Literally Disturbed #1: Tales to Keep You Up at Night

by Ben H. Winters, Adam F. Watkins (Illustrator)

Overview

Come on up to the attic
Come up if you dare
Climb up the rickety ladder—
Come up and see what’s there…

Ben H. Winters brings the fear factor to this collection of thirty spooktastic rhyming stories about witches, zombies, vampires and more! Featuring eerie illustrations by Adam F. Watkins, this book is perfect for nights around the campfire and slumber party ghost stories. Be sure to keep a flashlight close!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698159310
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/15/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ben H. Winters is the author of of the New York Times bestselling Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, as well as the novels Android Karenina, Bedbugs, The Last Policeman, and two books for kids: Edgar Award nominee The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman and The Mystery of the Missing Everything. Ben also writes plays and leads writing workshops for children and adults. He lives with his wife and three kids in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2014
Gr 3–6—Subtle humor and forthright horror are laced throughout this collection of Poe-like poems. For those who enjoy being terrified while having their senses tickled, the verses are full of dark, creepy imagery enhanced with ghostly pen-and-ink drawings confirming the mind's wildest imaginings. For example, "There's only one problem—/it's a big one, I won't lie./If you're gonna be a ghost,/well, then first you've got to DIE." Winters's verses cover typical scary topics, such as black cats, witches, and monsters, but also focus on subjects like a child whose cold might be more serious than it seems and a strange monkey statue with "glowing green eyes." A suitable compilation for late October, though some students might prefer lighter fare.—Magdaline Henderson-Diman, formerly at Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard, ME

School Library Journal

Novelist Winters (The Mystery of the Missing Everything, 2011) applies his pen to create 30 rhyming, slightly shivery poems. The subtitle claims this poetry aims to "keep you up at night." And if it does not, surely most of Watkins' wonderfully creepy illustrations will, often hinting at dreadful outcomes not indicated in the text. In "How I Check for Monsters Before I Go to Sleep," the verse visits each place the narrator thinks a monster may be hiding. "I turn on the lights in the bathroom, / and once all the shadows are gone / I check that there's no growling fiends / in the tub or on the john." The tone is light, but the accompanying illustration reveals something more sinister--waiting in the closet is something with a sinuous tail and muscled forearm leading to a hand with ultralong, black fingernails. And so it is with the rest of the book, with uneasy experiences taking place in "The Attic," "The Deep End" and while "Hiking." The breezy, witty voice on display does not seem to entirely jibe with the illustrations, which alone could be the cause of a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. That said, the quality of the poetry is quite worthy of sharing around a campfire or at a slumber party; in the classroom, use it to demonstrate the wide range of forms creative verse can take. (Poetry. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews