04/07/2023
Welcome to Feral by Mark Fearing
Welcome to Feral! It’s a small town that looks
normal, but with a deeper look, has secrets, mysterious disappearances, and
strange happenings. Your guide on these five short scary stories is Freya, a town
resident and sleuth. Freya presents each scary legend with her thoughts on what
happened.
The story, A Long Way Down, is about a long twisty slide in
a park that closes at sundown and is not for anyone over the age of 11. Two
tween boys get up the courage to go down the slide despite the eerie screams
coming from within, only to never come out the bottom. Or the story, Detention,
about a girl who failed to turn in her book report, only to be cast into the
school basement with a clock that ticks, but the time never changes.
Each of these scary legends are tempered by the graphic
illustrations, they take the edge off – or some of the fright. The kids or
tweens look normal and wide-eyed, while the adults may look normal but turn
into monsters with tentacles or vampires. The very gruesome stuff is left to your
imagination.
Mark Fearing, author, and illustrator is known for titles
such as Giant Pants, The Great Thanksgiving Escape, Castle Gesundheit, and more.
He’s also illustrated the series Middle School Bites and many books with
Candace Fleming and others.
This series is great for fans of Goosebumps, or those
looking to try out the horror genre. They will not be disappointed, a little
scared maybe but not disappointed.
"A perfect choice for kids who love anything by R. L.
Stine, this will thrill kids who like to get a little scared."—Booklist.
"An amusing, just-scary-enough graphic novel for young
genre fans and perhaps even those hesitant to try spookier fare."—School
Library Journal
Reviewed by Nancy
Stetzinger, Penworthy’s Product Manager