are an excuse for one twist, a couple are just PG gruesome.

Best of the bunch that include wit, some tension and a story are:

"Tied Up" about a kid in a baseball game with endless extra innings

"Mr. HooHaa!" because clowns are terrifying and any story that reveals the truth is worthwhile

"Touch the Bottom" about what lies beneath the water

"The Unforgiving Tree" with a great Twilight Zone double twist


Some that are clever but not really a full tale are:

"Cat Napped" (cute resolution)

"Mrs. Barunki" (two pages with a funny punchline)

"Forgotten Monsters" (explaining why would ruin the fun)


The rest fall into middling, like how "Head of the Class" and "Mug Shots" rely on the same ending twist, or "Inquire Within" could have been in the top tier if it was a little more character-driven but sacrificed that for brevity's sake. A couple were weak like "Halfway Home" or "Don't Ever Let It Touch the Ground" were not particularly clever or creepy.

Give to those who want instant chills or funny comeuppance to naughty children.

[Gavin Anstis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am I HUGE fan of this book. Not one story in this book disappointed me. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you... Every chapter is a different story. They don't link together. It is almost like a book of poems by Shel Silverstein, only instead of poems, each chapter is a horror themed book. They are very simple and easy to understand, but are still entertaining and almost addicting to read. The book includes people that turn into whatever they eat. Scary clowns. Scary roller coaster rides that make people see scary things for the rest of their lives. Someone that cuts of some of a tree, and the tree comes back for him. The way the book is organized, you can make a goal and read one story a day, or read all of with with your friends late at night and scare them all. Either way, I think everyone will love these short entertaining stories written by David Lubar.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weenies series is a very interesting and unique series. This series was a different story in each chapter, the book was a little morbid and scary in some chapters but altogether I believe this book was exciting and funny. I felt each story had deep meaning or a lesson for children. Some lessons teach us the consequences of bullying, why we should listen to out parents and why telling the truth is important. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this series!

[Davis Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of David Lubar's since I was a kid and first read one of his "Weenies" books. While I find this collection to be the weakest of the series, it still contains so many gems that are sure to intrigue and terrify young readers. It is rare to see such an inventive take on children's horror and Lubar has no doubt sparked a passion for the strange and terrifying for countless readers.

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book full of creepy and odd tales for school aged kids around the ages 9 to 12. I booked talked this during my school book club I have for 3/4 and 5/6 graders. I will also be using this book and the other books in this series for my BAM book club at the library.

[Jjooll Skylight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this book in years, but re -reading it, it's just as entertaining as I remember. The stories are fascinating and I love seeing how simple things get turned into fantasy-like shorts. My favorite story in this would probably be Spin.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t actually read this book but my thirteen year old son wants to read the whole series. I saw this on a library shelf and brought it home, hoping he might like it. So I’m feeling pretty good that my selection passed muster.

[Rob Oatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a classic. Had me first interested in writing when I read this for the first time while I was 8 years old. The stories still hit and it was fun to revisit stories that I still think about from time to time.

[Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these short little tales

[Tony Perez Valerie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy and hysterical! Fun to listen to on audiobook!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing tales with currently relevant metaphors and morals. However, I expected more weenies.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible collection, but not nearly as good as Lubar's earlier volumes.

[Fright Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Lubar does it again!

This author has so many innovative ideas.

They flow like hot sauce!

[Rachel]

Great weird and spooky tales to read to your kids if they are into that sort of thing!

[Lourdes · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was younger I thought these were the best books ever, and at my age now, they're okay, but quick reads which is kind of boring.

:/

[Edie Walls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't my favorite collection in the series, but it was still enjoyable. I really love how the author puts his inspiration at the back of each book - that's what made these special as a kid.

[Anna Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid mix of really good and some decent spooky stories that are fun for kids and adults. These collections are some of my favorites, they're just so fun and nostalgic.

[Angie Titus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of creepy stories! I was a little put off by the silly cover, but I am so glad I gave it a try. Definitely worth a read.

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories are cute and creative. This is a snappy little bite sized introduction to horror for young readers, and I am sure they will get kids to enjoy reading. Some of the concepts are truly demented (complimentary), but they're pretty age appropriate.

[Micki-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did always want to know why clowns were so scary and of course why pigeons poop in parks. This was a fun humours little middle grade horror book