Description
Tanya is a huge fan of horror author Joel Southland...AND he's coming to visit her school!
Even though she is his biggest fan, she barely gets a chance to say hello. But he does give her a signed bookmark: For Tanya. Stay Scared! Reading later that night, she figures it's just her eyes playing tricks on her when she sees the ink on the bookmark move a little. But when the ink slithers toward her, it's too late...
As Tanya tries to get to the bottom of Southland's nefarious schemes, the book is broken up by nine other creepy tales, including one about middle-school horror movie fans who track down the scariest horror movie of all time, another about a kid whose "baby eye" is beginning to fall out, and yet another about a vampire suffering due to a virus that is keeping people indoors. A mix of squirmy, funny and downright terrifying, these tales will leave readers thinking twice about the things that go bump in the night.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Author Bio
Jeff Szpirglas is the author of several works for young people, including the horror collections Tales from Beyond the Brain, Tales from the Fringes of Fear and most recently, Book of Screams. He is also the co-author, with Danielle Saint-Onge, of a number of Orca Echoes titles, including Shark Bait!, X Marks the Spot and Super Switch. Jeff has worked at CTV and was an editor at Chirp, Chickadee and Owl magazines. In his spare time, he teaches grade school. Jeff lives with his family in Kitchener, Ontario.
Prizes
- Junior Library Guild (JLG) Gold Standard SelectionCommended 2023
- Forest of Reading Red Maple AwardNominated 2025
- BC Books for SchoolsCommended 2023
- Young Readers' Choice Book Awards of British Columbia (YRCABC) Red Cedar Book Awards - FictionNominated 2025
Review Quotes
“This chilling collection of short stories is a perfect choice for middle-grade readers who crave a good scare. It cleverly combines spine-tingling tales with a wraparound story that adds a layer of mystery and suspense…A great introduction to horror for younger readers. It’s both entertaining and suspenseful, leaving you guessing until the very end.”
— Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)“This well-paced, rather disturbing, and very creepy collection will appeal to a wide variety of readers.”
— Kirkus Reviews“For student writers exploring the elements of short stories, Book of Screams could be a source of exemplars and inspiration.”
— BC Books for Schools“A collection of scary short stories that run the horror gamut.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ)Biographical note
Jeff Szpirglas is the author of several works for young people, including the horror collections Tales from Beyond the Brain and Tales from the Fringes of Fear. He is also the co-author, with Danielle Saint-Onge, of a number of Orca Echoes titles, including Shark Bait!, X Marks the Spot! and Messy Miranda. Jeff has worked at CTV and was an editor at Chirp, Chickadee and Owl magazines. In his spare time, he teaches grade school. Jeff lives with his family in Kitchener, Ontario.
Steven P. Hughes is an award-winning Canadian illustrator whose clients include the Globe and Mail, Reader’s Digest and Scientific American. He graduated from Sheridan College with a BAA in illustration. He lives in Bolton, Ontario.
