(3) YA Illustrated by Coleman Polhemus. A year after the first fatal writers' competition in Daemon Hall, author Ian Tremblin again hosts an ill-advised horror story challenge. The haunted mansion snatches the group back into its grip as the contestants desperately tell stories to earn their escape. The macabre tales--filled with inventively chilling plots--keep readers engrossed right to the cliffhanger ending.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(2) YA Illustrated by Coleman Polhemus. According to Chinese tradition, hungry ghosts are appeased with food. So, while these grisly ghost stories introduce various elements of Chinese history and culture, Chinese cuisine also plays a key role. The collection offers up enough fright--and food--to keep readers returning for seconds. Each tale is followed by historical notes and a recipe; together they represent an eight-course banquet.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) YA Illustrated by Coleman Polhemus. A budding horror writer prone to panic attacks enters his favorite author's writing contest, which requires him and four other teen finalists to spend a night telling stories in the titular haunted house. Each story is revealing of the person relating it, while the stories-within-a-story plot structure is mined for maximum tension and, as finalists start disappearing, plenty of chills.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross