Vande Velde's: All Hallows' Eve: 13 Stories

If not exactly scary, these 13 short offerings by award winning young adult writer Vivian Vande Velde are at least fun and always well written as one would expect from this writer. Some blood, a bit of violence, a few surprises are all there in this Halloween bowl of treats along with some predictable but enjoyable endings. Definitely written with the young teen set in mind.

Carman's: Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machine

DO NOT READ THESE BOOKS without making sure to watch the accompanying videos. A brilliant multi-media concept. Ryan McCray is a teen keeping a journal of his and his friend Sarah Fincher's investigation into mysteries surrounding an old mining dredge in their hometown. At various points in the story, the reader is directed to Sarah's website to view video footage of Sarah's part in the investigation as the story progresses. The investigation starts to uncover things Ryan may not want to know about his own family, perhaps his whole town. The kids don't know who they can trust. Carman stops the action mid story so the first book by itself may leave readers unsatisfied. The second book brings the mystery to a conclusion with one thing left for Sarah to investigate and to leave Ryan nervous about. Video footage may be too intense for younger readers to watch alone.