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A review by xterminal
All Hallows' Eve by Vivian Vande Velde
3.0
Vivian Vande Velde, All Hallows' Eve (Harcourt, 2004)
Thirteen pretty standard horror stories for Halloween. (Somehow, I entirely overlooked the fact that it was October when I put both this and The Dollhouse Murders on hold. Now I know why it took so long to get them...) Collections like this have been floating around kidlit for generations, and if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Or most of 'em, anyway. (I have a soft spot for a number of Robert Arthur's [b:Alfred Hitchcock|2014794|The Thirty-nine Steps.|John Buchan|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JYVWNH8DL._SL75_.jpg|2422487] collections, in which the stories were, compared to, say, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, shockingly adult.) Still, if you're looking for stories to tell around the campfire that you can embroider with your own details, these make as good a starting point as any. I was particularly fond of the haunted barn story, whose name now escapes me, because I'm an old fogey with a mind like a sieve. And, of course, if you're a collector of horror stories, this is an absolute must for your collection. The rest of you, I'd recommend checking it out at your local library before shelling out the dough to make sure the stories are original enough to tickle your fancy. ***
Thirteen pretty standard horror stories for Halloween. (Somehow, I entirely overlooked the fact that it was October when I put both this and The Dollhouse Murders on hold. Now I know why it took so long to get them...) Collections like this have been floating around kidlit for generations, and if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Or most of 'em, anyway. (I have a soft spot for a number of Robert Arthur's [b:Alfred Hitchcock|2014794|The Thirty-nine Steps.|John Buchan|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JYVWNH8DL._SL75_.jpg|2422487] collections, in which the stories were, compared to, say, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, shockingly adult.) Still, if you're looking for stories to tell around the campfire that you can embroider with your own details, these make as good a starting point as any. I was particularly fond of the haunted barn story, whose name now escapes me, because I'm an old fogey with a mind like a sieve. And, of course, if you're a collector of horror stories, this is an absolute must for your collection. The rest of you, I'd recommend checking it out at your local library before shelling out the dough to make sure the stories are original enough to tickle your fancy. ***