A review by teacher2library
Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom by Josh Allen

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A satisfying collection of contemporary, creepy short stories, ranging from haunted microwaves to substitute teachers. The microwave story in particular got a visceral reaction from me - I was gagging by the end!

Ethnic diversity is implied through character names. It's hard to make connections when you have so many characters in such a short amount of time, but I found myself really rooting for some of the kids. I think this one will be a popular booktalk title!