Scary Fantasy

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths - for good and evil - of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies.

Sam can't wait to go on her first cruise...sun, fun, and lots of good food. But when some slimy guests show up, Sam's excitement turns into fear. Do these gooey blob monsters want more than just the all-you-can-eat buffet?

Poppy, Dash, Azumi, and Dylan may have made it out of Shadow House - but the grounds are a whole new nightmare. Someone they thought was a friend is hunting them, and there's no place that's safe now that they've woken the shadow creature. If they want to survive, they'll have to figure out once and for all what the house wants from them, and what - or who - they'll need to leave behind in order to escape...or risk being trapped within Shadow House forever.

Jasmine and Blossom Hamilton aren’t just sisters, they’re best friends . . . most of the time. That didn’t change when Blossom turned into a zombie. When the Hamilton girls move to Glastonbury, Connecticut, the girls have more to deal with than just starting at a new school and making new friends: people suddenly start turning up dead, brains removed, and Blossom is the prime suspect.

Ivan is an intelligent nine-year-old boy with no friends outside of school. When another young boy moves in next door with his parents, Ivan is excited and hopeful that the two can become pals. There's just one problem.... Are Ivan's new neighbours secret vampires? Listen on to find out!

When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.

Grave-robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It's true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of 19th-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a 16-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey's life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school. Everything changes when Joey's mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known....

Adam says he can’t remember where he was for the two months he went missing in a Florida swamp. That’s not true. He does remember. The truth: He was driving with his parents, and the car crashed when his father swerved to avoid colliding with a giant Sasquatch-like creature standing in the highway. Haunted by his parents’ disappearance and hounded for claiming to have seen Bigfoot, Adam sets off into the deadly wilderness on a hunt for answers as to what really happened that night.

Jake seems to have grown up overnight–literally. When he went to asleep he was his usual kid-self, and when he woke up, about ten years had flown by! What's worse, the Yeerk invasion of Earth has succeeded. The newly-adult Jake searches for Ax and the other Animorphs to find a way out of the horrific future–but he soon learns they won't be much help. They've all been killed or infested.

Sixteen-year-old Sunshine is reluctantly gaining control over her powers as a Luiseach. But while she explores her mystical lineage, she discovers a dangerous discordance - one only she can heal.

Richard Hsieh's life is about to become a total nightmare. His dad studies dreams and they hook his new Slappy doll up to the dream machine as a joke. All of a sudden, Richard's dreams are becoming scarier and scarier. Each time, seeing Slappy, his birthday present, come to life and wreak havoc. But they're only dreams, right?

In this universe, many different realities exist simultaneously. You have to be careful when it comes to what you think about, wish for, and especially what you say. Thoughts and words have more power than you know, and you can turn your sense of reality into one you may not like. We were given the ability to create... so make sure your creation is as positive as you know how to be. If it is not, then be very mindful of what needs to change, because eventually, your own creation could end up being your own worst nightmare. This is The Scary.

Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. Able to talk to ghosts, Jess quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects, who have their own “gifts.” One is possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate…when he’s not resurrecting the dead.

Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on!

When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica’s high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he’s haunted by the possibility that she’s waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he’s wrong, what’s the harm in creating one more ghost?

Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumored to hide a monster. And 200 years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig's family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, everything will change when the red moon rises. It's time to break the spell.

Time is running out for the star crossed lovers, the teenagers thrown together by fate who were supposed to be trying to kill each other. The undead infection is spreading in Scarlet, slowly worming its way through her body. As they race across the wastelands to the last outpost with advanced medical facilities, their fathers go to war. The cult begins its advance on the free states headquarters and Casey's ruthless cannibals are gathering their forces for their own attack. No one gets to sit this one out. Everyone fights.

After escaping from Edgaren’t and Dr. Jay, the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their friends arrive at Stein Manor Science Camp. They all work together to distract the friendly teenage camp director so they can explore and look for clues about where their parents might be. Meanwhile, Theo and Alexander settle on a daring plan. They know exactly where Edgaren’t is going to be: coming for them, and the books. This time, they’ll be ready.

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is a teenage grim reaper with the bizarre ability to Damn souls. That makes her pretty scary, even to fellow Grims. But after inadvertently transferring her ability to Zara, a murderous outlaw, Lex is a pariah in Croak, the little town she calls home. To escape the townspeople’s wrath, she and her friends embark on a wild road trip to DeMyse. Though this sparkling desert oasis is full of luxuries and amusements, it feels like a prison to Lex.

Get ready for a collection of thirteen short stories that will chill your bones, tingle your spine, and scare your pants off. Debut author Josh Allen masterfully concocts horror in the most innocent places, like R. L. Stine meets a modern Edgar Allan Poe. A stray kitten turns into a threatening follower. The street sign down the block starts taunting you. Even your own shadow is out to get you! Spooky things love hiding in plain sight. The everyday world is full of sinister secrets, and these stories show that there's darkness even where you least expect it.