The Haunted States of America by Ellen Hopkins, et al - OPTIONAL

The Haunted States of America by Ellen Hopkins, et al, 208 pages. SHORT STORIES. Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan), 2024. $18.

Language: PG (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

The United States of America is a melting pot of people, cultures, and lore. Fifty-two authors take fifty-two myths from each of the fifty states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico to tell legends unique to those areas—ghosts, lizard men, and more!

Some of the stories are lighthearted but the majority of them are decidedly not. I loved reading about the creepy monsters I have heard of before and discovering new legends from places I have never been. Your warning is this: be careful about where you go—and what you read!—in the dark.

With a variety of authors, the characters are naturally diverse in race and sexual orientation. The language rating is for Spanish swears. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol and kissing as well as for scary elements. The violence rating is for blood and gore, corpses, death, and mentions of physical abuse, guns, cannibalism, suicide, and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen