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The Wrong Train
Light the candles and shut the door, The Wrong Train is a deliciously creepy and scarily good collection of scary stories, complete with terrifying illustrations from Dave Shelton. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, R.L. Stine, and Emily Carroll.Imagine you've just managed to catch your train and you realize it's the wrong one. You'd be annoyed of course, but not scared . . . Yet.Imagine you get off the wrong train at the next station hoping to catch one back the way you came. But the station is empty. Again, you'd be annoyed, but not scared . . . Yet.Imagine someone comes to the station, a stranger who starts to tell you stories to help pass the time. But these aren't any old stories--they're nightmares that come with a price to pay. And you want them to stop. Scared yet? You will be.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 234 reviews
November 5, 2017
This was a very pleasant surprise - I have not read anything by this author before, and I'm glad that I decided to give him a chance. I am a fan of short stories, and I'm happy to say that his collection The Wrong Train has proved to be a delightful reading experience for this time of the year.
The Wrong Train is a frame narrative, in which a young boy gets on the eponymous wrong train home; when he realizes this, he gets off at the first possible stop - a way station in the middle of nowhere. As he realizes that he has no choice but to wait on a lonely platform in the dark for another train, he sees a light in the distance; as it grows nearer, he sees that it's not a flashlight but a lantern, a real glass one. Its held by an older man, who walks towards him with his dog; in his other hand he's holding a bag full of dead leaves and rotting flowers. He approaches the boy, and offers him his company until the next train arrives; could he perhaps interest him in some of his stories to pass the time?
What I especially liked about The Wrong Train is that although it's addressed towards younger readers - in the afterword the author thanks Scholastic for publishing his book in America - the stories themselves are not watered down for children. Characters don't swear, sexual content is kept at the minimum and violence is mostly kept behind the scenes, but it is done tastefully and with respect for younger readers. The stories are delightfully creepy and disturbing without being violent, disgusting and vile, as much of contemporary horror fiction often tends to end up; because he is writing for children Jeremy de Quidt had to be very subtle, and his subtlety with themes and imagery is what makes his stories work and what makes them memorable. Often it's not the scary, terrible moment which is memorable and which makes the book worth reading - it is the fear and tension of getting to that place, and this book is exactly about that.
Reading this collection reminded me of watching one of my favorite TV shows from my youth, Are You Afraid of the Dark? I used to rush home back from school and watch it every day. In it, several everyday youngsters formed a "Midnight Society", and every week each member had to present a story to the rest of the group, gathered around a campfire in the woods. What i appreciated about the show is that it too was not censored or sanitized for children; although writers had to conform with television norms, they managed to create intriguing and often genuinely unsettling stories, which not always ended well. Characters in Are You Afraid of the Dark? delighted in scaring each other with their stories, much like the old man amuses himself with scaring the poor boy; it would be hard to pick a favorite story from those that he tells, as almost all are genuinely good and memorable. Nanny's Little Candle, the opening story, clearly takes inspiration from a poem by Goethe but still managed to capture my interest and unsettle me all the way to the end; Babysitting is a great story of a simple job gone terribly wrong,. In Picture Me, a young girl discovers photos that have no right to exist - but do, and in Dead Molly what should have been just a simple, innocent game quickly blurs the border between reality and dream for a young boy.
Even if you are an adult - as am I - this is not the train to miss if you enjoy well-written stories, which bear the additional bonus of being short and concise, just like they should be. Not a single one is too long, and they are all delightful. Jump on board - if you dare!
The Wrong Train is a frame narrative, in which a young boy gets on the eponymous wrong train home; when he realizes this, he gets off at the first possible stop - a way station in the middle of nowhere. As he realizes that he has no choice but to wait on a lonely platform in the dark for another train, he sees a light in the distance; as it grows nearer, he sees that it's not a flashlight but a lantern, a real glass one. Its held by an older man, who walks towards him with his dog; in his other hand he's holding a bag full of dead leaves and rotting flowers. He approaches the boy, and offers him his company until the next train arrives; could he perhaps interest him in some of his stories to pass the time?
What I especially liked about The Wrong Train is that although it's addressed towards younger readers - in the afterword the author thanks Scholastic for publishing his book in America - the stories themselves are not watered down for children. Characters don't swear, sexual content is kept at the minimum and violence is mostly kept behind the scenes, but it is done tastefully and with respect for younger readers. The stories are delightfully creepy and disturbing without being violent, disgusting and vile, as much of contemporary horror fiction often tends to end up; because he is writing for children Jeremy de Quidt had to be very subtle, and his subtlety with themes and imagery is what makes his stories work and what makes them memorable. Often it's not the scary, terrible moment which is memorable and which makes the book worth reading - it is the fear and tension of getting to that place, and this book is exactly about that.
Reading this collection reminded me of watching one of my favorite TV shows from my youth, Are You Afraid of the Dark? I used to rush home back from school and watch it every day. In it, several everyday youngsters formed a "Midnight Society", and every week each member had to present a story to the rest of the group, gathered around a campfire in the woods. What i appreciated about the show is that it too was not censored or sanitized for children; although writers had to conform with television norms, they managed to create intriguing and often genuinely unsettling stories, which not always ended well. Characters in Are You Afraid of the Dark? delighted in scaring each other with their stories, much like the old man amuses himself with scaring the poor boy; it would be hard to pick a favorite story from those that he tells, as almost all are genuinely good and memorable. Nanny's Little Candle, the opening story, clearly takes inspiration from a poem by Goethe but still managed to capture my interest and unsettle me all the way to the end; Babysitting is a great story of a simple job gone terribly wrong,. In Picture Me, a young girl discovers photos that have no right to exist - but do, and in Dead Molly what should have been just a simple, innocent game quickly blurs the border between reality and dream for a young boy.
Even if you are an adult - as am I - this is not the train to miss if you enjoy well-written stories, which bear the additional bonus of being short and concise, just like they should be. Not a single one is too long, and they are all delightful. Jump on board - if you dare!
September 11, 2017
It was as a child that I first became infatuated with horror stories, and horror stories for kids are still among my very favourites. Tales like the ones in The Wrong Train must be so difficult to write: aimed at (I presume) a teenage audience, they have to be incredibly scary without resorting to excessive blood and gore. Jeremy de Quidt pulls this off wonderfully, creating a collection that will please readers of any age as long as they have a healthy taste for the macabre.
Like Chris Priestley's Tales of Terror series, this book has an overarching narrative which links together a series of creepy tales. A boy gets on – you guessed it – the wrong train, panics, and gets off at the first stop, which turns out to be a 'permanent way post', meant for use by railway workers. It's in the middle of nowhere and it's pitch dark, but there's an elderly man and his dog waiting there too. And to pass the time, the old man starts telling the boy stories, each with a horrible twist...
It's hard to pick a favourite, but I think it might have to be 'Picture Me': I read it at night with a candle flickering in the corner and honestly felt I was going to jump out of my skin if I heard so much as a pin drop – the image of the girl with the frightened expression staring into the camera was just so haunting. I also loved 'Dead Molly', which becomes ever more surreal and disorientating, echoing its protagonist's experience. But every single story is great. The sinister red Cadillac, the babysitter's terrifying charges, the greasy, sooty candles: characters, scenes and objects jump vividly out of the book; I could have read several hundred pages more. And the way it's all tied up at the end is so clever!
All in all, Ioved this – it's creepy, atmospheric, suspenseful and a lot of fun. I shall eagerly look forward to more stories from this author.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
Like Chris Priestley's Tales of Terror series, this book has an overarching narrative which links together a series of creepy tales. A boy gets on – you guessed it – the wrong train, panics, and gets off at the first stop, which turns out to be a 'permanent way post', meant for use by railway workers. It's in the middle of nowhere and it's pitch dark, but there's an elderly man and his dog waiting there too. And to pass the time, the old man starts telling the boy stories, each with a horrible twist...
It's hard to pick a favourite, but I think it might have to be 'Picture Me': I read it at night with a candle flickering in the corner and honestly felt I was going to jump out of my skin if I heard so much as a pin drop – the image of the girl with the frightened expression staring into the camera was just so haunting. I also loved 'Dead Molly', which becomes ever more surreal and disorientating, echoing its protagonist's experience. But every single story is great. The sinister red Cadillac, the babysitter's terrifying charges, the greasy, sooty candles: characters, scenes and objects jump vividly out of the book; I could have read several hundred pages more. And the way it's all tied up at the end is so clever!
All in all, Ioved this – it's creepy, atmospheric, suspenseful and a lot of fun. I shall eagerly look forward to more stories from this author.
TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
January 14, 2018
This is the first juvenile book I have read , it was a nice mixtures of short stories of horror and a central plot that tried to tie all together . I really liked the image of the main character and the old man in the train station, it was very well executed. As somebody who works in a children’s library I would feel comfortable to recommend this book to a kid who is looking for a good horror story.
November 27, 2019
Unfortunately nowhere near the caliber of de Quidt's Toymaker, a gothic extravaganza which remains one of the finest books ostensibly intended for younger readers that I've ever read, however the stories here at least possess a bleakness and willingness to play for keeps not commonly found in children's horror, and "Babysitters', probably the collection's finest story, features imagery that would make Junji Ito and Al Columbia give nods of approval.
October 22, 2019
A spooky YA anthology filled with horror stories, just in time for the Halloween season! A young boy ends up boarding the wrong train and finds himself on a mysterious platform where he meets an older man and his pet dog. To help pass the time, the older man starts to tell stories to the boy that may look harmless but have some terrifying twists to them. I was legitimately scared throughout. A couple of short stories did fall a little flat for me. For something fast-paced with a range of plotlines though, this is a good read!
February 5, 2019
A collection of short spooky stories, that will hopefully creep you out instead of slowly put you to sleep like it did me.
March 23, 2017
THIS little book was a big spooky surprise! A book filled with horror stories about kids and for kids where kids could and do die. *evil grin spreads across my face* I don’t come across many horror books for young readers that truly give me the chills, but this dark beauty gave me chills, shivers, and grins galore.
The Wrong Train: Stories to Make You Miss Your Stop opens with a boy running to make his train. A huffing and puffing, give it all you’ve got, pain in your shins run. But he caught the wrong train! After getting off at a dark and deserted platform, the boy meets a strange old man filled with spooky tales. Tales he shares as they wait for the next train. Story after story chock full of classic horror ingredients like—flickering lights, batteries going dead, and oblivious parents. Jeremy de Quidt throws it all in there and stirs without even getting bloody. I like that. These are scary story gems at their best. Shadows move out of the corner of your eye, the cell phone you can’t live without is useless, and no one is coming to help. Jump on board for this hair-raising story time if you dare.
We start with a couple of doozies! “Nanny’s Little Candle” was sad and cover-your-mouth-with-a-gasp shocking! The smell of this ancient, black candle will invade, stick, and haunt you to the core. But just wait it gets better…
“The Security Light” was my favorite. Or maybe I shouldn’t pick a favorite. *shivers* It was the best of the bunch for me though. A backyard security light flicks on and off when nothing appears to be there. Every “pik” of the light ramped up the tension. How can you not wonder if there is something out there making the light flick on, off, on, off. There has to be something out there. Right? Something that just might be slowly making its way inside to you! I just loved that the light—usually the thing that makes us feel better in the night—is the scary thing in this story. Sometimes light can make the darkness even darker.
“Your Lucky Day” and “Babysitting” involve two frightening horror gems. A creepy car and creepy kids. Haha….The kids were creepier in my opinion. There is just something special about turning the tables on the babysitter. Wanna play? Haha…Plus the simplicity of the whole situation is perfect. Everyone ends up babysitting eventually in life, so THIS could happen to you! :)
“Picture Me”, “Soot,” and “Dead Molly” were all solid stories with a wicked gleam in their eye. They brought hauntings, possession, and nightmares to a whole new level. “Soot” really got under my skin. I felt bad for the little brother. And that’s just it—why this collection of stories stood out to me. These stories are filled with kids who stumble across the big bads in the night, in their dreams, and in their heads and suffer for it. The evil things in the night usually get what and who they come for. It’s just the way it is in a good horror story. It’s terrifying horror gold!
“The Black Forest Chair” unfortunately was my least favorite in the book. To end on such a weak story crushed me a bit, but the boy's fate on the train platform is what truly ends this book. And what made my horror loving heart happy.
“He could just stand here until the train came, only it was dark and he wished he could stop thinking about these stories, because it was as though each one of them had happened right in front of him, and whenever he looked out into the flat empty darkness he saw them like shapes, heard them like whispers.”
A chilling read. A sure hit for young horror fans. A must read!
I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from Jeremy de Quidt.
***Quote taken from ARC***
September 21, 2020
It just goes to show that it doesn't matter if a book is YA or adult - it can still deliver the same amount of thrills. "The Wrong Train" was excellent. It had a great storyline, a great twist and was genuinely scary. One of those 'checking the house is all locked up properly after finishing' books.
It had all the things that guarantee a scary read for me - an abandoned train station, a mysterious man and lots of stories within stories.
A boy gets on the wrong train and tries desperately to get off. When he does, it is at a block of concrete - not a real station. A strange man appears and starts to tell him stories to pass the time before another train arrives to pick him up. Each story is brilliant and very frightening. But who is the man and what is his purpose?
It had all the things that guarantee a scary read for me - an abandoned train station, a mysterious man and lots of stories within stories.
A boy gets on the wrong train and tries desperately to get off. When he does, it is at a block of concrete - not a real station. A strange man appears and starts to tell him stories to pass the time before another train arrives to pick him up. Each story is brilliant and very frightening. But who is the man and what is his purpose?
April 11, 2018
✫✬⭐️ 2,5/5 STARS ⭐️✭✫
Genre: Young Adult>Horror > Short Stories
WOW: 2 story's
EW: Some endings of the story's
__________________
✎Review:
So picked this up random. And i do think it's a great horror book. But there were only 2 story's that really were well plotted and written. The rest is not so good.. They were so random. And horror or not, i has to be a good story. It really felt like Jemery himself didn't really know how he was gonna write the ending.
__________________
I can't tell you more.. well i can.. i just won't :3
Sooo thanks for reading, have a great day!
Genre: Young Adult>Horror > Short Stories
WOW: 2 story's
EW: Some endings of the story's
__________________
✎Review:
So picked this up random. And i do think it's a great horror book. But there were only 2 story's that really were well plotted and written. The rest is not so good.. They were so random. And horror or not, i has to be a good story. It really felt like Jemery himself didn't really know how he was gonna write the ending.
__________________
I can't tell you more.. well i can.. i just won't :3
Sooo thanks for reading, have a great day!
August 11, 2016
I love the approach of this book; how it's essentially a collection of short stories, but they're interwoven by an overall narrative. The stories are definitely creepy, though they in between bits with our MC interested me more, and those scenes were very short. Perhaps if we'd had more time with him I would have cared about him a little more, and the (very obvious) ending would have had more impact. Overall though a very enjoyable quick read.
December 3, 2017
"What's real is what we believe...It's like lies—if you believe it when you tell it, it's not a lie, is it? You might be mistaken, but that doesn't make it a lie. Something can be in a story and still be real—if you believe it."
—The Wrong Train, P. 36
Hailing from England may not make one a great teller of eerie stories, but Jeremy de Quidt is one in a long line of British authors whose work might suggest otherwise. The Wrong Train starts with a dreamlike scene where a boy boards a train he didn't intend to, winding up in a dark, deserted station. His isolation is ended by the arrival of an old man and his dog, but they are small comfort. The man has a quietly creepy disposition, and the boy would distance himself if he didn't sense that what waits in the dark is worse. He resigns himself to listening to the man's scary stories as he waits for the train, but soon wishes he hadn't: these are no ordinary yarns spun by a harmless old-timer. They have unexpected power over the boy.
The man opens with Nanny's Little Candle, about a home newly broken by marital infidelity. Cassie's mother had a baby that didn't belong to Cassie's father, and now Cassie, her mother, and the baby are on their own to make ends meet. Cassie resents her mom and her baby brother, Niall, and her mother is increasingly frustrated by Cassie's disdain for them. But when Cassie lights some candles she found in a shed behind their new house, a recurring dream begins troubling her, about an old-fashioned nanny whose response to incessantly crying babies like Niall is to silence them permanently. The dream feels so real that Cassie is convinced this nanny is after Niall, but her mother won't listen. Desperate to save her brother, Cassie tries to fend off the nanny's insidious advances, but what will be the consequences of her own actions? The boy dislikes that story, so the old man spins another, The Security Light. Jess stays home by herself on the night her parents go to a Halloween party. She's not thrilled to be alone, but the security light regularly pinging on and off in the backyard doesn't worry her. Animals can trigger the light, or even tree branches, according to her father. Then Jess gets a strong feeling there's something stalking her out there just beyond the security light's range, waiting for her to fall into its predatory grasp. What's really happening on this spooky Halloween night?
Your Lucky Day tells of Sam, a boy whose father impulsively buys a classic car that isn't in the best shape. The worn seats sag so it looks as though an invisible person is always sitting in them, and Sam gets an icky feeling from the car. A mechanic says it's been in a severe crash, but Sam's father won't give up the sorry vehicle. On a joy ride with his father and mother, Sam begins unraveling the car's sordid secrets...but it may be too late. In Babysitting, Sophie is used to watching children for parents having a night on the town, so she doesn't think much of it when she finds a note from her mother giving details of a job. The house is in an area she never noticed, hidden behind a hedge. The parents aren't home, just seven-year-olds Lucy and Tom. Their behavior is odd, but Sophie doesn't worry until it turns dangerous, supernaturally so. Poor Sophie may have no way to avoid a trap that was sprung the moment she stepped in the door. The aftermath of an elderly cousin's funeral is the setting for Picture Me. Sammie didn't know the deceased, who was plagued most of her life by mental illness. Looking through an album of the woman's photos, Sammie notices that in each shot the woman stares at the camera with an expression of inexplicable fear. What troubled her so? Sammie forgets about it until pictures of herself start showing up on her own phone, ones no one was in position to take. The weirdness elevates to terror when pictures appear that were taken inside the house, even in the bathroom. Yet whenever Sammie tries to show them to people, the photos are gone. Her parents are concerned she's having a breakdown, but only Sammie can see the bleak future that awaits her.
Sara, her five-year-old brother Chris, and their father move in to an old house in Soot. After a persistent scratching inside the chimney apparently turns out to be nothing, Chris starts acting out of character. He talks to someone who isn't there, and trails soot all through the house. He briefly seems frightened, then his personality shifts again. What force has been unleashed on Sara's family and their home? Back at the train station, the boy is agitated by the stories by now, but the man ignores his protests. Richard has a disturbing, realistic nightmare as Dead Molly opens, but "awakens" directly into another nightmare. When he awakens from that one into another bad dream, he panics. Is he in reality now? How many times will he be jolted by the arrival of the pale, dead-faced woman that always triggers his false awakenings? Richard's stress grows as he wakes up again and again, each time into another false reality. Finally he gains some sense that the world feels more real this time, but is he fated to never again know the difference between reality and nightmare? The last story is The Black Forest Chair. Jos's mother collects antiques and novelties. Most are unimpressive, until she brings home a chair carved into the shape of a big bear. It looks great, but Jos develops a feeling of unease around it. Something's not right about the chair. One day when he sits on it, Jos is transported to a dimension of awareness where he sees an assortment of horrific things that could happen to people. He, too, is in danger, and it will come when he's asleep. Jos tries to warn his future self, but will it get through in time? At the train station, the old man urges the boy to pick a favorite among the stories. His train will come once he does, the man promises. Unnerved by the supernatural vividness of the stories and wanting to leave, the boy arbitrarily picks a favorite, and is soon headed home. But are there consequences to the storytelling game he played with the old man?
The Wrong Train has the right stuff to be excellent. Jeremy de Quidt creates scary atmosphere, especially in Nanny's Little Candle and Dead Molly. Those two stand out as best. The only thing holding The Wrong Train back from greatness is lack of cogency in each story. A good premise is set, the story reaches peak intensity, but there's never a moment of epiphany where the pieces all click into place. The same is true for the central narrative about the boy and the old man at the train station. The book deserves praise, however, for its ability to get us imagining frightening things just beyond our field of vision. Kudos to Jeremy de Quidt; I have high expectations now for what he is capable of. I hope we'll cross paths in another book.
—The Wrong Train, P. 36
Hailing from England may not make one a great teller of eerie stories, but Jeremy de Quidt is one in a long line of British authors whose work might suggest otherwise. The Wrong Train starts with a dreamlike scene where a boy boards a train he didn't intend to, winding up in a dark, deserted station. His isolation is ended by the arrival of an old man and his dog, but they are small comfort. The man has a quietly creepy disposition, and the boy would distance himself if he didn't sense that what waits in the dark is worse. He resigns himself to listening to the man's scary stories as he waits for the train, but soon wishes he hadn't: these are no ordinary yarns spun by a harmless old-timer. They have unexpected power over the boy.
The man opens with Nanny's Little Candle, about a home newly broken by marital infidelity. Cassie's mother had a baby that didn't belong to Cassie's father, and now Cassie, her mother, and the baby are on their own to make ends meet. Cassie resents her mom and her baby brother, Niall, and her mother is increasingly frustrated by Cassie's disdain for them. But when Cassie lights some candles she found in a shed behind their new house, a recurring dream begins troubling her, about an old-fashioned nanny whose response to incessantly crying babies like Niall is to silence them permanently. The dream feels so real that Cassie is convinced this nanny is after Niall, but her mother won't listen. Desperate to save her brother, Cassie tries to fend off the nanny's insidious advances, but what will be the consequences of her own actions? The boy dislikes that story, so the old man spins another, The Security Light. Jess stays home by herself on the night her parents go to a Halloween party. She's not thrilled to be alone, but the security light regularly pinging on and off in the backyard doesn't worry her. Animals can trigger the light, or even tree branches, according to her father. Then Jess gets a strong feeling there's something stalking her out there just beyond the security light's range, waiting for her to fall into its predatory grasp. What's really happening on this spooky Halloween night?
Your Lucky Day tells of Sam, a boy whose father impulsively buys a classic car that isn't in the best shape. The worn seats sag so it looks as though an invisible person is always sitting in them, and Sam gets an icky feeling from the car. A mechanic says it's been in a severe crash, but Sam's father won't give up the sorry vehicle. On a joy ride with his father and mother, Sam begins unraveling the car's sordid secrets...but it may be too late. In Babysitting, Sophie is used to watching children for parents having a night on the town, so she doesn't think much of it when she finds a note from her mother giving details of a job. The house is in an area she never noticed, hidden behind a hedge. The parents aren't home, just seven-year-olds Lucy and Tom. Their behavior is odd, but Sophie doesn't worry until it turns dangerous, supernaturally so. Poor Sophie may have no way to avoid a trap that was sprung the moment she stepped in the door. The aftermath of an elderly cousin's funeral is the setting for Picture Me. Sammie didn't know the deceased, who was plagued most of her life by mental illness. Looking through an album of the woman's photos, Sammie notices that in each shot the woman stares at the camera with an expression of inexplicable fear. What troubled her so? Sammie forgets about it until pictures of herself start showing up on her own phone, ones no one was in position to take. The weirdness elevates to terror when pictures appear that were taken inside the house, even in the bathroom. Yet whenever Sammie tries to show them to people, the photos are gone. Her parents are concerned she's having a breakdown, but only Sammie can see the bleak future that awaits her.
Sara, her five-year-old brother Chris, and their father move in to an old house in Soot. After a persistent scratching inside the chimney apparently turns out to be nothing, Chris starts acting out of character. He talks to someone who isn't there, and trails soot all through the house. He briefly seems frightened, then his personality shifts again. What force has been unleashed on Sara's family and their home? Back at the train station, the boy is agitated by the stories by now, but the man ignores his protests. Richard has a disturbing, realistic nightmare as Dead Molly opens, but "awakens" directly into another nightmare. When he awakens from that one into another bad dream, he panics. Is he in reality now? How many times will he be jolted by the arrival of the pale, dead-faced woman that always triggers his false awakenings? Richard's stress grows as he wakes up again and again, each time into another false reality. Finally he gains some sense that the world feels more real this time, but is he fated to never again know the difference between reality and nightmare? The last story is The Black Forest Chair. Jos's mother collects antiques and novelties. Most are unimpressive, until she brings home a chair carved into the shape of a big bear. It looks great, but Jos develops a feeling of unease around it. Something's not right about the chair. One day when he sits on it, Jos is transported to a dimension of awareness where he sees an assortment of horrific things that could happen to people. He, too, is in danger, and it will come when he's asleep. Jos tries to warn his future self, but will it get through in time? At the train station, the old man urges the boy to pick a favorite among the stories. His train will come once he does, the man promises. Unnerved by the supernatural vividness of the stories and wanting to leave, the boy arbitrarily picks a favorite, and is soon headed home. But are there consequences to the storytelling game he played with the old man?
The Wrong Train has the right stuff to be excellent. Jeremy de Quidt creates scary atmosphere, especially in Nanny's Little Candle and Dead Molly. Those two stand out as best. The only thing holding The Wrong Train back from greatness is lack of cogency in each story. A good premise is set, the story reaches peak intensity, but there's never a moment of epiphany where the pieces all click into place. The same is true for the central narrative about the boy and the old man at the train station. The book deserves praise, however, for its ability to get us imagining frightening things just beyond our field of vision. Kudos to Jeremy de Quidt; I have high expectations now for what he is capable of. I hope we'll cross paths in another book.
December 16, 2016
I must admit that I became a bit of a fan boy when it comes to Jeremy de Quidt's writing. Ever since I picked up The Toymaker I knew that I was in the hands of a real storyteller. It was clear that Jeremy coveted language and rhythm and enjoyed the rolling pace and the undulations of writing. In his message at the start of this book, he talks about how he wanted to bring supernatural stories into a contemporary setting and he does so incredibly well build on our primal fears of being alone and having no control over our actions or future.
What struck me first was how he had tailored a very creepy storytelling format and brought it into the modern day for the modern YA reader. Although he writes about the importance of including activities and materials that the reader might be able to relate to, I felt that it was the young adult themselves which he captured and wrote for so well. I was also struck by how mercilessly he writes. In this collection of short stories, the protagonists are not wrapped in cotton wool. They are terrified, disempowered, confused, have no control over their future and are at the writer's mercy. De Quidt does not hold back in these stories and I loved the book for it.
Much of what we read today in children's literature and YA literature too has the sense of a voyage and return style of story in which the protagonist leaves their home, suffers challenges yet overcomes them and returns stronger. This is not the case at all in The Wrong Train. Endings are horrible, frightening, cruel even haunting; they offer only an inescapable fate: an image which many teenagers can be said to experience at times.
Following a story-in-a-story format it is the tale of a young boy missing his train home; forced to listen to a collection of stories spun by a stranger while he waits for the last train which binds the book and other stories together. Woven throughout the main tale are eight other self-contained ghost stories. In it, both boys and girls are slaves to a merciless fate and de Quidt's invention for the surreal and spooky is as gripping as it is dark. From the outset, the writer understands that less is more, that what the characters fear is always just out of sight, out of reach until it is too late. Horrors are glimpsed in the edge of the light or in the whisper beyond the walls.
My personal favourite was 'Nanny's Little Candle' which had an ending that I just did not see happening at all.
This collection of ghost stories is chilling and de Quidt gives a nod to its traditional roots in that its written style and content, I feel, are calling to be read or told aloud at night around a campfire or in a tent with friends. They have been cleverly brought into the modern day by placing the teenage protagonists in situations they're likely to experience: moving home, mucking about on school fields at dinner time, babysitting or alone at home at night and I think this is key to making it such a great book for the modern day reader. In an age where reason, science and access to millions is at our fingertips, de Quidt somehow manages to make us believe that this otherworld of phantoms beyond our realms are still there.
What struck me first was how he had tailored a very creepy storytelling format and brought it into the modern day for the modern YA reader. Although he writes about the importance of including activities and materials that the reader might be able to relate to, I felt that it was the young adult themselves which he captured and wrote for so well. I was also struck by how mercilessly he writes. In this collection of short stories, the protagonists are not wrapped in cotton wool. They are terrified, disempowered, confused, have no control over their future and are at the writer's mercy. De Quidt does not hold back in these stories and I loved the book for it.
Much of what we read today in children's literature and YA literature too has the sense of a voyage and return style of story in which the protagonist leaves their home, suffers challenges yet overcomes them and returns stronger. This is not the case at all in The Wrong Train. Endings are horrible, frightening, cruel even haunting; they offer only an inescapable fate: an image which many teenagers can be said to experience at times.
Following a story-in-a-story format it is the tale of a young boy missing his train home; forced to listen to a collection of stories spun by a stranger while he waits for the last train which binds the book and other stories together. Woven throughout the main tale are eight other self-contained ghost stories. In it, both boys and girls are slaves to a merciless fate and de Quidt's invention for the surreal and spooky is as gripping as it is dark. From the outset, the writer understands that less is more, that what the characters fear is always just out of sight, out of reach until it is too late. Horrors are glimpsed in the edge of the light or in the whisper beyond the walls.
My personal favourite was 'Nanny's Little Candle' which had an ending that I just did not see happening at all.
This collection of ghost stories is chilling and de Quidt gives a nod to its traditional roots in that its written style and content, I feel, are calling to be read or told aloud at night around a campfire or in a tent with friends. They have been cleverly brought into the modern day by placing the teenage protagonists in situations they're likely to experience: moving home, mucking about on school fields at dinner time, babysitting or alone at home at night and I think this is key to making it such a great book for the modern day reader. In an age where reason, science and access to millions is at our fingertips, de Quidt somehow manages to make us believe that this otherworld of phantoms beyond our realms are still there.
February 10, 2021
5 stars.
Ohh man I adore this author! I wish he would write more often because he's just amazing. If you want a middle grade creepy story then this is the author to chose. I knew I was gonna love the ending, the way it all wrapped up and I was far from disappointed. I had been wondering how these short stories were going to come together and form an ending.
All throughout the book, between the stories being told by the old man, there is often a reference to a game being played. Now I know what that is, I wish there was more of this.
I don't usually do re-reads because I have thousands of books that I own to get through, but this would be one of the rare ones I'd list to re-read again in the future.
This comes highly recommended from me.
Ohh man I adore this author! I wish he would write more often because he's just amazing. If you want a middle grade creepy story then this is the author to chose. I knew I was gonna love the ending, the way it all wrapped up and I was far from disappointed. I had been wondering how these short stories were going to come together and form an ending.
All throughout the book, between the stories being told by the old man, there is often a reference to a game being played. Now I know what that is, I wish there was more of this.
I don't usually do re-reads because I have thousands of books that I own to get through, but this would be one of the rare ones I'd list to re-read again in the future.
This comes highly recommended from me.
October 21, 2017
“That’s it. Train will come,” said the man. “Always comes after we’ve played my little game. “
A boy who takes the last train suddenly finds himself in a very dark last station. He meets an old man and his dog. I knew from the start not to trust the old man, and then he started telling stories and I was definitely NOPING my way out of there. I just wanted to scream at the kid to just go for the rails and walk, no matter how long it will take. Though then again… given everything… maybe walking is also a bad idea. The boy got increasingly more frustrated, and I couldn’t fault him. I would have done that as well. You are lost, you want to go home, and you have an old man tell you stories that are disturbing.
The ending was quite good, I hadn’t expected it, but I guess I could have seen it coming.
I had to say the old man/boy parts were a bit plain for me. It just didn’t seem to go anywhere, and I grew increasingly annoyed with the old man and how he acted.
In the end I have to say the stories were disappointing, too. There were a few gems here and there, but most of the story just didn’t make sense or were just a bit too much NOPE for my feeling. Which is a shame. I was really looking forward to reading this book.
I did like the small illustrations that were featured at the start of the stories.
And lastly before I get to the reviews for the stories, the ending of each story reminded me of Zekkyou Gakkyuu.
I have written a small review for each story + given them a star rating.
Story 1: Nanny’s Little Candle: 2 stars. Well, this wasn’t a good start at all. There were countless things that I just disliked. Starting with how the mom never believed her daughter, how the mom never cared about how she felt, how the daughter just lit those candles, the ending (sorry, but that ending was disturbing and sick). I do hope the next stories are better. Nanny was scary, but eh.
Story 2: The Security Light: 4.5 stars. OMG, this was terrifying. All of the sudden I am sorry I am reading this while it is a) night b) my boyfriend is not at home.
I loved how the story was told, how it went from a few things happening, to complete fear. I didn’t dare to breath, nor did I dare to blink, afraid to miss something. The ending was sudden, but pretty great, it does fit the story.
Story 3: Your Lucky Day: 5 stars. Welp, this was just creepy as hell. Plus we have some standard parent stupidity. Why listen to someone who knows about cars? Just Rock and Roll, right? Or why listen to your kids when you see they are not feeling comfortable. And who the hell speeds like that? sighs But all in all, it was a very spooky read, and I just loved how it all build up until BOOM. shivers
Story 4: Babysitting: 4.5 stars. This was darn creepy. I knew from the start something was wrong and I wonder why it took the girl so long to notice something was off. I would have just called my mom way before I reached the house. 😛 But I guess there would have been no creepy as f story if the girl did that. Babysitting from hell. Also can we please have a happy ending for once? I would so dearly want one.
Story 5: Picture Me: 2 stars. Mostly because this was just confusing, weird, and I still have no clue why the girl had that happen to her. Because she opened the photo album? Or something? But I am sure others have opened it before, so um, confused much? Also disliked how everyone just didn’t believe her. The girl is breaking apart, but no one cares? Whut? The last page was just weird and it confused me more.
Story 6: Soot: 2 stars. Another disappointing story. There is just so much potential in this one, and I think if it had been longer, if more could have been told, it would have been better. Now we still don’t know much about what happened, who that thing is, is it a soot ghost or something? The ending was sudden and I hadn’t expected it yet. Plus that xx… no thanks.
Story 7: Dead Molly: 1 star. I have absolutely no clue what happened in this story. So they played a game? The boy kept waking up and seeing a dead woman? Something like that? I am either too tired or this story was just not making sense. It wasn’t even scary. Whereas the others were eh, they were still creepy, this one just had one jump scare, and that was it. Wooohooo… 😐
Story 8: The Black Forest Chair: 1 star. Another disappointment, another story I just didn’t get. It was just weird. And a bit disturbing if I have to be honest, though I can’t explain why exactly. But I did like the MC, and the mom was also pretty nice.
So for the short stories in between I would give 2 stars. For the train + old man parts I would give 2.5 stars. I am rounding the total rating for the book to 2.5 stars.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
A boy who takes the last train suddenly finds himself in a very dark last station. He meets an old man and his dog. I knew from the start not to trust the old man, and then he started telling stories and I was definitely NOPING my way out of there. I just wanted to scream at the kid to just go for the rails and walk, no matter how long it will take. Though then again… given everything… maybe walking is also a bad idea. The boy got increasingly more frustrated, and I couldn’t fault him. I would have done that as well. You are lost, you want to go home, and you have an old man tell you stories that are disturbing.
The ending was quite good, I hadn’t expected it, but I guess I could have seen it coming.
I had to say the old man/boy parts were a bit plain for me. It just didn’t seem to go anywhere, and I grew increasingly annoyed with the old man and how he acted.
In the end I have to say the stories were disappointing, too. There were a few gems here and there, but most of the story just didn’t make sense or were just a bit too much NOPE for my feeling. Which is a shame. I was really looking forward to reading this book.
I did like the small illustrations that were featured at the start of the stories.
And lastly before I get to the reviews for the stories, the ending of each story reminded me of Zekkyou Gakkyuu.
I have written a small review for each story + given them a star rating.
Story 1: Nanny’s Little Candle: 2 stars. Well, this wasn’t a good start at all. There were countless things that I just disliked. Starting with how the mom never believed her daughter, how the mom never cared about how she felt, how the daughter just lit those candles, the ending (sorry, but that ending was disturbing and sick). I do hope the next stories are better. Nanny was scary, but eh.
Story 2: The Security Light: 4.5 stars. OMG, this was terrifying. All of the sudden I am sorry I am reading this while it is a) night b) my boyfriend is not at home.
I loved how the story was told, how it went from a few things happening, to complete fear. I didn’t dare to breath, nor did I dare to blink, afraid to miss something. The ending was sudden, but pretty great, it does fit the story.
Story 3: Your Lucky Day: 5 stars. Welp, this was just creepy as hell. Plus we have some standard parent stupidity. Why listen to someone who knows about cars? Just Rock and Roll, right? Or why listen to your kids when you see they are not feeling comfortable. And who the hell speeds like that? sighs But all in all, it was a very spooky read, and I just loved how it all build up until BOOM. shivers
Story 4: Babysitting: 4.5 stars. This was darn creepy. I knew from the start something was wrong and I wonder why it took the girl so long to notice something was off. I would have just called my mom way before I reached the house. 😛 But I guess there would have been no creepy as f story if the girl did that. Babysitting from hell. Also can we please have a happy ending for once? I would so dearly want one.
Story 5: Picture Me: 2 stars. Mostly because this was just confusing, weird, and I still have no clue why the girl had that happen to her. Because she opened the photo album? Or something? But I am sure others have opened it before, so um, confused much? Also disliked how everyone just didn’t believe her. The girl is breaking apart, but no one cares? Whut? The last page was just weird and it confused me more.
Story 6: Soot: 2 stars. Another disappointing story. There is just so much potential in this one, and I think if it had been longer, if more could have been told, it would have been better. Now we still don’t know much about what happened, who that thing is, is it a soot ghost or something? The ending was sudden and I hadn’t expected it yet. Plus that xx… no thanks.
Story 7: Dead Molly: 1 star. I have absolutely no clue what happened in this story. So they played a game? The boy kept waking up and seeing a dead woman? Something like that? I am either too tired or this story was just not making sense. It wasn’t even scary. Whereas the others were eh, they were still creepy, this one just had one jump scare, and that was it. Wooohooo… 😐
Story 8: The Black Forest Chair: 1 star. Another disappointment, another story I just didn’t get. It was just weird. And a bit disturbing if I have to be honest, though I can’t explain why exactly. But I did like the MC, and the mom was also pretty nice.
So for the short stories in between I would give 2 stars. For the train + old man parts I would give 2.5 stars. I am rounding the total rating for the book to 2.5 stars.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
September 5, 2024
I don't know. This book is disturbing. If your kids like horror then this is for them. I found the danger children were put in rather off-putting.
I read the whole thing but did not like any of it.
I read the whole thing but did not like any of it.
December 27, 2016
Review to come.
Overall a nice quick read with some good imagery, but rather predictable and not very creepy.
Overall a nice quick read with some good imagery, but rather predictable and not very creepy.
April 26, 2019
Honestly I usually don't read horror books. It's not my type of book. Usually I don't like them. They are boring, always trying to scared and all... I just don't support it!
But this book... I liked it! Jeremy de Quidt has an extraordinary talent to write horror books and he shows it in this book!
- I really liked the plot...
~ A boy that took the wrong train. When he got out he discovers he is in the middle of nothing. A old man with a dog appears. He just want to be here with the boy. This way the boy doesn't need to be alone. But they need to do something... Right? The old man at least thinks this way. Why not tell some stories?
~ But the stories... The stories are not what the boy is used to listen. The stories are strange and scared. But are just stories... Right? Just a way to spend the time until a train arrives and take the boy for the right station... Right?
- And the stories are also amazing.
~ Their only objective is scared and they do it really well.
~ They are stories that starts calmly and then...
~ Then you start to feel uncomfortable (at the same time of the characters because the author could make you feel the characters' emotions perfectly)...
~ And then you are scared and the story ends. Never with a true end. They end near of a true end but never in one and this make you even more scared.
~ And don't get me wrong. It's not the type of scared that make you scream and have nightmares. NO! It's the type of scared that make you still think about the story even if you already closed the book an hour ago. It's the type of scared that make your hearth starts racing even when you know that this is just a story. Nothing more... Right? ;)
~ Anyways these stories are the perfect stories to tell during a party in the middle of the night... In the Halloween, for example... With a little talent to tell stories and the right vibe... Can you imagine what happens? ;)
- And the end is simple incredible! It's not what I was thinking it would be. It's similar but even better. The right end for this book. Not a true end. But a end near of a true end. Exactly as the stories. You know how it will end. But you stay even more scared because you don't have the confirmation to your suspicions...
For me, this is one of the better horror books that should exist. With the right amount of suspense and terror to make it an incredible and enjoyable reading.
So... I recommend this book!
But this book... I liked it! Jeremy de Quidt has an extraordinary talent to write horror books and he shows it in this book!
- I really liked the plot...
~ A boy that took the wrong train. When he got out he discovers he is in the middle of nothing. A old man with a dog appears. He just want to be here with the boy. This way the boy doesn't need to be alone. But they need to do something... Right? The old man at least thinks this way. Why not tell some stories?
~ But the stories... The stories are not what the boy is used to listen. The stories are strange and scared. But are just stories... Right? Just a way to spend the time until a train arrives and take the boy for the right station... Right?
- And the stories are also amazing.
~ Their only objective is scared and they do it really well.
~ They are stories that starts calmly and then...
~ Then you start to feel uncomfortable (at the same time of the characters because the author could make you feel the characters' emotions perfectly)...
~ And then you are scared and the story ends. Never with a true end. They end near of a true end but never in one and this make you even more scared.
~ And don't get me wrong. It's not the type of scared that make you scream and have nightmares. NO! It's the type of scared that make you still think about the story even if you already closed the book an hour ago. It's the type of scared that make your hearth starts racing even when you know that this is just a story. Nothing more... Right? ;)
~ Anyways these stories are the perfect stories to tell during a party in the middle of the night... In the Halloween, for example... With a little talent to tell stories and the right vibe... Can you imagine what happens? ;)
- And the end is simple incredible! It's not what I was thinking it would be. It's similar but even better. The right end for this book. Not a true end. But a end near of a true end. Exactly as the stories. You know how it will end. But you stay even more scared because you don't have the confirmation to your suspicions...
For me, this is one of the better horror books that should exist. With the right amount of suspense and terror to make it an incredible and enjoyable reading.
So... I recommend this book!
September 24, 2017
O meu género de livro preferido. Este livro está muito bem conseguido, reúne contos de terror que ficam na nossa memória. Não consegui largar o livro nem por um minuto.
October 17, 2017
3.5 - A primeira história teve logo grande impacto, mas depois as coisas ficaram um pouco menos spookie. Ainda assim lê-se muito bem. Opinião completa:
A TOPSELLER decidiu apostar no género Young Adult e fá-lo através da sua mais recente chancela, TOPSELLER Bliss. O Comboio Errado é um dos primeiros títulos e uma grande aposta. Nota-se o claro direccionamento para um público jovem, mas ainda assim o autor consegue uma narrativa consistente o suficiente para que qualquer adulto tenha, pelo menos, a curiosidade de ir até ao fim. Tudo começa com um pequeno rapaz a entrar num comboio, que para ele é o do costume, sem bateria no telemóvel, mas descansado que o pai o irá buscar à paragem habitual. Quando dá por si, as estações sucedem-se sem que o comboio pare. Porém, o comboio lá pára e ele decide sair do comboio. É aqui que tudo começa - com o rapaz, um idoso e o seu cão.
Na arte de contar histórias de terror, principalmente para os mais novos, há que conseguir prender, assustar, mas não ser demasiado agressivo ao ponto de provocar um medo demasiado arrebatador. Há tempo para lá se chegar quando se é adulto. Ainda assim, mesmo já eu tendo os meus cheios 29 anos, o autor conseguiu-me surpreender logo com a primeira história. Lembro-me tão bem da sensação: "se continuar a ler este livro provavelmente vou ter pesadelos". E então parei e prometi a mim mesma que iria ler apenas um por dia, para ser intenso o suficiente para usufruir da leitura, mas não tão intenso que fosse dormir com aquelas vibrações. Ahah, chamem-me mariquinhas, mas pensei mesmo isto. Mais tarde descobri que afinal as histórias não eram assim tão assustadoras (ou então era eu que estava mais sensível naquele dia), mas eram intrigantes, misteriosas e negras o suficiente para já querer ler várias de seguida.
Todas as histórias são contadas pela perspectiva de crianças ou adolescentes e evocam cheiros, imagens e emoções arrepiantes. Nos interlúdios vamos assistindo às breves interacções entre o nosso rapaz e o velhote, sendo que estava sempre na expectativa de poder acontecer algo logo ali, mas Jeremy de Quidt foi inteligente e perspicaz ao conduzir o desfecho para uma espécie de jogo final. Quando se ouvem cerca de oito histórias, todas elas assustadoras, de seguida, será que dá para escolher sequer uma preferida? E que jogo é este de que o velhote fala? Este é um livro que pode funcionar muito bem na época de Halloween que se aproxima, mas não só. Se querem introduzir o género de terror aos vossos adolescentes mais próximos, este é um excelente começo, colocando a fasquia suficientemente alta para futuras referências.
A TOPSELLER decidiu apostar no género Young Adult e fá-lo através da sua mais recente chancela, TOPSELLER Bliss. O Comboio Errado é um dos primeiros títulos e uma grande aposta. Nota-se o claro direccionamento para um público jovem, mas ainda assim o autor consegue uma narrativa consistente o suficiente para que qualquer adulto tenha, pelo menos, a curiosidade de ir até ao fim. Tudo começa com um pequeno rapaz a entrar num comboio, que para ele é o do costume, sem bateria no telemóvel, mas descansado que o pai o irá buscar à paragem habitual. Quando dá por si, as estações sucedem-se sem que o comboio pare. Porém, o comboio lá pára e ele decide sair do comboio. É aqui que tudo começa - com o rapaz, um idoso e o seu cão.
Na arte de contar histórias de terror, principalmente para os mais novos, há que conseguir prender, assustar, mas não ser demasiado agressivo ao ponto de provocar um medo demasiado arrebatador. Há tempo para lá se chegar quando se é adulto. Ainda assim, mesmo já eu tendo os meus cheios 29 anos, o autor conseguiu-me surpreender logo com a primeira história. Lembro-me tão bem da sensação: "se continuar a ler este livro provavelmente vou ter pesadelos". E então parei e prometi a mim mesma que iria ler apenas um por dia, para ser intenso o suficiente para usufruir da leitura, mas não tão intenso que fosse dormir com aquelas vibrações. Ahah, chamem-me mariquinhas, mas pensei mesmo isto. Mais tarde descobri que afinal as histórias não eram assim tão assustadoras (ou então era eu que estava mais sensível naquele dia), mas eram intrigantes, misteriosas e negras o suficiente para já querer ler várias de seguida.
Todas as histórias são contadas pela perspectiva de crianças ou adolescentes e evocam cheiros, imagens e emoções arrepiantes. Nos interlúdios vamos assistindo às breves interacções entre o nosso rapaz e o velhote, sendo que estava sempre na expectativa de poder acontecer algo logo ali, mas Jeremy de Quidt foi inteligente e perspicaz ao conduzir o desfecho para uma espécie de jogo final. Quando se ouvem cerca de oito histórias, todas elas assustadoras, de seguida, será que dá para escolher sequer uma preferida? E que jogo é este de que o velhote fala? Este é um livro que pode funcionar muito bem na época de Halloween que se aproxima, mas não só. Se querem introduzir o género de terror aos vossos adolescentes mais próximos, este é um excelente começo, colocando a fasquia suficientemente alta para futuras referências.
December 19, 2021
An excellent horror story with the best original horror infused in it.
August 3, 2017
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
While I typically don't read a lot in terms of short stories, every now and again a short story collection comes along that really grabs my attention. This is often the case when it comes to horror - so when I saw this was coming out, I was super excited for it. Thank you to Scholastic for sending me a copy of this - it was such a creepy read!
The thing that made this book even neater than just being a book full of creepy short stories was that the short stories were actually stories being told within the main story. That I think that gave the book a different and unique kind of feel that we don't see too often. I've read other short story collections that were all separate short stories, and in that I mean that they weren't really connected. But all the stories in this book were actually stories being told by an old man, who was one of the two main characters in the book. Let me go into further detail:
In the book, the story starts off with a young boy who accidentally takes the wrong train to get back to the station he needs to be at to get home. Well, he gets on a train that takes him into the middle of nowhere, and once he is dropped off there, he isn't sure where he is or how to get back - and there is a creepy old man and his dog, both of which come to talk to him until the next train comes.
Only talking to the old man leads him into telling the boy stories...stories that are creepy, thrilling, and downright spine-tingling.
Nanny's Little Candle was the first story that the old man tells the boy - a story about a girl moving into a new home, discovering something from an old woman who lived there, and uncovering a shocking story. The way that this story ended was unlike anything I had expected, but it was so brilliant and honestly I thought it was a great start for the book. This was actually probably my favorite story in the book.
The Security Light is the next story that the old man tells, and while this was kind of creepy, I wasn't as chilled or terrified as I was with the first story. The story is about a girl who is home alone for a night while her parents go out for a few hours, and the power goes off. However, the security light in the back keeps blinking on and off, and she senses that something more sinister is lurking around. It was a really tense kind of story, and it was good, but the ending kind of cut off a bit abruptly and I was hoping for something scarier than that.
Your Lucky Day tells the story of a boy who gets a surprise when his father shows him the old car that he bought. The boy has a creepy vibe from the car, and he didn't like it - especially when it became clear to him that maybe the previous owner of the car might still be with them...
Babysitting was good, but really weird. It was the story about a teenage girl who frequently babysits, so when her mother leaves a message for her telling her she has a job, she goes there by herself to watch the kids. Only when she gets there, she finds out that the kids that are there are a bit odd...as is everything else about the house. Kids are always creepy in horror stories, so I really did enjoy this one.
Picture Me was another weird story, but it was a good one. A family comes across a photo album, and when the woman's granddaughter looks through the photos, she sees weird pictures of the older woman frightened or staring at the camera. Soon after, she begins to notice that there are pictures like this on her cell phone, but of her, and it starts freaking her out - especially when the pictures disappear as soon as she tries to show them to anyone.
Soot is a creepy story about a family who hears a strange sound in the chimney, but the father blames it on a baby bird who must have fallen out of the nest. So he decides to break through the wall to find the bird, since they have to remodel anyway, only to find out the bird isn't there - all the father finds in the chimney is a little boy's boot. Things start to get weird with the main character's little brother after that, in a very creepy way.
Dead Molly was another of my favorites in this book - it was really creepy and I loved the whole "in a dream" type of premise that the story had going on. The whole story had me wondering whether or not the main character was really experiencing the stuff that was going on, and the whole story was just incredibly bone chilling.
The Black Forest Chair was the last story in the book, and it was probably the most lackluster story in the book, at least in my opinion. I'm not sure why, but I really didn't care much for this story. It tells of a boy who comes into possession of a strange bear shaped chair when his mother brings it home, and he starts to see weird things. It was a little slower than the others, and for whatever reason I didn't really feel like it was all that creepy - just weird. I was hoping it would have been a better story to end on.
After all of these stories are told, and before the train comes to pick up the boy, the old man tells him that in order for the train to come, he has to pick one of the stories as his favorite. The boy doesn't want to, but he inevitably chooses one so that he can just get out of the nightmare he feels like he is stuck in. He doesn't realize why the old man was telling him to choose, or what he meant by having the boy "play his game."
This was such a delightfully creepy book, and those who are a fan of horror ought not to miss this one. There are a lot of chilling moments. This would make a really great book to take along on a camping trip, having everyone take turns going around the campfire telling the stories, so it's fitting that this book came out in the summer.
This is a pretty short yet exciting book - I finished it in a single afternoon, and it's really gripping to the point where you won't want to put it down.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!
While I typically don't read a lot in terms of short stories, every now and again a short story collection comes along that really grabs my attention. This is often the case when it comes to horror - so when I saw this was coming out, I was super excited for it. Thank you to Scholastic for sending me a copy of this - it was such a creepy read!
The thing that made this book even neater than just being a book full of creepy short stories was that the short stories were actually stories being told within the main story. That I think that gave the book a different and unique kind of feel that we don't see too often. I've read other short story collections that were all separate short stories, and in that I mean that they weren't really connected. But all the stories in this book were actually stories being told by an old man, who was one of the two main characters in the book. Let me go into further detail:
In the book, the story starts off with a young boy who accidentally takes the wrong train to get back to the station he needs to be at to get home. Well, he gets on a train that takes him into the middle of nowhere, and once he is dropped off there, he isn't sure where he is or how to get back - and there is a creepy old man and his dog, both of which come to talk to him until the next train comes.
Only talking to the old man leads him into telling the boy stories...stories that are creepy, thrilling, and downright spine-tingling.
Nanny's Little Candle was the first story that the old man tells the boy - a story about a girl moving into a new home, discovering something from an old woman who lived there, and uncovering a shocking story. The way that this story ended was unlike anything I had expected, but it was so brilliant and honestly I thought it was a great start for the book. This was actually probably my favorite story in the book.
The Security Light is the next story that the old man tells, and while this was kind of creepy, I wasn't as chilled or terrified as I was with the first story. The story is about a girl who is home alone for a night while her parents go out for a few hours, and the power goes off. However, the security light in the back keeps blinking on and off, and she senses that something more sinister is lurking around. It was a really tense kind of story, and it was good, but the ending kind of cut off a bit abruptly and I was hoping for something scarier than that.
Your Lucky Day tells the story of a boy who gets a surprise when his father shows him the old car that he bought. The boy has a creepy vibe from the car, and he didn't like it - especially when it became clear to him that maybe the previous owner of the car might still be with them...
Babysitting was good, but really weird. It was the story about a teenage girl who frequently babysits, so when her mother leaves a message for her telling her she has a job, she goes there by herself to watch the kids. Only when she gets there, she finds out that the kids that are there are a bit odd...as is everything else about the house. Kids are always creepy in horror stories, so I really did enjoy this one.
Picture Me was another weird story, but it was a good one. A family comes across a photo album, and when the woman's granddaughter looks through the photos, she sees weird pictures of the older woman frightened or staring at the camera. Soon after, she begins to notice that there are pictures like this on her cell phone, but of her, and it starts freaking her out - especially when the pictures disappear as soon as she tries to show them to anyone.
Soot is a creepy story about a family who hears a strange sound in the chimney, but the father blames it on a baby bird who must have fallen out of the nest. So he decides to break through the wall to find the bird, since they have to remodel anyway, only to find out the bird isn't there - all the father finds in the chimney is a little boy's boot. Things start to get weird with the main character's little brother after that, in a very creepy way.
Dead Molly was another of my favorites in this book - it was really creepy and I loved the whole "in a dream" type of premise that the story had going on. The whole story had me wondering whether or not the main character was really experiencing the stuff that was going on, and the whole story was just incredibly bone chilling.
The Black Forest Chair was the last story in the book, and it was probably the most lackluster story in the book, at least in my opinion. I'm not sure why, but I really didn't care much for this story. It tells of a boy who comes into possession of a strange bear shaped chair when his mother brings it home, and he starts to see weird things. It was a little slower than the others, and for whatever reason I didn't really feel like it was all that creepy - just weird. I was hoping it would have been a better story to end on.
After all of these stories are told, and before the train comes to pick up the boy, the old man tells him that in order for the train to come, he has to pick one of the stories as his favorite. The boy doesn't want to, but he inevitably chooses one so that he can just get out of the nightmare he feels like he is stuck in. He doesn't realize why the old man was telling him to choose, or what he meant by having the boy "play his game."
This was such a delightfully creepy book, and those who are a fan of horror ought not to miss this one. There are a lot of chilling moments. This would make a really great book to take along on a camping trip, having everyone take turns going around the campfire telling the stories, so it's fitting that this book came out in the summer.
This is a pretty short yet exciting book - I finished it in a single afternoon, and it's really gripping to the point where you won't want to put it down.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!
September 5, 2021
Okay, I've given this five stars but I'm not sure how much I really enjoyed it! I mean, I kept reading and stuff because the stories were so compelling, but they were also completely terrifying and creepy. I read this book in bed a couple of times and found that I had to read a couple of chapters of a nice fluffy contemporary before putting my light out to un-freak myself.
So the premise is that one night this boy gets on the wrong train home. He realises his mistake and gets off the train as soon as he can, but the place he disembarks turns out to be a way station, not a real station. His phone dies so he just has to sit in the dark and wait for the next train to come through. Then this creepy old guy comes along and starts telling the boy stories.
Spoiler alert: none of the stories have a happy ending.
The stories are really good and all have a central theme of a young person unwittingly awakening some malevolent force. They are super creepy. I was freaked. I would peg these stories as The Shining level of creepiness, and like I said before I had to read something else for a bit before trying to get off to sleep.
If you like your stories weird and creepy, I would definitely recommend this one. I really enjoyed it.
So the premise is that one night this boy gets on the wrong train home. He realises his mistake and gets off the train as soon as he can, but the place he disembarks turns out to be a way station, not a real station. His phone dies so he just has to sit in the dark and wait for the next train to come through. Then this creepy old guy comes along and starts telling the boy stories.
Spoiler alert: none of the stories have a happy ending.
The stories are really good and all have a central theme of a young person unwittingly awakening some malevolent force. They are super creepy. I was freaked. I would peg these stories as The Shining level of creepiness, and like I said before I had to read something else for a bit before trying to get off to sleep.
If you like your stories weird and creepy, I would definitely recommend this one. I really enjoyed it.
July 28, 2017
Nope. I am a wimp and this is creepy.
September 2, 2016
I haven't really read any books that have genuinely creeped me out... until now. This had so many moments where I really wanted to just put the book down. Full review to come.
July 2, 2020
I regularly get asked for more 'scary stories' - but there isn't a huge amount out there (that I have found) that is scary enough for those students who want it... but not too scary as to completely freak them out! (Stephen King scary!!)
The Wrong Train might just be one of those books that strikes a balance. It was definitely pretty freaky, but with none of the violence or abject horror that would be inappropriate in an intermediate school library.
A boy gets onto the wrong train. When he realises he gets off, planning to catch the next train back the way he has come. He finds himself alone on a deserted platform, until a strange old man appears with a small dog. The man starts telling him stories, which put the boy increasingly on edge.
Each story is a standalone short story, but the narrative returns to the station between each one, so making this book a little more than a collection of short stories.
The overall concept is freaky in itself, and each of the individual stories definitely freaked this reader out! I think it will be a popular book amongst our older students!
The Wrong Train might just be one of those books that strikes a balance. It was definitely pretty freaky, but with none of the violence or abject horror that would be inappropriate in an intermediate school library.
A boy gets onto the wrong train. When he realises he gets off, planning to catch the next train back the way he has come. He finds himself alone on a deserted platform, until a strange old man appears with a small dog. The man starts telling him stories, which put the boy increasingly on edge.
Each story is a standalone short story, but the narrative returns to the station between each one, so making this book a little more than a collection of short stories.
The overall concept is freaky in itself, and each of the individual stories definitely freaked this reader out! I think it will be a popular book amongst our older students!
March 30, 2017
The wrong train
By Jeramy de Quidt
This is a juicy book of short stories that will make your back shiver. The book is about a boy who gets on the wrong train; he thinks it is fine but he soon finds out it was the biggest mistake of his life.
The boy gets of the train and finds him self at a platform but it is not much of a platform. When he realizes he has got off at the wrong place he tries to ring his dad but his phone is out of battery. He waits a bit longer and a old man with a dog appears. The old man suggests that he should tell a story so the time goes faster but that didn't help one bit.
My favorite bit was in one of the short stories where the girl in the story has to go and baby sit for two children or is it three...
If you like short stories you will love this amazing book with lots of fabulous short stories. Which story would you pick?
By Jeramy de Quidt
This is a juicy book of short stories that will make your back shiver. The book is about a boy who gets on the wrong train; he thinks it is fine but he soon finds out it was the biggest mistake of his life.
The boy gets of the train and finds him self at a platform but it is not much of a platform. When he realizes he has got off at the wrong place he tries to ring his dad but his phone is out of battery. He waits a bit longer and a old man with a dog appears. The old man suggests that he should tell a story so the time goes faster but that didn't help one bit.
My favorite bit was in one of the short stories where the girl in the story has to go and baby sit for two children or is it three...
If you like short stories you will love this amazing book with lots of fabulous short stories. Which story would you pick?
February 15, 2020
I love the "wrong train" trope, and some of the stories are genuinely creepy. But the bland and typically YA-style prose had me skimming paragraphs sometimes.
September 17, 2020
I read this book three years ago and really enjoyed it. It's a great gothic/horror book that middle schoolers and teens would enjoy. It is creepy enough -- not too scary or grotesque, more ire and spooky. These stories would be great to read aloud with a flash light in the dark. ENJOY!
November 8, 2019
Ogni tanto leggo con piacere qualche racconto ‘di paura’ per ragazzi; Jeremy de Quidt non l’avevo mai sentito nominare, ma la copertina del libro aveva attirato la mia attenzione, e poi sono una pendolare e coi treni ci lotto ogni giorno, e così…
Lettura carina; Goodreads non consente le mezze stelline, quindi non posso mostrare il voto preciso, che sarebbe di 3.5. Se lo stile fosse stato un po’ più suggestivo avrei dato anche di più, perché i racconti sono inquietanti, pur nella loro semplicità, visto il pubblico di riferimento.
Abbiamo questo ragazzino che una sera riesce a prendere il treno al volo, dopo una corsa a perdifiato, ma ben presto si accorge di essere salito su quello sbagliato. Alla prima fermata il ragazzo scende, e si pente, rendendosi conto di non trovarsi in una stazione ma in una banchina isolata, con poca luce a schiarire le tenebre, una panchina e nient’altro.
A parte un vecchio signore che gli si fa incontro. Reca con sé una lanterna, e ha con sé un cagnolino; lo sconosciuto sembra amichevole, si offre di tenergli compagnia fino all'arrivo del treno successivo, e per ingannare l’attesa si mette a raccontare storie terrorizzanti con protagonisti ragazzini destinati a fare una brutta fine.
E devo dire che sì, l’immaginazione di de Quidt è davvero crudele. Dovendo fare un paragone con altri scrittori horror per ragazzi, mi viene in mente Chris Priestley, con la differenza che i ragazzini di Priestley sono quasi sempre degli stronzetti arroganti e presuntuosi, che in genere hanno fatto del loro meglio per meritare la fine ingrata che fanno. I ragazzini di de Quidt si ritrovano invece vittime di situazioni orribili senza averne alcuna colpa, il che ti porta a dispiacerti per loro (anziché pensare ‘hah, ti sta bene, piccolo mostro!’).
Comunque, se una sera sbagliaste treno, non scendete a una fermata in mezzo al nulla. E se un inquietante vecchio insiste perché siate voi a raccontargli una storia di paura, cercate di inventarvi qualcosa: non avete niente da perdere.
Lettura carina; Goodreads non consente le mezze stelline, quindi non posso mostrare il voto preciso, che sarebbe di 3.5. Se lo stile fosse stato un po’ più suggestivo avrei dato anche di più, perché i racconti sono inquietanti, pur nella loro semplicità, visto il pubblico di riferimento.
Abbiamo questo ragazzino che una sera riesce a prendere il treno al volo, dopo una corsa a perdifiato, ma ben presto si accorge di essere salito su quello sbagliato. Alla prima fermata il ragazzo scende, e si pente, rendendosi conto di non trovarsi in una stazione ma in una banchina isolata, con poca luce a schiarire le tenebre, una panchina e nient’altro.
A parte un vecchio signore che gli si fa incontro. Reca con sé una lanterna, e ha con sé un cagnolino; lo sconosciuto sembra amichevole, si offre di tenergli compagnia fino all'arrivo del treno successivo, e per ingannare l’attesa si mette a raccontare storie terrorizzanti con protagonisti ragazzini destinati a fare una brutta fine.
E devo dire che sì, l’immaginazione di de Quidt è davvero crudele. Dovendo fare un paragone con altri scrittori horror per ragazzi, mi viene in mente Chris Priestley, con la differenza che i ragazzini di Priestley sono quasi sempre degli stronzetti arroganti e presuntuosi, che in genere hanno fatto del loro meglio per meritare la fine ingrata che fanno. I ragazzini di de Quidt si ritrovano invece vittime di situazioni orribili senza averne alcuna colpa, il che ti porta a dispiacerti per loro (anziché pensare ‘hah, ti sta bene, piccolo mostro!’).
Comunque, se una sera sbagliaste treno, non scendete a una fermata in mezzo al nulla. E se un inquietante vecchio insiste perché siate voi a raccontargli una storia di paura, cercate di inventarvi qualcosa: non avete niente da perdere.
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