More Bones

September 1, 2008
Gr 4-6-According to the source notes, many of these 22 selections are drawn from 19th-century collections. The assortment ranges from stories that utilize traditional folktale elements such as granted wishes, witches, and wizards to others featuring ghosts and corpses. "The Headless Horseman" (Ireland), "The Shaggy Gray Arm" (Iceland), "The Werewolf in the Forest" (Eastern Europe), and "The Ghost of the Rainbow Maiden" (Hawaii) are among the creepy entries. Gist's dark, smudgy illustrations may prove more frightening than the tales themselves. Give the book to fans of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" (HarperCollins)."Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2008
Grades 4-7 A sequel to Ask the Bones (1999), this tour of the worlds shadowy corners is full of dark wizards, unkind witches, and other untrustworthy creatures. No matter if the stories originate from Ireland, Iceland, China, or Turkey, they all offer up similar lessons: dont try to outsmart magical beings, for example. The 22tales, as retold by Olson and Schwartz, give a vivid glimpse into unfamiliar, unnerving territory, but they are short, so they wontdraw young readers too deeply into nightmarish worlds. The atmosphericillustrations, while not intricately detailed, are somewhat startling in their imagery: a skull featuring a single, staring eyeball or a close-up of an aggressive rats snarling head. Olson and Schwartz sometimes end their stories with a direct question that adds more shivers; after one tale about a skull that is searching for a new family to haunt, the text asks, How about yours? In other selections, plot twists, transformations, and other mysteries are left to be pondered over, probably at bedtime. Full source notes for the stories are provided in an appendix.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2009
This collection of twenty-two short stories, mostly from Europe and Asia, offers a wide variety of chills and thrills for middle-grade readers. Most of the tales end with a scary, and occasionally surprising, twist, but there's nothing that's too upsetting. Black-and-white illustrations in many of the stories enhance their spookiness. Sources are included.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)