Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales

I am quite disappointed by this book. I had really high expectations for this. I heard amazing things about Neal Shusterman and I love scary short stories. I thought it would be a win-win situation. I was wrong. The stories are mostly hit or miss.The thing that bothered me most about these stories is how rude most the protagonists are to others. It was unbelievably difficult to sympathize with them. Yes, sometimes having a mean protagonist is OK because it makes that character appear different then the others. It doesn't work though when MOST of the book's protagonists are like that.The book comes with twenty "twisted tales".1)Catching Cold: Marty is obsessed with trying to get ice cream from and ice cream truck that doesn't seem to ever stop for customers. He created a scheme to stop the truck, but he might not like what he gets. I didn't like that this is the first story in this book. It's only average. The story is similar to many that I've read before. Three stars.2)Who Do We Appreciate?: Danielle is a referee to soccer games. She attends a very early game with her younger brother on the bleachers.The players are all a bit strange. They don't behave like regular kids. And the coach, who was Danielle's old teacher, is acting weird too. Soon, she realizes that the outcome of the game will determine the fate of the Earth. I think this story is very predictable and way too long. One star.3)Soul Survivor: Peter dies during an incident. Instead of fading away or leaving behind the world, his soul is stuck. He can't return to his body, but he can go inside other people's minds along with other animals and objects. He decides to reside in Sam "Slam" McKellen's body and coexist within him. I loved this story. I thought it was creative and I never expected that dramatic ending. Five stars.4)Black Box: Karin's grandfather gives her a box that he said must never be opened because it can destroy the world. Her cousin, Randy, believes that the box is fake. There is no way that a box with a simple button inside can cause mass destruction. Strange things begin to happen ad Karin grew tempted to open the box. I found this tale to be simple and predictable. The only thing I liked is the way Shusterman handled the ending. Two stars.5)Resting Deep: Tommy's great-grandfather, Greaty, takes him to go fishing. The water is stormy. Greaty said and did things that disturbed Tommy as Greaty's intentions became clear. This story was just boring. There was nothing that captivated me. One star.6)Security Blanket: After throwing away her siblings' security blanket, Marybeth buys them a new one. This story is definitely creepy. While haunted objects isn't exactly an original idea, the way Shusterman presented it is. The way he wrote it kept me interested the entire time. I also loved the ending. It made the story even scarier. My only problem is Marybeth. She is the rudest girl ever. It is unbearable to read and it made me cringe. Four stars.7)Same Time Next Year: Ford is a new kid at school. He lives in a strange house where the basement is full of inventions left behind by Professor Wilmington after his disappearance. In the basement, Marla and Ford find a time machine. I didn't expect it to end like that at all. It's a very good story. Four stars.8)The River Tour: A tour guide named Sharon gives a river tour and points out landmarks that the boat passes by. This is such a predictable little tale. I caught on very early into the story and lost my interest soon afterwards. One star.9)Flushie: Duncan is constantly being picked on by his classmates. He wants to seek vengeance, so he plans a huge trick by inviting everyone for a party on a rooftop pool. This story is just messed up. It's weird. I'm really torn about this. Three stars.10)Monkeys Tonight: Ryan's sister wakes up screaming about monkeys. Ryan tries to scare her even more, because like I said, most of the characters in this book are really mean. Everyone thinks that the monkeys are only in her nightmares. I don't have anything to say about this story. It was only all right. Two stars.11)Screaming At The Wall: Grandma talks to the wall and ignores the real people around her. This story doesn't seem creepy to me, but it's definitely twisted. I didn't expect the story to end like that. Five stars.12)Growing Pains: Cody's best friend, Warren, wakes up screaming in pain and never stops. People believe he's crazy. Soon, Cody discovers the reason why. This tale is creepy and it made me glad to know that this doesn't actually happen in real life (or does it?). Four stars.13)Alexander's Skull: Packages for the Mortimer Museum is often accidentally delivered to Alexander Mortimer's house because of his last name. His mom hates it when that happens. She then has a happen of keeping the packages to spite the museum and the delivery service. One of the packages include a skull. I find the premise interesting, but it was lacking. Three stars.14)Connecting Flight: Jana Martinez boards a plane. While looking out the windows on both sides of the plane and conversing with other passengers, she notices something strange with the flight. This story is interesting, but I was confused throughout the entire time until the story's end. Three stars.15)Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal: Ralphy has a toothache and visits the dentist. This story is plain weird. I did not enjoy it at all. One star.16)An Ear For Music: Lee is a talented musician. He gets recruited by Madame Magnus to attend her school. He discovers that there is something wrong with her and her school. This was pretty dull. One star.17)Riding the Raptor: Brent's brother, Trevor loves roller coasters. However, he wants something new and exciting. They win a ride on the raptor. There was nothing that was unexpected. One star.18)Trash Day: Lucinda's family is strange, so she wishes for replacements. This story is very creepy. The ending gave me chills. Five stars.19)Crystalloid: Phillip's grandma has a glass shop. She and Philip would make things out of glass to sell to tourists. One day, Phillip gets sand from the Sand Trap to make a glass figurine. It soon comes to life. It's a horrifying story, but it's not exactly creative. And I feel like it's missing a tiny thing that I can't name. Four stars.20)Shadows Of Doubt: This is just a short, creepy poem at the end of the book. It wraps up the book well, but it's not an outstanding poem. Three stars.

I bought this book through an Amazon associate after reading about it somewhere, probably through Amazon reviews. What a lucky find; what a brilliant book! As an adult, I can't say that these stories scared me that much (though "An Ear for Music" is superbly clever/creepy). (However, I can easily see kids being totally terrified at the clever and unexpected plot twists.) No, what impresses me the most is the craft of Neal Shusterman's writing. Like a brilliant caricaturist, he creates several characters and a beginning plot line within two pages. Characters with real personalities and motivations. As a writer, I marvel at this ability. Shusterman can write the rough draft of a story while sitting on a plane or while sitting at a cafe. I am envious. He's the kind of artist who could create a little sculpture out of the napkins and bottle caps at a restaurant table.What strikes me just as strongly is the intelligence of these stories. Somewhere I remember reading that this book was aimed at readers aged 10 and up. Well, most 10-year-olds will not get many of the references in this book. In one paragraph in "Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal," -- beyond hysterical, by the way -- Shusterman brings up the Titanic, the SF earthquake of 1906, the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Kurt Cobain and "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Patsy Cline, and many more historical/pop references, all in the service of sight gags or to further the plot. Now what 10-year-old recognizes all these names? Doesn't matter. The stories work and adults have extra things to laugh at.One example from the same story: the children's "current nanny... was from a small eastern European country that no longer existed, but might exist again in a month or so, she hoped." That made me roar. Okay, you're not into the history of Lithuania, Estonia, Armenia, Chechnya, etc.? Fine. But that joke will work with history/current events fans. And in trying to find this passage, I just realized that a science project in this story is entitled "A Fistful of Molars," a joke which flew right past me the first time. Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, anyone? See, Shusterman doesn't write down to his audience; he brings them up a notch or two. And if they don't get it the first time, maybe they will the second or third time the read the book.Oh, did I mention that the author has a sharp wit and sense of irony?My favorites were "An Ear for Music," "Screaming at the Wall," "Catching Cold," the aforementioned "Ralphy Sherman's Root Canal," and "Security Blanket." Yours will probably be different. That's another great thing about this book. It's like a Ben and Jerry's for short stories. Something for everyone.Thank you, Neal Shusterman. You've inspired me to jot down ideas for horror stories. You find them almost anywhere. Beyond my mirror, I have to look a bit harder.Daniel BerensonFreaky Dude Books

Very interesting !

Two things before I go any further:1)I'm an adult. I read a lot of teen/YA fiction because I have a 13 year old daughter. I want to know what she's reading, I want to be able to discuss and recommend books to her. I like a LOT of books geared to this age group ~ good writing is good writing: good plots are good plots, well-drawn characters are well-drawn...you get my drift2)I really like Neal Shusterman. Maybe not all his books are destined to be classics, but on the whole he writes well, is imaginative, and understands how to hook his reader.This collection of short stories has a little bit of everything ~ ghosts, ghouls, you name it. Not all the stories will work for all readers: but every reader will find something that haunts them after the book is back on the shelf. There's plenty of creepiness without any graphic gore: these are scary stories that will make your skin crawl, but won't turn your stomach.A lot of people can and do write scary/gross; not so many can write scary/eerie. In this collection Mr Shusterman proves he can walk that fine line with ease. If you want something to creep you out late at night, this is a great book for you.

These chilling stories are an excellent read and are very thought-provoking! I used two of the milder ones in my 6th grade classroom; they are great for making inferences, rich class/group discussions, and answering critical thinking questions using text evidence support. However, I would not recommend all the stories for kids that young. I'd book talk it for 7th grade and above with a hint that the stories are creepy in a non-gory way.

Good book for the young ones.