Kirkus Review "The Dark and Other Scary Stories"
Adolescence can feel scary. There are so many new experiences, changes happening to your body, and a whole world out there full of things you don't fully understand yet. That's one of the reasons why I love narrating YA and Middle Grade Horror. It repackages dread and fear in an age appropriate way that makes it feel a little silly and fun while remaining very relatable. Loosing a tooth is scary and gross! And adults sometimes just don't get it even though they were kids once, too.
Rather than minimizing and brushing aside fear, these books lean into it and get us talking. Just like it does for adults, horror can provide an emotional catharsis and be a creative way to connect with others about deeper truths. Make it a little fun and silly and suddenly the things that frighten us might not be so terrible to explore.
I've ben lucky to work with Scholastic on a number of such titles including "I Am Made of Death" by Kelly Andrew, a couple of books in the Goosebumps franchise by R.L. Stine, "Little Nightmares, The Lonely Ones" by E.C. Meyers, and most recently "The Dark And Other Scary Stories" by Max Brallier.
This production was so much fun to be part of, published by Scholastic and produced by John Marshall media, it's a fully immersive multi-narrator cast children's audiobook with sound effects and music. Under Zane Birdwell's direction, with stories performed by Jess Moran, Annalee Scott, Christian Leatherman, Andre Santana, and Amber Dekkers.
Available everywhere audiobooks are sold including the library!
Happy spooky season. :)
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