The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings

This is a collection of 35 stories where the main feature is the ending. Sometimes it's an unpleasant or a nasty end, sometimes there is an unexpected twist, but usually the ending comes as a complete surprise to the people in the story. You'll meet sinister landladies, deadly coffins, poisonous hats, evil statuettes, murderous monks, and real lions. And you'll find answers to such questions as: what does it feel like to be a ghost? What is living at the bottom of the well? And what should you do if you meet the terrifying Gorgo? The stories are written by well-known writers such as Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, E. Nesbit, T.H. White, John Christopher, and many more. They will thrill, delight, amuse, frighten, and surprise you. But watch out for the end--it could be nasty!

Dennis Pepper is the editor of The Oxford Book of Ghost Stories and The Young Oxford Book of Scary Tales. He lives in England.