Vacations from Hell

by Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, et al.

Book Overview

Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead? in this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers--Libba Bray ( A Great and Terrible Beauty ), Cassandra Clare ( City of Bones ), Claudia Gray ( Evernight ), Maureen Johnson ( 13 Little Blue Envelopes ), and Sarah Mlynowski ( Bras & Broomsticks )--tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061688738
• ISBN13: 9780061688737
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Magic, Mystery, Myths and legends all in one

This year I have found a renewed interest and love for short fiction. I like anthologies for the opportunity to discover or experience different authors in a short time frame. I had encountered two of the authors in this collection in Geektastic, and enjoyed their work, the other authors in this assortment I had heard fabulous things about, so I wanted to give it a try, I was not disappointed. There are five amazing stories by five gifted authors in this collection and it will wet your appetite to read more by these writers. So come and take a journey through 5 vacations from hell. I am also looking forward to the sister volumes from this one, Love is Hell and Prom Nights From Hell. So let's take a look at each of our contributors and their contribution. Crusin' - Sarah Mlynowski What would you do if you were on a cruise ship with a close friend and a new friend, and the newspaper has stories about passengers going missing. What About if you started noticing people were missing from your ship. What is the newspaper says 'Vampires Attack Cruise Ships'. Would you be scared, or whould you think it is a joke. In this very interesting twist on vampires, and girls just looking to have fun read and find out. Sarah Mlynowski has written numerous novels, Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags and more. Originally from Montreal, Sarah now lives and writes live from New York City. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend - Claudia Gray Claudia Gray is the author of Evernight, Stargazer and Hourglass. Prior to being a fulltime writer she worked as a lawyer, a journalist, a disc jockey, and an extremely poor waitress. She lives in New York City. In this story, Claudia Gray in this story weaves a tale of a women's fraternity of witches, it is a reunion of a coven from university, a group of women who get together every summer with their families, and practice their arts. Their husbands have grown close through these yearly trips but know nothing about their true or ultimate purpose. Cecily Harper hates the annual trips or more importantly she hates her arch nemesis Kathleen Pruitt. Kathleen is prettier, has more money and always puts Cecily down. But these young witches are not suppose to be working major magic on their own. But rivalry can either bring out the best or the worst in a person. Find out what happens in this case. The Law Of Suspects - Maureen Johnson In this story two sisters from the states are visiting France and some distance relatives. They meet strange men and their life starts to go sideways. Unlike Vegas what happens in France may not always stay in France. Maureen Johnson is the critically acclaimed author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Key to the Golden Firebird, Girl at Sea and Suite Scarlett. She lives, writes blogs and tweets from New York City. The Mirror House - Cassandra Clare Mixed families can be bad at the best of times, but what if step brother and step sister kind of have the hots for each other? Wha

Pleasantly Surprised!!!

I had bought this originally because I loved the Mortal Instruments series. I did not know the other authors, but I figured it was worth a shot. I was beyond pleasantly surprised! It is a compilation of short stories about supernatural and weird events that all take place with the characters on vacation. What is so great about this book is now I have knowledge of a handful of other authors to check out now! The first story is a little cheesy, still not bad, and they get better as they go along! I read the whole book in one day, and am now going to try out the rest of the Hell books! Happy reading :)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Did you ever think you had the worst possible vacation ever? Well, pick up VACATIONS FROM HELL and realize that what you think was horrible is just icing on the cake. Five of today's most popular paranormal young adult authors combine their talents in this collection of short stories. This is a compilation that is sure to appeal to everyone. I will admit at the beginning that I've only read works by Sarah Mlynowski and Maureen Johnson in the past, but will definitely be looking forward to reading works by the other three authors now. This collection has something for everyone. For fans of The Blair Witch Project, check out Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray. Four thrill-seeking teenagers on a trip around Europe stumble across scary things in a dark and dangerous forest. For anyone that hated that other girl for one reason or another and wanted to get even, check out I Don't Like Your Girlfriend by Claudia Gray. If you like those twisted ghost stories that are handed down from person to person, then The Law of Suspects by Maureen Johnson is for you. Got a hankering for a bit of dark witchcraft? The Mirror House will make you think twice about looking in mirrors again. And my personal favorite was Cruisin' by Sarah Mlynowski. It was one of those stories where I totally didn't expect the ending. You have to love when a story can do that! The stories are all well-written and blend together perfectly. Each story is the perfect length to sit down and read in a sitting. After reading VACATIONS FROM HELL you will never again complain of a bad holiday! Reviewed by: Jaglvr

The Fantastical Stories Will Appeal to Fans with their Suspense and Surprises

VACATIONS FROM HELL is a win-win. Popular authors with dark and twisting fantasy stories have produced a collection that benefits College Summit, a nonprofit organization that helps students, especially from low-income areas, go to college. This is the latest in a series of anthologies, which include PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL and LOVE IS HELL, to support that cause. Sarah Mlynowski, author of the Magic in Manhattan series, opens the book with "Crusin,'" the story of Liz and Kristin on a cruise. Kristin is determined to lose her virginity and envies the ease with which her friend and roomie picks up dates so quickly. Liz is always disappearing with hot guys or off for meetings. They meet fun girl Hailey and enjoy food, sun and dancing on the ship while Kristin keeps choosing the wrong guys. Rumors abound about people who have recently gone missing on cruises and the supernatural creatures that may have caused those disappearances. By the end of the cruise, readers will find multiple layers in the quests of the girls in this mysterious and very surprising story. EVERNIGHT author Claudia Gray takes readers to the Outer Banks for a gathering of witches. Cecily Harper's mother has been training her for her powers for years in a coven at home, but each summer their family gets together with her mother's college friends. The fathers and brothers are told nothing, and sent to sporting events and activities. All the men think it's just a vacation where the female friends gather. But Cecily is no friend of Kathleen Pruitt. Kathleen is about her age and each year finds some way to torture Cecily. This year Kathleen brings a boyfriend who is gorgeous, interested in being a chef like Cecily, and seems to be the only male she's ever met who really gets her. What does he see in a brat like Kathleen? Kathleen avoids the women's witch trainings, and spends her time hanging on the ever-doting Scott. Cecily begins to think it is all too good to be true. Humor and powers mix here to let both girls know that they need to be careful what they wish for. Clare taps into the dreaded family friend many parents of teens want them to like and the claustrophobic family vacation, and mixes it with powers and imagination. Fantasy readers will enjoy this tale and its justice. Maureen Johnson, author of 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and other well-known young adult dramatic novels, sends Charlotte and Marylou to rural France for their vacation gone wrong in "The Law of Suspects." Charlie, as Charlotte is known, is trying to stop her lifelong habit of telling whoppers. So what if she likes to exaggerate? Her sister is now driving her crazy with her intro Psychology book, trying to diagnose all of Charlie's supposed neuroses. Through a series of odd occurrences, the girls find themselves in a cabin with no neighbors in sight and only a man who comes occasionally with food for company. Charlie breaks her cabin fever with a walk, only to find a strange man in a cabin who tells her horri

Great YA fantasy/horror! 4.5 stars

Vacations from Hell is the third in a series of YA fantasy and horror anthologies. With stories by such YA bestsellers as Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Libba Bray, this most recent installment of the Hell series does not disappoint. All of the stories are interesting and well written, though Libba Bray's is by far the best of the group. They range from heart-warming and inspired to incredibly chilling and horrific. Of the three anthologies, this one falls most squarely into the horror category, with less romance than the others had led me to expect. So if you're looking for paranormal romance, I'd check out the Love is Hell anthology first. Whatever Vacations from Hell lacks in steamy make-outs though, it more than makes up for in grade-A horror and general creepiness. There is some real top-notch YA fantasy happening here, with vampires, and witches, and Satan (oh my!). My advice? Definitely check it out.