Review by Booklist Review
A sequel to Ask the Bones (1999), this tour of the world's shadowy corners is full of dark wizards, unkind witches, and other untrustworthy creatures. No matter if the stories originate from Ireland, Iceland, China, or Turkey, they all offer up similar lessons: don't try to outsmart magical beings, for example. The 22 tales, as retold by Olson and Schwartz, give a vivid glimpse into unfamiliar, unnerving territory, but they are short, so they won't draw young readers too deeply into nightmarish worlds. The atmospheric illustrations, while not intricately detailed, are somewhat startling in their imagery: a skull featuring a single, staring eyeball or a close-up of an aggressive rat's snarling head. Olson and Schwartz sometimes end their stories with a direct question that adds more shivers; after one tale about a skull that is searching for a new family to haunt, the text asks, How about yours? In other selections, plot twists, transformations, and other mysteries are left to be pondered over, probably at bedtime. Full source notes for the stories are provided in an appendix.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-According to the source notes, many of these 22 selections are drawn from 19th-century collections. The assortment ranges from stories that utilize traditional folktale elements such as granted wishes, witches, and wizards to others featuring ghosts and corpses. "The Headless Horseman" (Ireland), "The Shaggy Gray Arm" (Iceland), "The Werewolf in the Forest" (Eastern Europe), and "The Ghost of the Rainbow Maiden" (Hawaii) are among the creepy entries. Gist's dark, smudgy illustrations may prove more frightening than the tales themselves. Give the book to fans of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" (HarperCollins).-Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bare Bones might have been an equally descriptive title for this collection of 22 tales. Drawn from diverse sources, many published in the 19th century, most of these stories will be unfamiliar to young readers. Of course, there are familiar motifs: malevolent ghosts, dire predictions and magic gone awry. Whether they feature shape-shifters, ghoulish monsters or just greedy and murderous humans, however, these brief tales are obviously intended to spook readers and listeners. Some succeed admirably. In others, the brevity and lack of embellishment that is the hallmark of a traditional tale weakens the impact, as gruesome events are described in a brisk, matter-of-fact fashion that drains them of effect. Ambiguity is both a strength and weakness. In some cases, not knowing exactly what will happen next produces a delighted shiver of fear; in others, having the details of plot and character remain unclear is merely frustrating. Despite these minor flaws, the collection seems destined to find an enthusiastic audience of listeners and tellers as did Olson and Schwartz's earlier collaboration, Ask the Bones (1999). (Folklore. 10 & up) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
