The Art of Fear

"I'm writing scary stories for kids, but they're scary stories for teens and they're scary stories for adults, too. A good scary story has various dimensions and will reveal different truths depending on the reader's own worldview. When writing all-ages horror I let atmosphere and the psychology of fear take the wheel, without leaning into graphic depictions of gore and violence. The real focus is macabre storytelling with mystery and suspense that assumes the dreadful and supernatural is all around us. I wrote this book to get children interested in reading, and to help parents get back to reading aloud with their kids. We  don't have to stop reading aloud with our children as they grow older, and I'm a firm believer that short scary stories with genuinely chilling illustrations can be the perfect introduction to horror and a catalyst for bringing family together for storytelling. A culture of reading is easy and fun when you have the right books. That said, The Book No One Should Open is perfect for solo reading for the very same reasons. Kids want to read the book as soon as they see it, and you know why. As they flip the pages, every story and poem has an eerie illustration that draws them in. They want to understand the plot behind the picture. It's an adventure for them, a whole other experience away from the bright world of children's stories they're accustomed to. That's the allure of The Book No One Should Open- there's excitement, mystery and suspense in exploring the dark things that scare us most, from a safe distance, and in the mere possibility of glimpsing that which we aren't meant to see. We're all curious about the forbidden and the unknown, because it's scary. Fear is fun, and it keeps us reading!" 

N.R. Evans

Author and Illustrator of The Book No One Should Open