Although written for young readers, Stephen King fans of all ages will find much to enjoy about this book. It takes you back to King's early childhood, a time when he first realized he enjoyed being frightened, and takes us through his life and career with an interesting look at his books and adaptations of them at the end. While I'm not a regular reader of King, I mean, I don't like being scared, I know I was astonished to see it all in one place, in order, of his writings. Heck, the author even mentions some of King's college aged, more or less, poetry, as well as his various collaborations throughout the years. There are lots and lots of photos, too, not just of King but of his book covers and some of the memorable movie scenes adapted from his work, including two of my favorites, "Stand By Me" (from "The Body") and "The Green Miles" with Tom Hanks. I'm not sure I even knew he was responsible for "Shawshank Redemption" so, well, make that three of my favorites.

In any case, if you want to know where King was in both his life and, so to speak, his head at the time of his multitude of writings, you'll find this book fascinating. I know I did. It was all quite fascinating. I'll also note that while it doesn't delve into the troubled areas of his life, it doesn't sugar-coat it, either, making for genuinely revealing information. I really came to appreciate his wife, too, throughout the story. Most know the story of how she,Tabitha/Tabby (whose photo is shared), rescued his first major hit, "Carrie" from the trash, we also learn how it eventually found a publisher. And, oh, we also learn that while "Carrie" made King famous, he'd also been writing for some twenty years and been published, just not to acclaim. And, and, and....so much more.

The author does an excellent job not only delving into King's life but connecting life experiences that sparked ideas and even made their way into various novels over the years. You'll definitely come away with a new, improved idea of what is in each and how it came to be, not to mention reminded that despite his prolific ability to write book after book, King never found it easy. That's a good reminder for aspiring writers. Nope, it isn't easy. And, oh, speaking of the writing process, one of my personal favorite books by King, his "On Writing", came about after the accident that came close to taking his life. Details of that are in the book.

Bottom line, if you're a fan or simply curious about Stephen King and his books/writing process, this is an excellent start. Not only are there great photos but the author gives us a selected bibliography and end notes and the appendix is broken down to include books and adaptations. Seeing that lengthy list written down in one place is impressive, at least it was to me. Thanks #QuartoPublishingGroup and #becker&meyer / #becker&meyerKids for sharing this early, fun look into Stephen King's life and work. I had no idea. I'm feeling the urge to go back and reread some of those books now that I know more about where they came from.

Focuses a bit too much on book plots in my opinion — some summaries even flat out give the ending of the novel— but the information around King and his life is solid. Extensive endnotes & sources. There's not many biographies written for teens on authors they actually like to read, so I have a feeling this will circ very well during our school's yearly biography report.

This was a pretty thorough look at all of Stephen King books and I couldn’t stop reading. It was nice to read about his current works as well as how his career began. Also nice to learn about his own books provided clarity about his own life and were instrumental in helping him heal from painful events. I always enjoy reading about Stephen King. Definitely an informative book that I would recommend to anyone who is a Stephen King fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

A must have for every Stephen King lover! Although designed for young readers, adult King fans will want to devour this too! Filled with info, photos, quotes, and the essence of King's writing and life. Highly recommended!

This book is a brilliant read and a must-read for Stephen King fans. He is decidedly the king of horror. The book talks about his journey, childhood, struggles, influences, success and works. His story is so well narrated that it's unputdownable. The pictures are like cherries on the top. The book aptly describes what he went through while creating the magic that he presented to us, over the years. I hope to revisit this book a decade later; I am certain I will enjoy it as much as I did this time--or perhaps even more. Ben narrates, "Some people believe it is possible to learn about a writer through a careful reading of his or her work, others think a writer’s work is best understood by knowing the details and circumstances of that person's life. Which way does the mirror point or does it work in both directions." I think it works in both directions. Having a background of his life and journey has inspired me to read his books and I am sure I will relate his works with stories from his life.

My thanks to Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy.

This is a great book for Stephen King fans, I really enjoyed reading all about the process/what was going on in Kings life around the writing of each book. My only criticism is that for some of the book descriptions too much information is given away, fine is you've already read the book but if you were using the book.to navigate your way through and decide which King books to read then some descriptions would spoil the book a bit.