Scieszka serves up the second volume in his Guys Read Library, and the spotlight this time is on thrillers. As he did in Guys Read: Funny Business (2010), Scieszka has commissioned new stories from 10 luminaries, such as Margaret Peterson Haddix, Walter Dean Myers, Gennifer Choldenko, and others, including Krosoczka, who has contributed a graphic story about a boy whose snack of fried pudding grants him superpowers. Among the others, Anthony Horowitz offers a witty story about a boy whose older brother is the worst detective in the world, and Matt de la Peña supplies a moving tale about a wishing machine. Although six of the stories find their thrills in the real world, three are ghost stories. (Bruce Hale, meanwhile, finds monsters in a storm drain.) There are more frissons than thrills here, yet boys will surely find these stories to be compelling reads, and that's the point, isn't it?

Scieszka collects ten thrilling boy-aimed stories (and one comic) from well-known authors including M. T. Anderson, Walter Dean Myers, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Anthony Horowitz. Subjects encompass ghosts and criminals, supernatural monsters and Somali pirates. All of the protagonists star in suspenseful narratives that will keep readers turning pages.

This second collection in the Guys Read series packs a dizzying punch. Scieszka has gathered 10 thrilling stories from stellar writers. There are ghost stories, a deeply touching tale of a wish-granting machine and one about monsters that live in storm drains. "Pirate," by Walter Dean Myers, is extraordinary and so unmatched in content that it's an anomaly here. His tale diverges from the creepy hijinks of the others, diving into chillingly dark waters. Abdullah comes from long line of Somali fishermen. The big foreign ships have depleted the fish, and the waters have been polluted by their oil spills. In spare, precise language, Abdullah describes how he and his family have decided to fight back. Armed with AK-47s, Abdullah and a few others hijack a yacht. The confusion and violence that ensues, as Abdullah is charged with guarding a teenage girl, is heartbreaking, terrifying and unshakable. More on par with the rest of the collection, Patrick Carman's "Ghost Vision" delves into the supernatural. Kyle discovers a stack of 1970s comics and orders a pair of glasses from an ad in the back that will allow him to see ghosts. They arrive with a warning never put them on outside his room—there are some things you just don't want to see. Add stories by M.T. Anderson, Matt de la Peña, Jennifer Choldenko and others for a solid collection. This anthology is brimming with choice stuff for guys who appreciate the uncanny, the uncouth and the un-put-down-able. (Short stories. 9-13)