Jacques's collection of original ghost stories features "the requisite apparitions, vampires and satanic incarnations, all spun with a distinctly English flair," said PW. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 5-8-- A collection of seven competently told tales set in modern-day Britain, ranging from a funny ``pact with the Devil'' story to more traditional vampire and ghostly fare. There is a satisfying amount of spookiness in each, even though the conclusions are telegraphed ahead of time. Each story is preceded by an original poem that is intended to pique interest in the tale that follows; as poetry, these selections are mediocre, but they do add a nice balance of humor to what is otherwise the same old stuff. The subject will be popular with a wide audience, although the lack of illustrations and the fairly dense blocks of text may intimidate some readers. Leach's Thing at the Foot of the Bed (Philomel, 1987) and Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Lippincott, 1981), to name only two, will not be eclipsed by this newcomer. --JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA