Chills and Thrills: Tales of Terror and Enchantment

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

This well-chosen collection of 24 scary tales by some of the world’s
best storytellers is a fine introduction to the genre for young readers.
Beginning with “The Devil’s Breeches” by Italo Calvino and ending
with Theodore Roosevelt’s rendition of “The Wendigo,” the
anthology includes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s mythological adventure,
“The Gorgon’s Head,” Mary Shelley’s horror story about
Frankenstein, and Robert William Service’s mesmerizing poem, “The
Ballad of Blasphemous Bill,” as well as variations on some
spine-tingling classics, such as The Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and
Gretel,” told from the witch’s point of view, and the weird spells
and charms of Shakespeare’s “MacBeth.”

The book’s haunting cover design sets the tone for an evening of
riveting reading. Eye-catching illustrations by Bill Slavin and Vesna
Krstanovich add to the mood of each story. Chills and Thrills is
guaranteed to captivate even well-seasoned readers of ghoulish tales.
Highly recommended.