From Hardships to Championships, by Glenn Stout

Good Sports series
Summary:  Baseball is a great sport, but not all players had the home life as kids that nurtured their talent. Babe Ruth, Jim Peirsall, Torii Hunter, Ron LeFlore, and Joe Torre dealt with poverty, abuse, and addiction when young, and had to turn their lives around to play the game they loved. A moving look at the lives of these four great players.

Sandpiper/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Wicked Cruel, by Rich Wallace

Summary: Three separate short stories, all set in the same New Hampshire town, explore the truth behind local urban legends as, for example, sixth-grader Jordan begins seeing a boy from his school who died of injuries after being bullied.

Knopf

Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka

Guys Read series #2

Summary:  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. Walter Dean Myers’ tale diverges from the creepy hijinks of the others, diving into chillingly dark waters. Patrick Carman’s “Ghost Vision” delves into the supernatural. 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.

Walden Pond Press

Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales, by David Lubar

Summary:  Thirty creepy stories about warped technology, revengeful ants, sadistic gym teachers, and other terrifying things. Includes author’s notes on how he got his ideas for these stories.

Starscape

Find it at WCPL

Hey 13! by Gary Soto

Summary: A collection of thirteen short stories about the ups and downs of being thirteen years old.

Holiday House

Haunted Houses, by Robert D. San Souci

Summary: A collection of ten scary stories about haunted houses, pirate treasure, and ghosts. 276 p., Henry Holt.

Find it at WCPL

Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal

Summary: Piri is a city girl, but every year she goes to visit her grandmother Babi on her farm in the country. There is a lot that Piri finds strange, even scary, in the village where Babi lives, especially the ghost in the form of a rooster who supposedly haunts the cemetery. But above all Piri loves country life. During her time with Babi, Piri learns lessons that will stay with her all of her life, about the importance of honest hard work, of caring for the less fortunate, and of having the courage to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. The nine stories in this book were inspired by Aranka Siegal’s own experiences with her grandmother in the Ukrainian village of Komjaty. 116 p., Farrar, Straus & Giroux.