The Puppet's Payback and Other Chilling Tales written by Mary Downing Hahn and reviewed by Debra Gantz

Summary: These 10 short stories have something for every horror reader. The suspense, the triggers (dolls, ghosts), and the main characters' choices will reach those who like scary stories. Some of them are rooted in irresistibly eerie situations: the undead, hide and seek in cemeteries after midnight, and witches. This book is for those who like to write scary stories to get some great ideas from Hahn's afterward and for those who really don't want to be terrified, but like suspenseful stories. Most of these characters live through these stories which made it better for more of my students. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: My students say they love scary books. They always ask for more. (I fear they are not truthful when they swear they don't get scared. I bet parents will tell me a different tale.) I use reviews to add horror to my libraries as the genre it is not my jam. I had not seen this one before and though I despise being scared, I thought a short story collection was more attainable for me. I am glad I did. This is a great addition to a school collection in elementary or middle schools. Mary Downing Hahn is a consistent writer of horror for kids. I like that in this collection of short stories, she also adds a bit about why she got into this line of work.