An Apple for the Creature

Thirteen original paranormal stories share one setting: school, in its classrooms, assemblies and first-day nerves. The anthology is edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, who also edited Home Improvement: Undead Edition. It includes a Sookie Stackhouse story that has not been published before.

In Harris's "Playing Possum," Sookie Stackhouse brings birthday cupcakes for her nephew's whole class. She comes up one short when the school secretary's angry ex-boyfriend turns up.

Ilona Andrews contributes "Magic Tests." Teenaged Julie is sent undercover by her guardian, Kate Daniels, to a school for exceptional children, where she learns what "exceptional" really means.

Nancy Holder's "VSI" follows FBI agent Claire into a school for Vampire Scene Investigation, mixing forensics with fangs. In "The Bad Hour," by Thomas Sniegoski, Remy Chandler brings his dog Marlowe to an obedience school, where evil has been set loose.

Nine more stories fill out the collection, with contributions from Amber Benson, Rhys Bowen, Mike Carey, Donald Harstad, Steve Hockensmith, Faith Hunter, Marjorie Liu and Jonathan Maberry. Each is a short read, and the tone ranges from comic to menacing, with a creature waiting behind the school door every time.