This is a collection of 13 fun and freaky stories with a target audience of middle graders and yet you really don't have to be a kid to enjoy them. My favorites were Sweet As Pie where a trip to a farmer's market and a sweet treat turn into a nightmare for one unlucky girl, and The Way Of The Golem in which a lonely friendless boy creates some otherworldly companions. While the other stories were spine tingly fun those 2 were full on scary. If your kids have enjoyed Goosebumps or they watch Creeped Out I would highly recommend this book for them, and even for you.

Tales from the Fringes of Fear is a stellar middle grade horror anthology filled with spine-chilling short stories and illustrations that manage to be age-appropriate while still frightening readers of all ages. With squirm-inducing body horror, dystopian science fiction, clever monster tales, and tightly crafted ghost stories, this anthology is a terrific addition to any horror fan’s bookshelf.

The stories range widely in subject matter, with fresh takes on a variety of popular horror subgenres, but there’s a strong consistency of tone and quality. Author Jeff Szpirglas maintains a delicious sense of dread throughout and displays an affinity for ironic Tales from the Crypt-style endings. The illustrations are sparing, with just one full illustration per story, but they are effective: the black-and-white art gets under your skin and brilliantly enhances the terror of each story. Artist Steven P. Hughes achieves incredible light effects, creating stark contrast between the eerie glow of a television set or a computer screen and the inky shadows where unseen doom awaits the protagonists (and possibly the reader as well!). Hughes even works in a clever reference to John Carpenter’s The Thing, which older horror fans will appreciate.

I’m eager for more spooky stories from both Szpirglas and Hughes; luckily for me, this collection is billed as a companion volume to Tales from Beyond the Brain, which I plan to check out very soon. Tales from the Fringes of Fear will have readers of all ages looking for monsters under the bed, in the hallways at school, behind the walls, and even inside themselves. This frightening, darkly fun anthology is perfect kids’ horror.

Tales From the Fringes of Fear is a nice middle grade horror collection. I began my own love of horror in my youth. It may have started with Tales From the Darkside on tv, but I quickly moved to scary picture books and then to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, RL Stine, Lois Duncan, Christopher Pike, etc. In 4th grade, my wonderful teacher introduced us to Ray Bradbury and and I feel in love with Sci Fi Horror.
Tales From the Fringes of Fear has elements of RL Stine's middle grade offerings (not quite nightmare level but pretty damn scary when you're 7) combined with Sci Fi Horror. I could see the influences of Lovecraft and Bradbury. This would have been a book I read over and over when I was little. It would have been one of the books I held onto even in adulthood and would pull out when I was in the mood for a short little story. In fact, it probably will be.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

Campfire stories to scare your friends.

This book is filled with chilling stories to spook your friends or yourself. Not too scary but perfect to make you look under the bed or check out that sound that goes click in the night.

A Great Resource for...

I feel this book of short, creepy stories would be a great resource for middle school teachers to use in writing lessons. Each story is quick and powerful. They are great examples of writing: a slow build of tension, surprise twists, dialog, the use of sound, smell, etc. Lots of techniques used in the group of stories.

Most of these stories take place in or around school!! Common objects are made into monsters or are the basis of the tale - art class paint, a classroom clock, library book. Eek. Lots of fun.

Teachers will have opportunities to use ‘finish the story’ and ‘rewrite the ending.”

It is also a good book option for reluctant readers in middle school. Not a long, drawn out novel - each creepy story is to the point and scary!

Tales From the Fringes of Fear is a middle-grade read but don't let that stop grown-up you from picking this one up as well. While the stories are fantastically fearsome for the younger crowd, they are still engaging enough for the young-at-heart.

Within these pages is an abundance of hair raising anecdotes that are as distinct as if they'd be written by different hands. For an author to have created a compilation of stories that reads more like an anthology is impressive. No two tales read the same. With different themes, tones, and characters, each story will resonant with younger readers.

Varying from creepy to just plain weird, there's plenty here to appreciate. Erin Stays Sharp brings us a misplaced Costa Rican insect with spinning mandibles. Those with herpetophobia will ssshudder after reading The Hibernaculum. Semi-Detached brings us a perplexing ghostly account. Creatures aren't forgotten as aliens and werewolves feature in Broken Record and Bad Moon Rising. The Search Engine is a terrifying tale of being observed.

There are no lessons to be learned from these tales. It's all just good scary fun. Perfect for easing the young reader into the horror genre. While there is nothing remarkably gory, there are plenty of moments of squeamishness to be found. With a feel of a good campfire story, most end rather abruptly, letting the reader's imagination conclude the narrative for them.



This collection of short stories is, dare I say, charming. I don't normally read, or review for that matter, children's fiction but when I saw this was casually browsing Netgalley, I couldn't resist. While the target audience is middle grade, this was a joy to read.

This book of short stories is quite entertaining. Even though the intended audience is middle-grade readers, the stories are all interesting, intelligent, and pretty creepy. Unlike some other stories I've read for this age group, the purpose of these seems to be entertainment, rather than teaching lessons or morals. Also, there are scares aplenty, but no real gore. Some of the stories have an ick factor, but that will be appealing to many in the intended audience (looking at you big ball of snakes).
The stories were also open-ended. I enjoyed this, especially as I believe it leaves room for the reader to imagine their own endings. The author takes the reader all the way to the brink and leaves them there to wonder if the inevitable happens, or if the protagonist is able to worm their way out of the situation.
The types of tales ranged from sci-fi to horror. I think that all kids could find something to enjoy in this collection. The main characters are mostly middle-graders as well, and there are both boys and girls represented, so most will find someone with whom to identify. I think this is important for a reader, as it allows the question 'what would I do' in these situations.
I would definitely give this to a kid if they were interested in sci-fi or scary stories. It is a nice introduction to the genre of horror.
The illustrations were also pretty cool.
Thanks NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this before its publication date.

Tales from the Fringes of Fear is an interesting YA read. These short stories pierce the bubble of what scares young people today. Not gory, not graphic, but just the right amount fear to raise hairs, and send a little tingle down your spine.

From being lost to ghost stories, to your typical school drama Szpirglas spins these 13 short stories that twist and bend the imagination to find goes bump in the night.

This book reminded me of Night Gallery, Thriller, and the Outer Limits all rolled into one. I enjoyed this short read and I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

Also BIG thanks to NetGalley for providing this Good Read.

Great collection of short horror stories geared towards a younger crowd. I think it will definitely pull kids into reading horror.

A collection of short, spooky tales perfect for young readers. The stories have a lot of fun elements to them and aren't overly creepy. Most of the endings have a twist ending like episodes of the Twilight Zone. Some of these endings didn't stick the landing for me. Overall, a good book to introduce young readers to horror.

I loved this collection of children’s horror stories - even as an adult reader! These stories are short, witty and imaginative and feel very similar to Goosebumps. I found myself both laughing and cringing (in a good way) at this collection- its the perfect introduction to the spooky genre for any age reader! Thank you Jeff Szpirglas and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this collection of stories prior to its release date. You’ll definitely want to pick this one up as soon as it’s available on April 21st!!