Scaring and Daring: Terrifying Takes on 15 Classic Tales: A Horror Writers Association Anthology

by Horror Writers Association

Overview

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here! 

Get ready for a terrifying spin on some of literature’s most beloved tales—no story is safe! From Captain Hook’s run-in with dark magic to Sherlock Holmes narrowly escaping graveyard spirits to a happily never after for Cinderella, this horror anthology is anything but a bedtime story. In this terrifying new collection for young readers, the best-loved stories from the literary canon are revisited and reimagined with a deadly twist by some of the top authors working in middle grade today. 

Featuring tales from New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Maberry and Kelley Armstrong, Carlos Hernandez, Lisa Morton, Maurice Broaddus, and many others, this collection will haunt you long after you turn the last page. Read on—if you dare!

The complete list of writers: Teel James Glenn, Maxwell I. Gold, Lisa Morton, Tanvir Ahmed, Kelley Armstrong, Maurice Broaddus, Delilah S. Dawson, Joe R. Lansdale, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Carlos Hernandez, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sarwat Chadda, Ai Jiang, Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Holder, Nathan Carson, and edited by Eric J. Guignard.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063372498
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/12/2025
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is the oldest literary organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting horror and dark literature and the interests of those who write it.

Editorial Reviews

With supernatural creatures including dangerous fae, a werewolf, witches, and a ghost horse, there’s something here for any young reader inclined to the fantastical… Uncanny fun!” — Kirkus Reviews

“A win-win for any tween or teen bookshelf.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-05-03
A collection of horror-tinged short stories inspired by works of classic literature.

The Horror Writers Association’s latest collection provides a supernatural makeover to well-known works of fiction. Huck and Jim have an otherworldly encounter in Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Shadows in the Rock,” Nancy Holder imagines Pollyanna into the Beast’s enchanted castle in “Out on a Limb,” and Mary, Colin, and Dickon dig up more than they bargained for in Delilah S. Dawson’s “The Secret (Thing in the) Garden.” Some of the standout stories include “What We Found Beneath Mount Etna” by Lisa Morton, which is a riff on Jules Verne’sJourney to the Center of the Earth, “Wolf in the Mirror” by Sarwat Chadda, which reimagines Rudyard Kipling’sThe Jungle Book, “A Lucky Find” by Kristi Petersen Schoonover, inspired by Herman Melville’sMoby-Dick, and “Prince Badi az-Zaman and the Ogress Fattan” by Tanvir Ahmed, an homage toOne Thousand and One Nights. With supernatural creatures including dangerous fae, a werewolf, witches, and a ghost horse, there’s something here for any young reader inclined to the fantastical. Familiarity with the source material will likely enhance readers’ experiences but isn’t necessary to enjoy these gently spooky tales. The collection includes a variety of settings and a diverse cast of characters.

Uncanny fun! (editor’s note, credits)(Horror anthology. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews