The YA Horror 400 by Tony Jones is released in June
On June 25th long standing Ginger Nuts of Horror and Horror DNA reviewer Tony Jones releases THE YA HORROR 400, an almanac of over 400 reviews of his favourite YA horror novels featured on the site. For the last decade Tony has curated the popular Young Blood Library, the subsection of Ginger Nuts which gives more dedicated coverage to teen horror than anywhere else on the web. It is widely used by school librarians and those who work in both education and the book industry.
Praise for Tony’s YA and adult horror reviewing (he is always in demand) has been universal from authors, other horror websites and school librarians. Here are some comments:
“So many books. Mountains of books. With more and more pouring out each month. Where do you start? Where is the overview that will lead you to your kind of story? Well here’s one, from a receptive and patient reader, whose passion for the genre powers him through a multitude of books each year. Tony has put the hours in, thousands of them, and his knowledge of the modern field is encyclopaedic. His detailed thoughts are always worth reading, so let his experience guide you.”
Praise for The YA Horror 400: Your Go-To Almanac for YA Horror.
ADAM L. G. NEVILL (author of The Ritual and Last Days)
“Tony’s commitment to connecting young readers to the horror genre is unmatched. In my work on award committees, his recommendations always add to my reading lists, and our conversations about books and their authors never fail to impress me with his deep love for stories, the people who create them, and the readers who devour them.”
MICHAEL THOMAS FORD – Shirley Jackson Award and Bram Stoker Award finalist
“Tony Jones brings his knowledge and passion as a librarian and one of the horror genre’s best reviewers to The YA Horror 400, to create a treasure trove of information on the most chilling, addictive, and fun reads in Young Adult and Middle Grade horror. Tony has long championed the horror novels in this space and I can’t think of a better tour guide through these genres. This is exactly the sort of book I wish I had when I was younger, but now I look forward to reading this with my own daughter!”
RICH DUNCAN – Founder of The Horror Bookshelf/ Co-host The Ink Heist Podcast
“Tony Jones is one of the great examples of a professional, critical reviewer in the horror genre. Critical in the sense of his deep analysis of what he’s reading. His reviews – and by way of this approach, his interviews and other articles – always take a multi-faceted approach, expertly providing a full sense of the reading experience, while still managing to eschew spoilers.
While this talent extends to all horror and genre work, it’s in the YA field where Jones has blazed a trail, with his work on the Young Blood Library at the Ginger Nuts of Horror in particular lifting up horror for younger readers long before it achieved mainstream appeal and when, arguably, it was looked down upon by writers in the adult horror sphere.
Today, he has reached a point where it is hard to think of a greater authority in this area, and it is to be hoped that he will continue to fly the flag for those providing a gateway to the genre for years to come.”
KEV HARRISON – This Is Horror (website) and author
“Tony’s knowledge of YA horror books is both remarkable and invaluable. If you need a go-to person for YA horror recs (or horror in general), he is the person. Tony’s insight is crucial resource for any fan of YA horror literature, and this book should be in every library.”
STEVE PATTEE – Horror DNA (US Editor)
“I don’t know anyone with a more extensive knowledge of YA fiction in general, and the horror genre in particular, than Tony. We are both on the shortlisting committee for a book award, and he comes up with so many brilliant titles that the rest of us would otherwise have missed. Horror fiction really is not my genre, so as a librarian in a boys’ school I rely on Tony’s Young Blood reviews to make sure that I’m up to date on the best scary reads for teens.”
TAMSIN FARTHING – School Librarian
“In a school with busy teens it can be a challenge to stay up to date with all genres of fiction and to remain relevant and useful in our recommendations to our students. The advice from Young Blood has been incredibly helpful, the students (and staff) trust the recommendations and have explored writers and subgenres that we would not have thought of. The best example I can give to show its value is that our reluctant teen boys are reading again. To a librarian that is value beyond measure.”
MAZ EVANS – School Librarian
The YA Horror 400: Your Go-To Almanac for YA Horror.
As well as 400 reviews the 410-page almanac also features a host of other sections. Including:
- An incredible 90 original author contributions from those featured in the book: 90 of the world’s best YA horror authors support Tony’s review of their work with their own short piece. The who’s who range of outstanding authors include Kevin Brooks, Kayla Cottingham, Gabriel Dylan, Kathryn Foxfield, Frances Hardinge, Phil Hickes, Amy Lukavics, Amy McCaw, Cliff McNish, Bryony Pierce, Amy Plum, Rory Power, Melinda Salisbury, Darren Shan, Deirdre Sullivan, Erica Waters, JS Wills, Cat Winters and many more.
- 25 interview excerpts with authors featured in the almanac by Tony, hosted by Ginger Nuts, this also include distinguished adult horror authors. Some of those featured are Alden Bell, Alex Bell, Adam Cesare, John Connolly, Michael Thomas Ford, Frances Hardinge, Dave Jeffery, Dawn Kurtagich, Peadar Ó Guilín and many more.
- 40+ subgenre top tip recommendation lists: each section has an informative opening commentary, Tony’s top three tips and a full list of recommendations for every section. A small sample of the 40 sections include, Haunted Houses, Dreams and Nightmares, Coming-of-Age Horror, Dystopian Landscapes, Curses, Folklore, Mental Health, Environmental Terrors, Historical Horror, LGBTQIA+ Representation, Revenge, Science Fiction Horror, Short Stories, Survival Horror, Thrillers, Social Media/Technology, Pandemics, Witchcraft, Zombies and Accessible Adult Horror Fiction.
The YA Horror 400 is supported by an extensive range of appendices aimed at librarians, horror fans, those interested in expanding their interest in YA horror, or parents looking for tips for their children. This includes:
- Fear Factor Analysis: a closer examination at the books which scored 8/10 or higher.
- A Teenage Horror Fan Writes: an eighteen-year-old horror fanatic ranks her top 25 novels of The YA Horror 400.
- The YA Bram Stoker Award: an evaluation of the Horror Writer’s Association annual teen award.
- Best of the Last Decade: Tony’s top 100 YA horror novels of the previous decade.
- YA Horror in the Mainstream: a look at YA horror novels which have made waves in the book prize scene beyond the horror genre.
- Teens and Book Clubs: provides many tips in getting teens engaged with reading, using Tony’s senior book club as an example.
- Older Recommendations: Tony provides further lists of older YA horror novels to explore.
- Adult Horror Recommendations: If you are looking to expand your horror collection beyond the basics of Stephen King, this is an excellent place to start. This features many of Tony’s personal favourites published over the last decade.
This almanac is an essential resource for readers and fans of YA horror and supernatural fiction, presented in a modern and easy-to-read format, to help discover the best reads in the dynamic and evolving teen horror genre. It is also a valuable one-stop-shop for librarians and others working in education keen to develop their knowledge of this explosive genre.
The fact that so many (NINETY!) leading YA horror authors were willing to contribute to The YA Horror 400 illustrates the high regard the industry has for Tony’s reviewing and the Young Blood section of The Ginger Nuts of Horror.
About the Author
Tony has been a school librarian since 1994 and over that period has worked in three different secondary schools. He is passionate about encouraging children to read and believes the perfect book is out there for every child. This is Tony’s first book in a decade, he previously coauthored the non-fiction title, Emanuel School at War: the Greatest Scrum That Ever Was. A lifelong horror fan, Tony began reviewing horror novels around 2016. He also reviews extensively for Horror DNA, where he focusses on adult horror fiction.
The final testimony is a tongue in cheek quote one of Tony’s favourite ever authors:
“Tony Jones is a First Ballot Hall of Famer”
SCOTT SIGLER– New York Times No 1 Bestselling Author
As news of the arrival of the YA Horror 400 is slowly filtering into the book world there is considerable advance excitement from both YA and adult horror authors:
“If you’ve ever wished there was an easily accessible almanac of YA horror, I’ve got great news; Tony Jones who has been reviewing and supporting my work since I first started and is one of my biggest professional cheerleaders, is releasing this book!! I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to contribute to it, too. What a cool project! Go Tony!!!”
AMY LUKAVICS – Author of 4 YA horror novels and Bram Stoker nominated
“Awesome! THE guide to YA horror for all librarians and horror fans out there! I’ve discovered so many awesome reads through Tony’s reviews, and some of my all-time favourites. Bring it on!”
GABRIEL DYLAN – Author of Whiteout & Shiver Point series
“What Tony Jones has compiled her is nothing short of phenomenal! How amazing!”
STEVE STRED – adult horror author
The Kindle version of The YA Horror 400 is released on 25th June and is now open for pre-orders. The paperback release date will be announced shortly.
We hope many of you support the project and the Amazon link to the Kindle can be found here: https://amzn.to/3yGdL0H
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