Half-Minute Horrors

Featuring a who's who of authors and artists (Margaret Atwood, Avi, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, Lauren Myracle, James Patterson, Brian Selznick and many more), this collection of more than 70 chilling snippets is ideal for campfires and car trips. The stories—some a couple sentences, some a few pages—range from darkly humorous (Jerry Spinelli's murderous twist on the age-old “chicken or egg” question) to outright creepy (Josh Greenhut and Brett Helquist's illustrated story about terrifying revelations from a Ouija board). These are inherently quick reads, but with enough plot and detail to encourage further imagining. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)