Review: Eerie Tales from the School of Screams

By Graham Annable

New York: First Second, 2023. Comics. 360 pages.

You might think school is scary, but no way is your school as scary as Davis and Emily's. Their teacher, Ms. Nomed, lives for the creepy stuff and has asked all the kids in class to share the eeriest story they know. One by one, classmates come to the front of the classroom to share ghoulish tales -- creature features, sci-fi horrors, even a proper ghost story -- and Ms. Nomed is eager for more and more. When it is finally Davis' turn -- he tells a story so creepy it changes the reader's perspective on just about everything.

If you are looking for something creepy to read this spooky season, pick up this book. Each of the stories is properly frightening with endings that will leave the reader saying, "What?!" just like the kids in Davis and Emily's class do. This book is well-paced and well-written with jump scares around every page turn. The graphic novel format works well for this story, with sepia-toned, atmospheric cartoons which enhance the story and add some extra thrills. The final twist will leave any reader in shivers -- and longing for the next book.

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