Tales to Keep You Up at Night

With an opening that states “DON’T READ THIS BOOK” in spindly scrawl, Poblocki (The Ghost of Graylock) sets the scene for this bone-chilling collection couched in an overarching narrative about a girl seeking to uncover the truth about her missing grandmother. Thirteen interconnected short stories follow bespectacled Amelia Turner-Ingersoll in the aftermath of her grandmother’s disappearance. As Amelia, her moms, and her younger brother Winter pack up her presumed dead grandmother’s house, Amelia finds what she assumes is an old library book titled Tales to Keep You Up at Night. When she attempts to return it, the librarian informs her that it’s not actually a library book. Despite the book’s warnings not to read it, Amelia settles down to do just that and, once finished, realizes that the library has long since closed, leaving her alone in the building. Ghosts, witches, and demon cars populate the book’s tales, and entries are told from varying perspectives, making for distinct narratives. The novel’s framework, which alternates between Amelia’s real life and the scary stories’ contents, slowly builds tension, intricately weaving classic and supernatural horror elements to deliver an immersive experience drenched in ominous atmosphere. Characters default to white. Ages 10–up. (Aug.)