Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

 A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

Stefan Bachmann
Leigh Bardugo
Kendare Blake
A. G. Howard
Jay Kristoff
Marie Lu
Jonathan Maberry
Danielle Paige
Carrie Ryan
Megan Shepherd
Nova Ren Suma
McCormick Templeman
April Genevieve Tucholke
Cat Winters  

A truly horrifying collection of YA horror stories. I read this collection with the hope of finding some new horror short stories to use as mentor texts in my classroom. Unfortunately, these stories are far too mature and violent to use in a whole-class setting. I do think mature middle school students would be able to handle the collection. By far, my favorite short story was "Sleepless" by Jay Kristoff. It is about a male and female who meet online and develop a romantic relationship. When the girl decides to run away, she asks her online love to pick her up and run away with her. The timing is not good for him, so he sends his "father" to come pick her up for him. So many twists and turns in this story.....kept me guessing the whole time. What makes this horror collection truly unique is that all the authors used Classic movies and literature to inspire their own original tales. For instance, "Sleepless" was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". A definite must read for the horror-enthusiast.