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The Fright Stuff

Lean Into Some Summer Scares!

Hey Spookies!

Are you familiar with the Summer Scares program?

This volunteer partnership among the Horror Writers Association, United for Libraries, Library Journal, and Book Riot — us! — is aimed at bringing more attention to great horror books. Though the focus is for libraries, the resources made for the program are perfect for anyone who loves scary reads.

Each year, beginning last, a volunteer team selects three books from the backlist that represent a wide range of types of horror for three categories: adult, young adult, and middle grade. The team them works to build an array of tools to make talking about these books and learning about horror more broadly easy.

In addition to those titles, the team has created read alikes, expanding the opportunities to go deeper into horror.

Here are this year’s selected titles in each category:

Adult

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson (Skyhorse, 2017)

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (Tor.Com, 2016)

She Said Destroy: Stories by Nadia Bulkin (Word Horde, 2017)

 

 

Young Adult

The Agony House by Cherie Priest, Illustrated by Tara O’Connor (Scholastic 2018)

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova (Sourcebooks Fire, 2017)

Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics (Harlequin Teen, 2015)

 

 

Middle Grade

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh (HaperCollins, 2017)

Case Files 13: Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage (HarperCollins, 2012)

Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith (Clarion Books, 2015)

So what kinds of resources are available? Many! Here’s a peek at what the team has pulled together for you to get to know these books, these authors, and, of course, even more excellent scary reads.

  • The Summer Scares YouTube channel features videos from the selected authors, committee members, and the Summer Scares spokesperson/author of honor this year, Stephen Graham Jones.
  • Stephen also interviewed several of the selected authors, including Ellen Oh, Ronald Smith, and Andy Davidson.
  • The Ladies of the Fright Podcast are official partners in the venture and offer up a dedicated episode to each category of books. Here’s this year’s episode featuring the adult authors of the Summer Scares selections.
  • Thanks to Konrad Stump and his team at the Springfield-Green County Public Library in Missouri, there’s an extensive programming guide for these books, perfect for librarians or teachers looking to incorporate these books — and horror more broadly — into their book discussions or reader advisory work. The full-color resource is available to use freely.
  • As a member of this committee and overseeing the YA selections, I took a deep dive on Book Riot into the YA picks, as well as a number of great YA horror books that would make for great next books to pick up.
  • All of the resources and information about 2019 Summer Scares picks are available, too, over on Becky Spratford’s blog.
  • And, of course, you can follow Summer Scares updates as they happen, including new interviews and podcast episodes, over on Twitter.
If you’ve been wanting to expand your horror reading or help others find their own interest in it, these resources will help you with either of those — and more!

Scary-Good Ebook Deals

Pick up a new-to-you read or revisit a favorite with these great horror ebook deals. These are current as of Friday, July 17.

First up: grab The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle for $4!

Alden Bell’s The Reapers Are The Angels is $2.

Read some classic short stories with Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson. $2.

The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas — about a girl who befriends the evil exorcised from her — is $3.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge is a must-read and absolutely so at $3.

Thanks for hanging out, and we’ll see you again soon!

— Kelly Jensen, @heykellyjensen on Instagram and editor of Body Talk, (Don’t) Call Me Crazy, and Here We Are.