The Scary States of America

by Michael Teitelbaum

Aliens, ghosts, and monsters haunt the pages of this eerie trip around the Scary States of America. With Jason Specter—the nation's unofficial collector of all things paranormalÑas your guide meet the girl in Illinois who can start fires with her mind, the Skunk Ape of Florida that knocks victims flat with its stench, the mischievous Shadow People of Arkansas, the Jersey Devil, the extraterrestrials who take human organs as a souvenir of their trip to Washington, and the wailing ghost of a teenage girl trapped forever in an Oregon lighthouse. Some of these visitors from other worlds don't mean to hurt anyone . . . and some of them do.Warning: All of these stories are based on true events. Are you ready to face the terror in your state?

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Paranormal, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2007

About the author

Michael Teitelbaum has been a writer and editor of children’s books for more than thirty years. He worked on staff as an editor at Golden Books, Grossett & Dunlop, and Macmillan. In addition to The Scary States of America, Michael’s fiction work includes The Very Hungry Zombie: A Parody, and The Very Thirsty Vampire: A Parody both done with artist extraordinaire Jon Apple, published by Skyhorse. His non-fiction work includes writing Jackie Robinson: Champion for Equality, published by Sterling, and The Baseball Hall of Fame, a 2-volume encyclopedia, published by Grolier. He is also the series editor of Great Escapes, true-life acts of incredible courage, published by Harper Collins.
Michael has always had an interest in the paranormal, despite a rather normal childhood in Brooklyn, NY. These days, Michael lives with his wife, Sheleigah, and two talkative cats in an (as yet unhaunted) 180-year-old farmhouse in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of scary stories about the paranormal for teens. The stories are told from the point of view of a teen who runs a paranormal blog on the internet. A scary story is presented for each state. The stories can be quite dark, but since each story is generally about a different protagonist and is only 7 or 8 pages long, readers won't feel too much anxiety for the characters, which might be a good thing for teens who are reading horror for the first time. For more experienced readers, these stories will feel quite tame.

One thing to note is that this was published in 2007, so the attempts to reference the internet feel a bit dated. Everything is about blogs and there's no mention of YouTube or social media. For those of us who are older, we can imagine such a world, but for actual teens it might be even harder to believe that than the ghost and alien stories that are presented.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite scary story books! Some of the stories are kind of scary and some are scary enough to have second thoughts about airplane lights in the sky. I've read this several times and it's quite bent up. Great book for sitting around a campfire!

[4adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had me on the edge of my seat the whole 500 pages it was the best book I have ever read!!! It is a must read book if you like ACTION, HAIR RAISING, SCARY, FUNNY, JUST PLAIN OUT GREAT!!! I think anyone of any age would like it. I admit it i do not like books i am a very picky reader and i hate reading books over 100 pages but i was looking in a book order form and saw it and the word that set me was scary i just love the rush of being scared. That day i went home and told my mom about it. Now i get so many books because i want them and i usually do not read them when i get them because i just get a sick feeling when i see a book i get stressed. But my mom is so nice she gave in to my sad face look i give and she got me it. Now it took almost half the school year a wait but i forgot i even ordered it after a week. Then one boring class day in 5th grade it came i felt sick again because i thought i was going to be short like most of the other ones i get. S o i waited until i got on the bus to start but when i did i was going i read all the way home it was a 30 min drive and then i got home my mom said hi but it was to late i was sucked into the book i was in a land of horror i loved it i kept reading for hours my mom was amazed she eventually got mad i read so much. My mom called me for dinner and i said i would be out i did not realty come out until 30 min went by. that night i went to bed i was sad and wanted it to be morning. first thing in the morning i woke up and grabbed my book ran to the bus stop and read. at school i got in trouble for reading during class but that did not stop me. I know you are tired of me writing so ill put it in a nut shell i read for ever and people had to stop me from reading. I eventually read it 3 to 5 times in 3 months i loved it. Today here i am and i cant find it my mom said someone might of stole it but i know she took it from me to stop reading i always hope i can find another copy. If anyone has one and is kind enough to donate to a good poor cause please it been a year im dying to read it again. HELP!!!

[Cody Greilich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like kind of scary stories, I highly recommend you to read this. This story makes you want to keep reading, and all of the stories in here are very interesting. There are 50 stories, there is one story for every state. Overall great book.

[Kaveesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because I'm really into horror and scary stories and I also read this book in the past and decided to read it again. The book features a character called Jason Specter who gets people to write in scary stories about each state of America. There is a story for each state and while most of the stories are encounters people besides Jason have experienced, some of them are stories about Jason's paranormal encounters.
A setting that I found interesting was the alien planet in the story A Lifetime of Visitations send in by a person in Massachusetts. In the story Jean Altman was always abducted by aliens ever since childhood and the aliens always take her to their home planet. Part of their planet is described as "a mist-covered lake and lush, tropical vegetation". Even a sentence that small made me want to go live there as it sounded beautiful without any sort of pollution.
One of the quotes I liked is a quote from the story Dead Man Talking set in Wyoming. The quote is said by the ghost of Cedric Malcove who haunts his cell in the Wyoming Frontier Prison. When Jason visited the prison he heard the ghost say "Innocent" and only that. The ghost repeats the quote many times trying to be proven innocent for a crime he didn't commit. Even though the quote is strong it's powerful especially since the ghost is pleading with grief.
I learned more about different places in America that are actually thought to be haunted and the different ghosts and demons that haunt those place. Paranormal activity is very interesting to me and with the information I got from the book, I also researched more about the so called haunted areas.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, I liked the scary stories about each state in America. I liked them because they were always action packed and you were always wondering what was gonna happen next, and I was always curious about sightings of scary creatures, and about random things that people could not explain. Also I really liked this book because it had good variety, each state had a mini story, and each state had its own unique scary story, that I really enjoyed reading. Overall that's why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend this book to people who like scary stories in the USA.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

bet you could have a lot of fun if you gathered a group of children's librarians together and asked them which requests they get the most from kids. You'd have the standard boring answers like, "mysteries" or "books like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". There would also be the weird answers like, "samurais" and "anything that takes place in Barbados". I'd bet good money that some of the answers would be a mix of both, though. For example, it couldn't have been a month ago when a kid came up to me asking for a book involving aliens. "Do you want real aliens or stories about them?" I asked. The kid wavered a bit, and that was when I knew what book I could have recommended right then and there (had it been on my shelf and available). "The Scary States of America" by Michael Teitelbaum is the title to hand to any kid who wonders where on earth they can find some good old-fashioned scary stories. There's only so many times you can hand someone a copy of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark before they start getting bored. Teitelbaum's book is certainly bereft of creepy pictures, but the images that pop up in this bit of kiddie horror will undoubtedly stay in your mind much longer than you initially anticipated. Hand this out to kids looking for tales of the strange, wild, and weird, but be sure they can handle the spooks (not to mention gore). There's something for everyone in this book.

Here's the concept: There are fifty states in America and for each one our hero, Jason Specter, has collected a spooky tale. Jason is the creator of a very popular blog chronicling every possible supernatural event he can get his hands on. Jason used to be just your average kid, until a close encounter with someone sad and incredibly dead brought the wider weirder world out there to his personal attention. Thanks to his friends in all fifty states, this is a compilation of one story per state. Sometimes these stories involve creatures native only to certain areas. The Skunk Ape of Florida or the Jersey Devil of... well, New Jersey. For other states you'll just hear about ghosts, alien encounters, and other paranormal phenomena of varying levels of danger. Some stories end happily. Some most definitely do not. In the end, Jason encourages his readers to contribute their own scary tales to his website. In the meantime, he asks that people keep their eyes and minds wide open.

First of all, Mr. Teitelbaum has done his research. I was unaware of the existence of such fiends as that moth creature some people believe in or the shadow people. That doesn't mean that there haven't been stories about them before, of course. I just hadn't been aware of some of the regional rumors out there. Of the creatures I acutally had heard of, Teitelbaum knows the rules. For example, when you come across a night marcher in Oahu, it is best to close your eyes and never look at them. That's a given. Having to find 50 regional creepy critters for each and every state can be a bit daunting though, so the author dips into alien abduction tales as well as other mysterious goings on. Basically everything from your classic ghosts, werewolves, and witches meld with the less common bleeding houses and lizard men.

Urban legends never die. They just morph into children's books. Consider pairing this book with the compelling title Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist. Both books deal with otherworldly creatures. One just has the benefits of fiction on its side. Plus, with the sheer length of this book on hand, you can bet that this will keep any kid satisfied and terrified for many long car rides to come. A book that fulfills a need.

[Wild Thorns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is it that I keep coming back to these stories?!?!?!

[Tyler Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scary States of America was quite possibly my favorite childhood book. A single story in particular (Deleware or Connecticut) kept me up at night, and I always saw it as a brilliant metaphor for mental illness. Another story ended with a child character dying and forever haunting a lighthouse, which always bothered me in a world where children could never be harmed. The book did have some duds, but it was always fascinating how each story kept me on my toes. Aliens, ghosts, sasquatch, astral projection, zombies, lizard monsters, mothman, and even sentient shadow people.

I will admit that I was quite upset when I grew up and realized every one of these stories was totally fake. All bullshit. Ironically, what gave it away first was not the outlandish topics or paranormal drivel, but rather its diction; no 10-year-old would ever write in such a complicated, educated manner. Middle school aged children talk like 40-year-old men, almost as if this book was not actually written by a kid! Another sad giveaway was the lack of research behind the Texas story, where our characters are saved from a train by friendly ghost children who died in a train accident; although the legend is long believed to have happened in San Antonio, the real research shows the actual accident happened in Guymon, Oklahoma. Of course, the entire book is bullshit, but I guess my 1o-year-old brain was so willing to believe the paranormal existed.

And that's what made this book so powerful for me. It fueled my desire to search for the unsearchable. It's strange for my tired, worn-out, bill-paying, responsibilities-having adult self to think I was once obsessed with unprovable concepts like ghosts and bigfoot. The book enthused its readers to go on their own haunted journeys and did just that. So many cemeteries searched, so many woods camped in. It was a large piece of my childhood.

There's a promise for a whole line of these books, but nothing ever came to my knowledge. I waited tirelessly for a sequel to Scary States, but I was entertained endlessly by rereading this book hundreds and hundreds of times.

[ishipusuk22101gmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 4th grade and again now in my junior year of high school. It is just as great of a book as I remember it being! It is just scary enough to give me a thrill.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting to read. I usually read this book again during Halloween to get into the spirit.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this book as a kid and wanted to reread for nostalgia’s sake <3

[Joshua Hair · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Ignore the fact that the author tries to play the narrator off as far too young and this would be a perfect children's horror collection.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

THE SCARY STATES OF AMERICA is a collection of 50 short stories, one for each state, about paranormal experiences ranging from ghosts and supernatural creatures to aliens and crop circles. The stories are framed by the narrative of Jason Specter, a 12-year-old collector of all things scary and bizarre. Though presented as "true" stories from readers Jason has reached through his website, both the character of Jason and the stories are fictional, though the cover notes they are "based on true events."

The variety of the stories is what makes them most appealing. Some are standard fare: the hitchhiking ghost, the aliens who kidnap people to run invasive tests on them. Many, however, are unusual takes on the familiar, like the vicious Bigfoot a bear photographer runs into and the heartbroken ghost haunting a toy store, or unique creatures and tales which will be new to most readers, like those of the skunk ape and the shadow people. Part of the enjoyment is in wondering how much of each story might really have happened, and what you would do in similar situations.

Be warned: many of the stories are quite scary, and some rather graphic when it comes to blood and gore. Many times the teller of the tale barely survives to tell about it, and some have come out of it quite a bit worse for wear. The most exciting stories are those in which Jason plays a direct part, often risking life and limb. Readers will appreciate his skeptical yet open-minded approach.

Though those hoping to catch a glimpse into real recorded paranormal events will have to look elsewhere, this book will make a fun read for those who simply like a good scare. Bring it along to your next campfire or sleepover and read a few aloud in the dark. Chills are guaranteed!

[Beck Farris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a scary story collection for children that I bought at Sweet Pickle Books for I think $6? And I won’t fucking lie at all. I loved reading this. It made me so happy. It’s the last book I ever read while on the clock at The American Museum of Natural History. And I’m so glad

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in my teen chapter-a-day online book club & thought it sounded good.
I am not a big fan of short stories, but this was all right. I think it would definitely appeal to someone who is a borderline reader, since it is the kind of book you can pick up & put down easily, withouth being stopped in the middle of a chapter. I also think it would appeal to tweens more than teens.
One thing that was different about this book in comparison to other collections of stories is the way the stories were presented.
Each chapter is about a weird or terrifying tale, based supposedly on true events, that happened in one of the states. They are presented in alphabetical order. The chapter starts with a little snippet of information, usually something that might be surprising to most people. The next section is a conversation between the 'author' of the book & the teller of the tale - it reads (to me), the way normal kids would carry on a conversation between themselves. Then the actual story follows.

[Krystl Louwagie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short scary/paranormal story for every state in the US. It's presented in a way for younger readers, and for me, that made it all too fictional, even if they were "based on true stories", none of them felt that way because the format of the book, etc. Let me explain: the book opens with a teenage boy who had a paranormal experience that profoundly affected him, and since then he's collected stories like his from around the states. The problem is, he inserts himself too much into every story-it happened to him or his friend, old legends relived in a modern, first person type view, and most written in various pretty fake sounding teenage voices. I'd like an adult version of this book with more of just the facts (as crazy as they seemed) instead of connecting every story to one narrator or to present times. It made them all seem unbelievable, even when I'm a person who tends to want to believe.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing I like about this book is that even though it's a collection of people's stories that they claim to be true, Jason Spector, the guy who collected the stories, states in his introduction that he and Michael Teitelbaum aren't saying whether they themselves believe every story 100% or not, and they say that they aren't telling you to believe them or not. Their mostly for entertainment, and if you do believe, great. If not, just enjoy them as stories. I like this because I can read it without feeling like the stories are trying to force me to believe, if that makes sense. I read this book as a fiction book in my opinion, (call me a skeptic!) and enjoyed it as such. I recommend this book to believers of paranormal and non-believers alike.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a paranormal freak, like Jason Specter, the collector of these stories, but I found the stories so gripping, I couldn't put this book down. Maybe I was possessed, or maybe it was the aliens, or maybe something worse...

I have to admit, I didn't believe every story to be true, but there are some that I think really did happen. On a few, the writing is superb, but that might be Teitelbaum's doing.

If you like the book and feel sorry when it ends, fear not...Jason has a website you can visit that contains more true paranormal tales. It's scarystatesofamerica.com.

[Mari]

Scary states of america By Michael Teitelbaum is about The most haunted / Scary places where you may live all around america . The book reveals what people have seen and have witness . I found some places where i have been i honestly freaked me out . This book is very nice to read when u are bored it makes time fly by really fast Which is a reason i like it . This book is good for people that like to be surprised . i can relate to this book because sometimes i witness scary stuff like some of this stuff . if least favorite part is when the mention blood because i don't like blood

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a really good book. It has 50 true scary stories from each of the 50 United States. This 12-year old boy collects stories from the different states so this is a book that another author helped him put together. (*This must be a good book...I think he has read it at least a dozen times! --mom)

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, normally I like scary books, and I hate to say this but, this one is a little too freaky. It says it is based on true stories, but hey, how can you beleive that when there are "alien abductions".

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago. I don’t remember it well, so I can’t give it a fair rating. I know I liked some of the stories but others were lame, and I didn’t like the one for Michigan which I was looking forward to. Anyway if you are a fan of short ghost stories I suggest this book.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students love this book as a read a loud. The concept of the book hooks listeners and readers in immediately. The stories are scary for young adult readers who have a difficult time deciding the validity of the individual stories.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put this on your bedstead and read one story at a time. Each one is cool onb its own, fifty in a row gets a bit numbing.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories were really creepy and scary. I could barely sleep at night. I kept looking at my window. SCARY!

[Jhon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilove this book because it is very SCARY!!!

[Neon Dinosaur~♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I think back to this book and It's hard to believe its true... But ( Based on True Events ) Never Lies..!!!

[Makenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great for people who like to be scared/

[Amy]

Creepy..