Please Do Not Touch: A Collection of Stories

Gorog frames her 11 horror stories with an explicit (second-person) invitation to her audience, urging them to visit the art exhibit at the Gallery Pitu, where the paintings magically draw viewers into the worlds they portray. Included in this rather disparate assortment is a lesson in the laws of fate, set in ancient Damascus; a turn-of-the-century Halloween party where something goes very wrong with a mummy costume; and a coffee-maker that takes over the life of a children's book writer. In another story (narrated, like the framing device, in the second person) the reader is put in the shoes of a character who captures criminals with the help of his grandmother. As intriguing as the idea of Gorog's interactive picture gallery is, it never lives up to its potential. Many of the stories read like sketches, straining for plot twists and suffering from a lack of structure. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)