Nightmare Hour: Time for Terror

"These are my scariest stories ever," says R.L. Stine, "because I wrote them at the Nightmare Hour." You know when that is...it's when the lights fade, the real world slips into shadow, and the cold, moonlit world of evil dreams takes over you mind.

What horror awaits a boy who has to spend Halloween in the hospital? How do you outwit a ghost who wants you skin? Why is Nightmare Inn the most frightening place to visit?

R.L. Stine, the #1 bestselling children's author of all time, spins a web of horror with his ten most terrifying tales ever. And for the first time, he shares the secrets behind his scary stories. Where did the idea for each tale come from? You may not want to know...

00 Children's Choices (IRA/CBC)

A child loses his head inside a pumpkin. A skin-crawling spider spell is cast on a sorcerer's apprentice. A visit to the hospital for a tonsillectomy takes a ghoulish turn. These things don't happen--do they? In Nightmare Hour they do. The fiendishly prolific R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series, offers 10 scary tales to keep you up late, quivering beneath the covers. Each heart-pounding, fast-paced story features lively writing and young characters who come into contact with the tricks and illusions on life's darker side. Curious readers will love the author's introduction to each story, where he explains how the idea for it came to him. From "Alien Candy" to "Make Me a Witch," the stories also feature a spooky illustration by artists from Edward Koren to Bleu Turrell. While not gory, some of the book's situations, such as the hospital visit gone wrong, are not for the faint-hearted reader. For the rest, these are tales you'll be too scared to put down. (Ages 10 and older) --Maria Dolan