Terrifying Tales, Vol. 2 »

Peter Carver is the Red Deer Press Children's Book Editor. Under his direction, Red Deer Press has published such notable talents as Kevin Major, Martine Leavitt, Cora Taylor, Ted Staunton and many more. He was awarded the Canadian Library Association Award for Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada and the Writers' Union Freedom to Read Week Award.When he's not editing children's books, Peter Carver teaches creative writing classes in Toronto.

Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice, 2007

Fourteen new spine-tingling treats for teens

In this second volume of original horror stories for teenaged readers, you'll find ghosts and werewolves, weird transformations and menacing strangers, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and your heart beats faster.

Some of these stories explore the most traditional of horror themes - the visitation of vampires, fear of the dark corners of the basement - with a nod to that master of horror, Edgar Allen Poe. Others take readers into less familiar territory: the terror of a babysitter with a too-vivid imagination, the dangers of compulsive attention paid to a pet fighting-fish, the claustrophobia of a cruise ship where nasty plots abound, and the subtle tension between the discipline of intellect and the boisterous yearning of creativity as it is played out in the minds of teens.

Some stories here come from some of our most celebrated of authors for youth - Priscilla Galloway, William Bell, Anne Laurel Carter, Kathy Stinson, Gillian Chan, Jamie Bastedo, Louise Wadsworth, Diana Aspin, Joanne Findon, Sylvia McNicoll, Wendy Lewis, Sylvo Frank, Alison Lohans and Cheryl Rainfield - some represent the work of gifted emerging writers who have also captured the essence of what makes a good suspense-filled story.

VOYA

Do your teens like to be scared? Do they wonder what lurks outside their doors on black, moonless nights? Fourteen authors delve into this realm of mystery and horror for these stories. What if Snow White's Prince Charming was actually a closet necrophiliac? What would happen if a young girl learned that during the moon's cycle, she could turn into a werewolf? What would one do if he or she discovered an ability to heal people of their illnesses? All these questions are answered within the pages of this compilation. In The Collapse, Kathy Stinson gives a nod to one of the greatest American horror writers, Edgar Allan Poe. The story is based in part on Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Evening Shade by Gillian Chan draws upon those wonderful ghost stories that are handed down from generation to generation. Sweet Sixteen by Sylvo Frank describes a rite of passage for a young man who is stalked by vampires. The horror genre has always been quite popular with young adults, and this novel will be a welcome asset to any horror/mystery collection. Some stories are a bit confusing; therefore it might be better suited for high school students. If the library is looking for a good scare, pick up this book.