Thank you to NetGalley for granting this ARC, super good and fast read. The story was intruiging and the characters had an interesting back story.

Things that go bump in the night or stories meant to tell around the campfire are always classics. Young readers can really take pleasure in short stories and keep their attention. Hide and Don't Seek tries to capture the delicious sweet spot of telling a scary story in different ways. While some stories hit the bull's eye many fall short. Some stories seem unfinished and confusing.

Overall, I would recommend this as a good introductory into horror or creepy stories for middle grade readers. It is a good collection for younger readers to dip their toes in the genre. The stories were varied and interesting, and I think it will catch the attention of young readers that also enjoy Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

I really enjoyed this book and even though it was middle grade it creeped me out a little bit. I think kids of all ages will enjoy this book.

This is a fun little horror collection with an eye towards tween audiences. It didn't really click for me but I can certainly think of some young teens that will be very excited to find a new set of spooky (but not too spooky) stories to read.

This was a quick, spooky read. I liked that there was a variety of formats for each story - from text messages and poems to short stories and a play. The audiobook is very good as well. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for letting me read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of “scary” stories was pretty hit or miss. Some of the stories were fine, but a lot were pretty meh. This collection was labeled middle grade, but I think it would do better with upper elementary readers. The stories are way too tame for middle school readers.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This style of book has enduring appeal. The short story format is an excellent one to introduce horror to young readers. They get the scare without having to invest days or weeks into reading the build up of character and complex rules to explain fear. This collection is more technology focused than the standard bearer of horror collections: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Still, we can see the relationship between them as well as the influence of "Black Mirror". Personally I don't find these stories especially scary but I can see where they might induce dread in a young reader.

Hide and Don't Seek is a middle grade anthology of creepy/scary/unsettling stories. Being a grown adult....I was very unsettled. I did not read this at night and I am glad I didn't! Theses stories gave me chills, and the illustrations that accompanied each story definitely did not help!

If you have a younger audience that likes to be a little scared while reading, or wants to try out something scary (but not too scary), this is it!

Thank you to Anica Mrose Rissi, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A new collection of scary stories for a new generation, Hide Don't Seek is a volume of middle grade spooky stories that I know my library kids - all voracious readers of Alvin Schwartz and R.L. Stine - are going to devour this. There's a story about a suspicious summer camp where activities mostly include building a wall, and when kids go to the infirmary, they don't come back... just be sure to pack your Cheez-Whiz; a story about a school play gone horribly awry, and a realistic doll that's a little too lifelike. Each story is short and speaks to situations kids are familiar with: summer camp, school talent shows, playing hide and seek. This is a book that's going to get passed around and read out loud, flashlights under the chin (cell phones?). Hide Don't Seek earns its place next to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark on your shelves. 

Hide Don't Seek has a starred review from School Library Journal.

-The details and story telling are pure gold.
-I absolutely love how each story is different - not only just the storyline but the format in which it is told. I must see the physical copy of this book when it comes out!
-A middle-grade horror must-read. I would not call myself a prolific horror reader so some of these stories even had me a little spooked!

This was so much fun and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys MG horror short stories! I see collections frequently compared to the ever-coveted status of Scary Stories, but they rarely live up to the parallel for me; however, Hide and Don't Seek absolutely gave me ALL the Scary Stories vibes, only for a newer, younger audience! I enjoyed every single story and poem in this collection and thought the illustrations were really fun (and occasionally quite creepy). If you think this sounds like something you or a reader in your life would be interested in, I wholeheartedly recommend grabbing a copy!

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Hide and Don't Seek by Anica Mrose Rissi was so much fun! It reminded me of reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark or Goosebumps. This is a collection of 20 short stories and poems that can be read in 10 minutes or less. Stories included ghost stories, creepy dolls, wishes gone wrong, bad kitties, etc. My favorite stories (all of which I would rate 5 stars) include; Hide and Don’t Seek, Beatrice, No Fear, and Two Wishes. There were a couple of stories that didn’t resonate with me, but I also know I’m not the target audience. Overall, this was a fun collection and I think it will a big hit for the intended audience of upper elementary to middle grade students. If your younger reader enjoys creepy/ scary stories, then this book should be a hit. This book is also perfect for reluctant readers. The bite size stories won’t seem overwhelming and will hopefully help foster a love of enjoyable reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange fore an honest review. As a huge fan of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a child, I was really excited to see this book and then even more excited to get approved to read it. Most of the stories were just the right amount of acre for middle grade readers. There were a couple that were a little scary and would definitely take caution if you have younger readers who get spooked easily. My favorite story by far was The Best Teacher at Pleasant Hill Oak Elementary, because who doesn't love a good creepy teacher story! I love the addition of the poetry, since I think more mainstream books should include verse. Overall this was a 4 out of 5 and will make a good spooky read for ages 8 and and up.

This collection of stories was pretty hit or miss. Some of the stories were fine, but a lot were pretty meh.

This collection was labeled middle grade, but I think it would do better with upper elementary readers. The stories are a little too tame for middle schoolers.

Hide and Don't Seek is everything it promises to be. It is spooky, it is creepy, it is unforgettable. Every single scary story and poem in this collection delivers a major punch. The comparisons to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will be inevitable, but I think this collection is stronger. It offers such a wide variety of scares, from vampires to zombies, from skeletons in a locked room to a group disappearance, from ghosts to monsters, and everything in between.

This book is perfectly written for the middle grades audience. It is scary enough that it will hold the attention of older kids who think they are aging out of the genre, with less sinister tales sprinkled throughout to make sure it isn't "too much" for the younger parts of the audience. Hide and Don't Seek will be wildly popular with today's preteens and young teens. I anticipate that it will be difficult to keep copies on the shelves long enough to recommend it!

This is the perfect set of spooky, grotesque, eerie and unsettling stories for middle grade students. I am not going to discuss the stories individually, but there’s a delightful mix of poetry and prose, illustrations that seem simple but are creepy, and fast paced tales. Reminds me of an updated “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”. Great read!

This is the first collection of short, spooky stories that I've enjoyed in many years! Usually the stories are cheesy, but these ones were not! I loved how the author varied the formats and the lengths of the stories, which kept me interested. I am excited to book talk this with my fifth graders in the fall!

While short story collections don't circulate well in my library, SCARY short story collections do. Hide and Don't Seek is an excellent addition to titles like Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Lubar's Lawn Weenies tales (which are downright chilling!), San Souci's Dare to Be Scared volumes, R.L. Stine's compilations like Fear and Beware, Scholastic's Midnight Library books, and the 2020 tribute to Schwartz, Don't Turn Out the Lights.

Yes, I'll be glad to wait while you go add those to your list of books to purchase.

The upside is that this book is so awesome that I even approve of the scary poems, and I am notoriously picky about anything in verse. The downside is that I find it very difficult to review short story collections. The format of this struck me as very similar to the Scary Stories books, down to the illustrations at the start of each tale, but these were much more chilling.

Chilling in what way? That's the tough thing to put my finger on. I'd say that these all address fears I didn't even know I had, and made my stomach drop on the last paragraph. If these were told around a campfire with a flashlight strategically placed under someone's chin, the last paragraphs in most of these entries would elicit lots of shrieking and burying of heads into pillows!

My favorite story is probably the one from the point of view of the family dog, trying to keep his child safe from the wiles of the cat. DON'T PUT THE DOG INSIDE THE GATE! KEEP HIM WITH YOU! Well, I saw that one coming, but it was still petrifying.

I knew this author from her sweet and charming Anna Banana series, but Hide and Don't Seek proves that she has some serious horror writing chops. Just be very careful if those chops are coming from a shovel that is aimed at YOU!

I absolutely love Middle Grade horror, and Hide and Don't Seek and Other Very Scary Stories is exactly the kind of spooky goodness I've been looking for!