Out to get You : 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe

Justification

Out to get You contains 13 horror stories that are sure to give tweens the creeps. This book was starred on Booklist and School Library Journal Xpress. It was also reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Kirkus reviews stated, “A collection of curious incidents—13, naturally—for unsuspecting readers.”

Evaluation

The variety of stories in this book and the ability to read them quickly makes Out to Get You an ideal read for struggling or reluctant readers. Stories range from disappearing friends, retaliating cats, to a lunch room stain that mysteriously “eats” objects and people. This anthology is sure to engage readers over and over again as they continue through the 13 stories of “weirdness and woe”.

Who can go wrong with a horror story with a book cover that glows in the dark? There are also 13 illustrations in Out to get You, one for each story in the book. The illustrations are dark sketches that portray some part of the story. One of the most chilling illustrations in the book goes with a story about the devil tricking a boy. Another picture shows the multitude of cats that chase a young girl after she and her mother decide to dump their pet cat in a random farmers field. The illustrations keep the imagination rolling and the fear increasing.

The 13 stories can also be considered cautionary tales, the exact theme of each one changes, but an overarching theme would include, be careful what you wish for. In the first story called “Vanishers” two young boys come up with a scary story for an English class that had disastrous consequences. In “Nine Lives” a young girl and her mother wish to be rid of their cat, but are instead terrorized by rejected cats in the neighborhood. In one of the most creepy stories, a young boy who is obsessed with the devil, ends up meeting him face to face.

Conclusion

Out to get You : 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe is recommended for young boys and girls in late elementary and middle school who enjoy horror stories. The book is age appropriate and does not include anything that would truly terrify a youngster. This would be a great book to begin reading in october. This book is also suggested for reluctant readers as you are able to finish a story in just a few pages, which may feel less daunting to reluctant readers.

Citation

Allen, J., & Coleman, S. (2019). Out to get you: 13 tales of weirdness and woe. Holiday House.