Wicked Cruel

Gr 5–9—This collection is comprised of three short and spooky urban legends that take place in a small New England town. In "The Horses of Brickyard Pond," Danny learns that the old tales about a team of ghost horses are true and comes to terms with his less-than-normal family. In "Rites of Passage," seventh-grader Owen has a ghostly encounter on a centuries-old property where five children mysteriously died in the 1800s. The title story is a modern-day legend about the mysterious fate of a bullied boy and how his former classmates are affected. Wallace has written much more than just a set of horror stories. His male protagonists deal with growing up in a natural, believable way (parents, siblings, dating, and bullying issues are at the heart of the tales), but they must also handle being spooked by the seemingly supernatural things going on around them. Kids looking for a scary book will certainly enjoy the suspenseful elements, but they will also be treated to a trio of well-written, thoughtful stories.—Jenny Berggren, formerly at New York Public Library