The following post was done in collaboration with WindHover67.
Definition of the genre: the goal of this genre is to produce fear: through psychology, gory details, violence, supernatural or paranormal events / elements, monstrous or evil characterization, frightening creatures, and even intense, violent situations. Horror is intended to invoke an intense, visceral response in readers, and reproduce feelings of disgust, fright, or terror. The mood is often dark, the atmosphere bleak, and character/s are portrayed as odd, abnormal, evil, or dangerous.
Materials
Stine, R. L. (1989). Fear street: the new girl. New York, NY: Archway Paperbacks.
Shadyside is a normal town, with normal people. Everything about it is normal, except for one street, Fear Street, with all of the creepy stories you hear about it, you should never go down there, or risk coming back changed or not coming back at all.
Wasserman, R. (2013). The waking dark. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Oleander, Kansas, was a normal, sleepy town with normal people but something changes on what is later known as the Killing Day. Twelve murders by five people, all in the span of a few hours, ending with the murderers taking their own lives, all except one. Five survivors of these seemingly random murders, find that a darkness has seeped into their town, and it is up to them to fight it.
Kraus, D. (2015). The death and life of Zebulon Finch, vo.1: at the edge of empire. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster BFYR.
Seventeen-year-old gangster, Zebulon Finch, was murdered on May 7, 1896, and within mere moments, he is living again with no explanation as to how. Put on display as an attraction for a medical show, the subject of experiments by scientist, fighting in World War I, escaping the struggles of the Great Depression, finding love in Hollywood, Zebulon Finch’s unexpected second life is nothing what he expected it to be.
Aguirre-Sacasa, R., Perkins, M., & King, S. (2010). The stand: captain trips. New York, NY: Marvel. GN.
On a secret military base, in the desert of California, something goes terribly wrong. This event sets the stage for a battle between good and evil, with Charlie Campion, his wife and daughter, at the center of it. The Campion family flees into the night, not knowing that they are carrying something dangerous and deadly. Something that will change the course of human history.
Isayama, H. (2012). Attack on Titan: volume 1. New York, NY: Kodansha Comics.
Seemingly safe inside a three-walled city, what is left of humanity lives in constant fear of the Titans, giant human-like creatures who consume human flesh. Eren goes about his usual day-to-day activities until a colossal Titan appears, breaking the outer wall. Suffering heavy losses, the survivors evacuate to the second wall. Eren and his friends decide to join the fight against the Titans. Read the manga, watch the anime, and then play the game on the PS4!
Sourceswww.Monsterlibrarian.com: although it has not been updated recently, it is an excellent resource for librarians and other educators. It contains an index of reviews, a reader’s advisory for librarians, a list of relevant resources, upcoming releases, collection development resources, etc. Information is thorough and well researched.
Fonseca, A. ,Pulliam, J. (2009) Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests 3rd edition. Libraries Unlimited.
This is the 3rd edition of this award winning readers’ advisory. It describes and organizes hundreds of horror titles according to reading preference. Covers 13 subgenres of horror, contains annotations, commentary, background information, and lists of pertinent resources accompanying titles. Also includes graphic novels, audio, e-books, and large print formats.
Spratford, B. (2012). The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, 2cd edition. ALA.
This guide lists examples in various categories of horror, provides additional print and electronic resources for horror titles, suggests collection development and marketing strategies for a horror collection. Also provides overview addressing the current state of horror fiction.
Spratford, B., Clausen, T. (2012 ). The Horror Readers’ Advisory: The Librarians Guide to Vampires, Killer Tomatoes, and Haunted Houses, 2nd edition. ALA edition.
Since the author is a reader’s advisory librarian, and is published by the ALA, this is an excellent resource for collection development. There are annotated lists for popular titles in popular subgenres, and a chapter on horror resources and marketing.
Longwood Public Library True North Teen Room October Book Display.
One of the greatest resources to learn about a genre is looking at book displays that libraries create and generally change every month. It is very common for the month of October for the display to feature horror books, or books meant to scare readers, as can be seen at the Longwood Public Library, in the teen room.
