Teen reading gets scary in time for Halloween

This is the season for thrills and chills, and if a good scare is

your idea of a good time, then this year’s Teen Read Week is for you!

“It’s Alive @ Your Library” has all the appeal of a 1950s monster

movie -- frightening and fun at the same time. Teen Read Week takes

place Oct. 17 to 23, and it’s all about reading for pleasure. If

books assigned for school are the fruits and veggies in your reading

diet, then Teen Read Week should be your dose of Krispy Kremes.

Looking for a good and thrilling read? Delve into the history of

the genre with the classic monster books, like “Frankenstein” by Mary

Shelley, or Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Edgar Allan Poe is another

master of scary storytelling -- start with his “Tales of Mystery and

Terror.” If your taste runs to science fiction, “The War of the

Worlds,” by H.G. Wells, can provide some old-school alien invasion

satisfaction.

If you’re interested in something more contemporary, new vampire

tales for young adults abound. Darren Shan writes a series about a

boy (also named Darren Shan), who encounters a vampire at a freak

show and becomes a half-vampire himself. The first book in the series

is “Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare.” Another author with

multiple vampire stories is Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, author of “In the

Forests of the Night.” Vivian Vande Velde’s “Companions of the Night”

mixes horror with a touch of romance. “Thirsty,” by M.T. Anderson,

details a young man’s struggle to cope with ordinary adolescence

while he realizes his vampiric destiny at the same time.

For a different type of scare, try murder mysteries or thrillers.

In “The Body of Christopher Creed,” by Carol Plum-Ucci, a teenager

deals with questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of an

unpopular classmate. Lois Duncan is another writer of suspenseful

books, including “Killing Mr. Griffin” and “I Know What You Did Last

Summer.”

And don’t forget tales of true crime and gore: “Phineas Gage: A

Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science,” by John Fleischman,

will provide plenty of nausea-inducing thrills. In “Portrait of a

Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed,” Patricia Cornwell compiles

evidence to finally identify the famous and mysterious serial killer.

If your busy schedule doesn’t allow you to consume a whole novel,

pick up a book of short stories or essays and dip in as you have

time. Try “The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100

of the World’s Most Baffling Crimes,” by Colin Evans, or any from the

series of books, “The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror.”

Of course, since this week is all about fun, read whatever is most

interesting to you. If horror doesn’t thrill you, stop by the library

and see what’s new. We get new titles in all the time and we’re sure

to have something you’ll love. Stop by the Teen Center and vote for

next year’s theme. Your vote earns you an entry into our prize

drawing -- you won’t want to miss it!

Teen Center hours are Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m.,

Friday from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. and Sunday from

noon to 5 p.m.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Genesis Hansen. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeach library.org. For more information on the

Central Library or any of the branch locations, please contact the

Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.