Even More Short & Shivery Thirty Spine-Tingling Tales

by San Souci, Robert D.; Rogers, Jacqueline

• ISBN13: 9780440418771
• ISBN10: 0440418771
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-12
• Publisher: Yearling

Summary

Thirty spine-chilling stories from around the world provide plenty of shivers in this spooky collection. Curl up with old friends like Washington Irving's "Guests from Gibbet Island" and Charles Dickens's "Chips." Or make the acquaintance of "The Skull That Spoke" and "The Monster of Baylock"but beware of spectral visitors like "The Blood-Drawing Ghost." This exciting mixture of classic and contemporary tales from Mexico, China, Poland, Nigeria, and other lands near and far is perfect for hair-raising reading!

Author Biography

Robert D. San Souci is the author of <i>Short & Shivery and More Short & Shivery</i>, which <i>School Library Journal</i> called “an absolute delight.”

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xi
Appointment in Samarra (Persia)	p. 1
Deer Woman (United States--Ponca tribe)	p. 5
The Maggot (British Isles--England)	p. 9
Witch Woman (United States--African American traditional)	p. 15
The Berbalangs (Philippines)	p. 20
The Dancing Dead of Shark Island (British Isles--Ireland)	p. 24
"That I See, but This I Sew" (British Isles--Scotland)	p. 29
La Guiablesse (West Indies--Martinique)	p. 33
The Blood-Drawing Ghost (British Isles--Ireland)	p. 38
Guests from Gibbet Island (United States--from Washington Irving)	p. 44
The Haunted House (China)	p. 49
"Never Far from You" (British Isles--England)	p. 52
The Rose Elf (Denmark--from Hans Christian Andersen)	p. 57
The Wind Rider (Poland)	p. 62
The Skull That Spoke (Nigeria)	p. 67
The Monster of Baylock (British Isles--Ireland)	p. 70
The New Mother (British Isles--England)	p. 76
Rokuro-Kubi (Japan)	p. 83
Dicey and Orpus (United States--African American traditional)	p. 89
Chips (British Isles--from Charles Dickens)	p. 94
The Skeleton's Revenge (Mexico)	p. 100
Lullaby (British Isles--England)	p. 105
Death and the Two Friends (United States--South Carolina)	p. 110
Forest Ghosts (France)	p. 113
A Carolina Banshee (United States--North Carolina)	p. 120
The Deadly Violin (Germany--Jewish traditional)	p. 125
A Night of Terrors (United States--urban folklore)	p. 128
The Sending (Iceland)	p. 136
The Hand of Fate (British Isles--Wales)	p. 140
Old Raw Head (United States--the South)	p. 144
Notes on Sources	p. 149
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The graveyard was three miles away, but Kate was a brawny girl with a fast stride, so she came to the place sooner rather than later.  The moon lit the marble tomb at the center; she found the blackthorn with no problem.

But she had barely put her hand on it when a soft voice called from the vault, "Come and open the tomb for me."

Kate began to tremble and was very much afraid.  But even as she tried to resist, a force compelled her to unwind the chain that sealed the double doors of the tomb.

Descending a short flight of steps, she found a casket resting upon a marble table.

"Take the lid off," commanded the voice from the casket.

Unable to help herself, she did as she was told.  Inside lay the body of a man who had died months before.  His eyes were open, but unmoving--yet somehow Kate felt them watching her.  His dead lips were drawn slightly apart, and the voice came from between them, though the mouth moved not at all.

"Lift me out of here," the corpse commanded, "and take me on your back."


From the Hardcover edition.

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Excerpted from Even More Short and Shivery: Thirty Spine-Tingling Stories by Robert D. San Souci
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.