Issue No 2. Sliding into: Horror

Scared yet? In our second issue, we dive into all kinds of spooky, witchy, and supernatural stories – and we reveal why horror has more to do with children’s literature than you might think.

Need a break from your responsibilities or want to let out your creativity? These two printable coloring pages will get you in the mood for spooky season!

To celebrate the second issue of SLIDING, let’s take a look at one of the most prolific figures in horror media: the gothic child. Dive into what that means and check out how the video games on this list flip the usual narrative from the evil child to the one who must survive. 

R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps may be just another nostalgic piece of 90s media for some, as they remember the creepy covers and formulaic plots of the books. But their trademark twist endings do more than deliver cheap thrills: they unsettle readers and even challenge the reliability of child narrators. This article takes a closer look at how the series balances predictability and surprise –  and how this makes Goosebumps relevant today.

A chilling narrative poem about a weary traveller who seeks rest in a motel storeroom, only to discover that the cries of a woman behind a locked door conceal a far more terrifying truth.

This article (or essay?) reflects on Langston Hughes’s poetry. While Hughes is celebrated for his lyrical portrayals of everyday life and his role as a Harlem Renaissance pioneer, the essay centres on his 1938 poem The Kids Who Die, which denounces systemic oppression and commemorates the young lives lost in struggles for justice. Connecting Hughes’s historical context to contemporary realities of war, displacement, and violence against children, the piece challenges readers, parents, caretakers, and scholars to rethink how we read poetry and confront dreadful truths about children’s welfare.

Creepychantas was created as a space to share content that is not usually present in mainstream media. Conversations between two friends regarding true crime, creepypastas, myths and legends from all over the world, conspirative theories, paranormal events and more can be listened to in the podcast, read in their book, and commented on their social media-based community. Here we explore the reach of this multimedia phenomenon.

From evil, child-eating women in candy houses to healers. Witches have been covered in children’s literature for centuries. But what really is a witch, and how do the fictional witches connect to the historical witch trials? This article dives into the figure of the witch and introduces five middle-grade witches.

How does the action comic series ‘I Kill Giants’ fit into horror? This book review touches upon the use of fantasy as an escape from reality, and how fear does not need to come from the supernaturals for dread to settle in one’s stomach.

Join us for a spooky read-aloud of Jon Klassen’s … picturebook The Skull. Make yourself a cup of tea, cut up a pear, and listen to Cara read this hilarious folktale adaptation.

A woman returns to a secluded inn from her past, only to discover that time has not touched the place—or the people within it. As whispers coil through the halls and the enigmatic Seraphine reveals the inn’s true nature, Evelyn must fight against both supernatural forces and human obsession to escape before she becomes another memory trapped within its walls.