Stinetinglers All new stories by the master of scary tales

In these 10 darkly humorous short stories, Stine (the Goosebumps series) delivers bite-size frights. "Welcome to the In-Between," a cautionary tale about middle schooler Gabe, who's always late, opens the collection on a terrifyingly realistic note. After finding, and subsequently breaking, a smartwatch, Gabe becomes stuck in time, living life as if it's moving forward, but the clocks never tick past 6:10 p.m. In "Our Little Monsters," teenage Becka's new gig babysitting preteen terrors results in punny, madcap shenanigans. Creepy-crawly "Bugs" follows Alvie's attempts to work through his fear of insects, with a disastrous outcome. Though the stories are seemingly unconnected, each is preceded by a note from Stine detailing its inspiration, including a childhood anecdote about sibling wrestling matches as well as a pensive observation regarding a snake shedding its skin. Stine's collection, full of disaffected or downright miserable narrators, and bullies who take the form of friends, parents, and siblings, is a harrowing look at myriad current real-life horrors plaguing tweens, and foregrounds the idea that, more often than not, one must be brave enough to save oneself. Most characters are coded as white. Ages 8--12. (Aug.)

This collection of 10 scary short stories from the bestselling Goosebumps author promises--and delivers--chills, twists, and surprises. Each entry opens with a brief introduction addressed to readers from Stine describing his inspiration for the story. The book includes a range of subgenres, including cosmic horror, body horror, paranormal, and more. One boy finds himself stuck in time, unsure if he will ever get beyond 6:10. A young athlete's body betrays him as his skin begins to stretch and slip off. And a practical joker realizes he may have gone too far when he explores cries for help coming from a spooky house. Each story ends with a classic Stine twist and campy humor. This combination is sure to appeal to returning fans and surprise those new to his writing. The stories, whose settings include small-town Indiana, where a transplant from Brooklyn settles down, and a seaside town where kids hang out at the beach, include clues to a contemporary setting (smartwatches, TikTok) and feature timeless preteen fears involving children who act like--and may be--literal monsters; feeling uncomfortable in bodies that are rapidly growing strange and unfamiliar; uncertainty about identity; concerns about being forgotten; fears of being perceived as strange or mundane; and parents who don't understand you. Black-and-white spot art adds to the spooky atmosphere. The racially indeterminate characters are minimally described. Quick doses of horror that send a tingle up your spine. (Horror. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.