Night Terrors

"Night Terrors" is a collection of twelve short horror stories for teens--well, five short stories told by Digger (the storyteller) and seven chapters that follow his drifter existence down the Atlantic coast. The first chapter, "Digger's Promise," is more of an introduction on how he got into the grave digger profession and received his first promotion before he ever learned to drive. This is a rather amusing tale, in a sick sort of way. Following this, an alternating pattern is set between Digger's life chapters and the stories he's heard over the years, as explained below:"Just Say Yes" -- Two girls plan on stealing a biology midterm exam as one girl's way of getting the attention of a boy she likes. However, they stumble across a horrible secret of their teacher's in the process. Not too bad, but it's not the best in the bunch. The ending was just the tip of the iceberg."Good Night, Jon; Sleep Tight, Jon" -- A couple of guys plan on getting their new "friend" in trouble by involving him in a grave robbing prank, but it backfires on one of them. One of my favorite stories in here; good twist at the end. I especially liked the last sentence."Like Father, Like Son" -- A boy breaks into his father's basement office to perform a ceremony that will awaken the Egyptian mummy his archaeologist father keeps there--except he reawakens something else. Fans of Egyptian mythology should like this one since it scratches the surface of ancient rites, but it isn't tedious in a textbook sort of way."The Cat's-Eye" -- While cat-sitting for an old lady, two girls snoop around her house and find a closet full of old clothes--only the closet holds something far more fateful for one of the girls. This one has a "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" feel to it."Something Always Happens" -- Three guys are stranded in the middle of nowhere when their car dies. One of them goes for help, but he finds more than he wanted in the marshes, as do his friends. Even though the dialogue of the old woman was a little boring, if you read between the lines, you can probably guess the ending ahead of time.The second to last chapter, "Footprints in the Snow," returns to Digger's point of view, where he deals with the death of a close friend (his boss), who was killed by one of the wolves that lives nearby. Digger, once again, moves and finds himself full circle, back in his hometown. He also notices that the pack of wolves has followed him. In this chapter, he--as well as the reader--learns of his true identity, which is no big surprise really. If you take a close look at the picture on the front cover, you can probably figure it out beforehand.All of the stories deal with either peer pressure, conspiracies, or pranks, which most young readers can relate to. The various locales--like empty school halls, tomblike basements, foggy cemeteries, or endless closets--create great atmosphere, as do the monsters that are involved: vampires, ghosts, mummies, witches, cannibals, and werewol