The Cabinet of Curiosities

Deliciously eerie short stories lure readers down dark and winding paths from which they may never return.

★ This collection of 36 short dark fantasies . . . aspires to sit on the same shelf as Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and succeeds admirably. . . . Readers who enjoy their Halloween chills all year round will find this anthology a delight.

With eight drawers–the themes tucked within the Cabinet of Curiosities–and four curators (authors), this collection of 36 goosepimply tales flows smoothly, one into the next, and will offer plenty for boys and girls to keep them up at night, around the campfire or in a tent by flashlight.

The stories are remarkable both for their uniformly high quality and for their distinctness from one another; the abundant atmospherics, including occasional stark black-and-white illustrations, provide a unifying sense of dread. The framing device—the curators send letters from the field introducing their latest discoveries—adds depths of mystery, danger, and idiosyncrasy to a book already swimming in each.

Not for the faint of heart, this curious collection of stories will haunt and, at times, horrify and are best read by flashlight.

★ A hefty sheaf of chillers—all short enough to share aloud and expertly cast to entice unwary middle graders a step or two into the shadows.

Fans of shivery tales will find much to appreciate here, from dolls who love their playmates a little too much to luck that comes at a high price.