The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings

By Alison Prince, Marc Alexander, Ramsey Campbell, et al.

Book Overview

This is a collection of 35 stories where the main feature is the ending. Sometimes it's an unpleasant or a nasty end, sometimes there is an unexpected twist, but usually the ending comes as a complete surprise to the people in the story. You'll meet sinister landladies, deadly coffins, poisonous hats, evil statuettes, murderous monks, and real lions. And you'll find answers to such questions as: what does it feel like to be a ghost? What is living at the bottom of the well? And what should you do if you meet the terrifying Gorgo? The stories are written by well-known writers such as Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, E. Nesbit, T.H. White, John Christopher, and many more. They will thrill, delight, amuse, frighten, and surprise you. But watch out for the end--it could be nasty

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192781588
• ISBN13: 9780192781581
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Excellent collection of stories!

I bought this book on a whim while searching for something new to read. This is a great collection for somebody who's sick of the cheesy and predictable "scary stories" that you will usually find in bookstores. With stories by authors such as Roald Dahl and Ray Bradbury, this is a great book for all ages.

a must-read

You will not want to put down this book. These stories can be suspenseful, scary, or just plain wierd, but they all have nasty endings. They include a pathway to another time (paths), an old town rumour come true (loony), flesh eating underground aliens (Hey, you down there), and more. These beautiful stories will keep you on the end of your seat and wanting more.

Beautiful bedtime reading!

The mix of stories in this collection was wonderful. A few old familiar favorites that I was glad to find and a lot of stories I had never read before. Each chilling in it's own way. I rationed them out, only one a night right before bed. I found "Sweet Shop" to be delightful, and had to turn the lamp on in the middle of the night to check under the bed after reading "Such a Sweet Little Girl". This book is definitely worth adding to your collection.

Very well chosen group of stories

I enjoyed almost every story in this book---a rarity for a book of short stories. They were all well written, and all had an ending that either you would not have seen coming, or if you did, you still found it a bit of a shock. I loved the story which featured teenagers from different eras in history meeting, and then seeing a young person that looked like he was from prehistoric times---until something tells them otherwise, and the truth is quite a shock! This would be a good collection to upgrade the quality a little of what kids are reading if they are into horror like Goosebumps---stories with some substance but just as gripping---in fact probably much more so.