Once Upon a Time in a Dark and Scary Book

<p> Contemporary American horror literature for children and young adults has two bold messages for readers: adults are untrustworthy unreliable and often dangerous; and the monster always wins (as it must if there is to be a sequel).</p><p> Examining the young adult horror series and the religious horror series for children (<I>Left Behind: The Kids</I>) for the first time and tracing the unstoppable monster to Seuss's <I>Cat in the Hat</I> this book sheds new light on the problematic message produced by the combination of marketing and books for contemporary American young readers.</p>