This book examines six different monsters that appear in YA fiction: vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, unicorns, angels, and demons. Beginning with a discussion of the meaning of monsters in cultures all over the world, subsequent chapters discuss the history and most important incarnations of the aforementioned monsters. Titles featuring the same kind of monsters are compared, and interviews with authors provide insight into why they wrote these titles and information on why they are important. The bibliography at the end of the volume includes a comprehensive list of titles featuring the various monsters.

Joni Richards Bodart is assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University. She is the author of The World's Best Thin Books: What to Read When Your Book Report is Due Tomorrow (Scarecrow, 2000), Radical Reads: 101 YA Novels on the Edge (Scarecrow, 2002), and Radical Reads 2: Working with the Newest Edgy Titles for Teens (Scarecrow, 2010).