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Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
by
Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times bestselling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from t ...more
Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from t ...more
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Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
September 1st 2020
by HarperCollins
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Popular Answered Questions
Lucy
I hope not! These are horror stories, so I doubt it. But I know some of them are based on folktales.
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Start your review of Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Don't Turn Out the Lights is a Middle Grade Horror anthology curated by bestselling author, Jonathan Maberry, as a tribute to Alvin Schwartz's, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
The collection is comprised of 35-spine tingling tales, penned by an impressive list of authors!

I know what some of you may be thinking, Middle Grade though?
I can assure you, quite of few of these stories legit creeped me out. They're quick, fun and each one left me wanting to continue.

There really is something for ever ...more
The collection is comprised of 35-spine tingling tales, penned by an impressive list of authors!

I know what some of you may be thinking, Middle Grade though?
I can assure you, quite of few of these stories legit creeped me out. They're quick, fun and each one left me wanting to continue.

There really is something for ever ...more

Originally hosted on my blog:
https://sadiehartmann.blogspot.com/20...
What a fantastic idea for an anthology! A tribute to one of the most iconic spooky short story collections for all ages. DON'T TURN OFF THE LIGHTS edited by Jonathan Maberry is presented by The Horror Writers Association and published by Harper Collins.
To say I grew up reading SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK is a bit of an understatement. My mom is a major Horror Hound and our home library was filled with adult, young adult, ...more
https://sadiehartmann.blogspot.com/20...
What a fantastic idea for an anthology! A tribute to one of the most iconic spooky short story collections for all ages. DON'T TURN OFF THE LIGHTS edited by Jonathan Maberry is presented by The Horror Writers Association and published by Harper Collins.
To say I grew up reading SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK is a bit of an understatement. My mom is a major Horror Hound and our home library was filled with adult, young adult, ...more

A delightfully creepy tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
If you’re anything like me, you were simultaneously fascinated by and terrified of Schwartz’s Scary Stories books. They were fantastic for scaring yourself silly, and many of them still send shivers down my spine when I think of them now as an adult (The girl with the green ribbon! That one where the head falls down the chimney!)
Don’t Turn Out the Lights is a satisfying homage to Schwartz’s work. Like all collec ...more
If you’re anything like me, you were simultaneously fascinated by and terrified of Schwartz’s Scary Stories books. They were fantastic for scaring yourself silly, and many of them still send shivers down my spine when I think of them now as an adult (The girl with the green ribbon! That one where the head falls down the chimney!)
Don’t Turn Out the Lights is a satisfying homage to Schwartz’s work. Like all collec ...more

Overall Rating : B
"But don't forget, the kid we used to be is still alive in all of us. And the civilized part of us is only one power failure, one bad storm, one unexplainable moment of strangeness away from being a primitive and terrified caveman."
35 cute, chilling, and downright freaky stories for the terrified child in all all of us. Made me so nostalgic of the ghost stories from my age. I would definitely recommend this if you want to be transported back to when you first picked up a story ...more
"But don't forget, the kid we used to be is still alive in all of us. And the civilized part of us is only one power failure, one bad storm, one unexplainable moment of strangeness away from being a primitive and terrified caveman."
35 cute, chilling, and downright freaky stories for the terrified child in all all of us. Made me so nostalgic of the ghost stories from my age. I would definitely recommend this if you want to be transported back to when you first picked up a story ...more

This tribute to Schwartz's seminal Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trilogy diverges quite a bit from the original. The tone and style of the narration is different, dispensing with the whimsy and creepy charm of its source to present tales aimed at a slightly older audience. They're longer too, and there are very few of the ditties and storytelling prompts which made the former unique. Some are also unabashedly contemporary, dealing with current technologies like SMS and emails. One spirit eve
...more

"He reaches for me and I'm sure he plans to pull out my intestines and wear them like a scarf, but instead he pats my head."
When my son was in middle school I bought him the set of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. After he read them I did too. Don't Turn Out The Lights is exactly the kind of story collection that I would have bought for him when he was younger and that he would still keep on his book case now that he is grown. Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart these stories are a spo ...more
When my son was in middle school I bought him the set of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. After he read them I did too. Don't Turn Out The Lights is exactly the kind of story collection that I would have bought for him when he was younger and that he would still keep on his book case now that he is grown. Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart these stories are a spo ...more

Glorious.
Perfection.
Amazing.
It invokes the original Scary Stories in a way that's both highly original and pays good homage to their forebears. Genuinely creepy, and none of the stories felt repetitive at all.
Highly recommend. ...more
Perfection.
Amazing.
It invokes the original Scary Stories in a way that's both highly original and pays good homage to their forebears. Genuinely creepy, and none of the stories felt repetitive at all.
Highly recommend. ...more

I was excited to read Don’t Turn off the Lights. It is a tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its sequels, and I love those books. I even like the stories as much as the gnarly pictures. When I saw a tribute anthology by the Horror Writers Association with authors like R.L. Stine and Tananarive Due, I knew I had to read it for Halloween.
I have mixed feelings. The first few stories disappointed me. I wonder if some of the stories were written independent of this project, without Scary ...more
I have mixed feelings. The first few stories disappointed me. I wonder if some of the stories were written independent of this project, without Scary ...more

This was the perfect book to kick off the spooky season! Such creepy stories all told in honor of Schwartz's classic collection that is still one of my all time favorites.
...more

4 Stars
I am a huge fan of Alvin Schwartz's 1981 "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark" and when I discovered this book "Don't Turn Out The Lights" was inspired by this classic I could not wait to read it and it definitely did not disappoint. The story offers thirty-five short stories by some of the best authors in the genre including R. L. Stine (a personal favourite), Brenna Yovanoff, Josh Malerman, D. J. McHale Margaret Stohl, and Kami Garcia. There were many authors that I have never read before ...more
I am a huge fan of Alvin Schwartz's 1981 "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark" and when I discovered this book "Don't Turn Out The Lights" was inspired by this classic I could not wait to read it and it definitely did not disappoint. The story offers thirty-five short stories by some of the best authors in the genre including R. L. Stine (a personal favourite), Brenna Yovanoff, Josh Malerman, D. J. McHale Margaret Stohl, and Kami Garcia. There were many authors that I have never read before ...more

3 STARS!!!
I’ve had a big issue for the past couple of years with Middle-Grade horror being too light and even though I think this is classified as YA because of mentions the use of curse words and alcohol, these felt like they were purposefully written for children but watered down EVEN more, which I hate. If you’re going to write any type of horror, whether it’s MG, YA, or Adult, if you’re aim isn’t to scare the crap out of someone, what’s the freaking point?
I understand these were written as a ...more
I’ve had a big issue for the past couple of years with Middle-Grade horror being too light and even though I think this is classified as YA because of mentions the use of curse words and alcohol, these felt like they were purposefully written for children but watered down EVEN more, which I hate. If you’re going to write any type of horror, whether it’s MG, YA, or Adult, if you’re aim isn’t to scare the crap out of someone, what’s the freaking point?
I understand these were written as a ...more

A spooky anthology with stories from various pretty well-known authors. I really had fun reading it and flew through the pages.
I have to say that I think it is hilarious how I am not a fan of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark I just love all these tribute books that are popping up. The tribute books do know how to tell a story, don’t just build it up and then suddenly the story is over, and they just weren’t scary. I know I read the book when I was an adult, but hello I grew up with Goosebumps, ...more
I have to say that I think it is hilarious how I am not a fan of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark I just love all these tribute books that are popping up. The tribute books do know how to tell a story, don’t just build it up and then suddenly the story is over, and they just weren’t scary. I know I read the book when I was an adult, but hello I grew up with Goosebumps, ...more

The SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK series, with its folklore-influenced stories, jump scares, and chilling illustrations, was a formative part of my reading life in childhood. I had no idea how many others have such strong memories of this series until recently, when I watched a documentary of the history and influence of the books. And now we have this, a book that attempts to capture the spirit of the short story collections.
While DON'T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS may be a tribute, it actually rem ...more
While DON'T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS may be a tribute, it actually rem ...more

I loved the concept of this short story collection. I loved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was a kid, so a book of scary stories by current authors that was inspired by the original Scary Stories book was definitely something I wanted to read.
As with any short story collection, some stories were better than others. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Might be more fun if being read around a campfire while on a camping trip. I think older middle grade and young adult readers will p ...more
As with any short story collection, some stories were better than others. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Might be more fun if being read around a campfire while on a camping trip. I think older middle grade and young adult readers will p ...more

This is a very creepy collection of scary stories for young readers. It is a tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s very spooky anthology series “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”
There are stories by some of my favorite horror writers from childhood, such as R.L. Stine and more contemporary ones such as Amy Lukavics.
The stories are all quite eerie and unnerving, much like the stories in Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, which creeped me out as a kid.
From haunted houses and ghostly hauntings, to creep ...more
There are stories by some of my favorite horror writers from childhood, such as R.L. Stine and more contemporary ones such as Amy Lukavics.
The stories are all quite eerie and unnerving, much like the stories in Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, which creeped me out as a kid.
From haunted houses and ghostly hauntings, to creep ...more

Six word summary: Tons of perfectly spooky short stories!
Loved: I loved the variety of the stories. While I would have loved even more variety in cultural lore, I enjoyed what was included! I think there will be several stories in this collection for every reader, especially for young fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the dark! Also, the illustrations are top notch and very reminiscent of the books that inspired this collection!
Favorite Stories:
The Funeral Portrait by Laurent Linn
Knock Knock M ...more
Loved: I loved the variety of the stories. While I would have loved even more variety in cultural lore, I enjoyed what was included! I think there will be several stories in this collection for every reader, especially for young fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the dark! Also, the illustrations are top notch and very reminiscent of the books that inspired this collection!
Favorite Stories:
The Funeral Portrait by Laurent Linn
Knock Knock M ...more

Getting in the mood for the spooky season, I picked up this colletion of short scary stories for middle grade readers. I was a BIG fan of the 'Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark' trilogy as a kid. This collection is just as creepy and terrifying as those stories were. Ghosts in the woods, monsters in the closet, and other creepy creatures lurk on every page. I'm not going to lie - I went to bed after reading a few stories and found myself genuinely spooked as I sat in the dark!
If you or your kid ...more
If you or your kid ...more

3.5 rounded up. This is a great anthology and really honors the spirit of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Some stories are stronger than others, but they're all fun! I would give this to any pre-teen in my life who liked to get a bit spooky.
...more

May 18, 2021
Max Hadraba
is currently reading it
this book is such a good book to read if you like scary stories

As someone who grew up with the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark trilogy, I feel like this anthology is for those of us who are a certain age and who still like getting spooked. There are no duds in this collection however, some tales are truly more disturbing than others. My favorites of Don’t Turn Out the Lights are “The Carved Bear” by Brendan Reichs, “Tag, You’re It” by N.R. Lambert, “Lint Trap” by Jonathan Auxier, “The Green Grabber” by D.J. MacHale and “Pretty Girls Make Graves” by Tonya
...more

Sep 30, 2021
Melanie
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
horror,
spooky,
young-adult,
paranormal,
short-stories,
audiobook,
middle-grade,
supernatural
5 🌟 | What a fun and creepy ride! This one is full of nostalgic vibes 🤗👻😧🎃👹 Be warned, some of these are truly terrifying 😈☠️

2.5 Stars
I can’t tell you how much it kills me, absolutely kills me, to rate this book as just “ok.” Everything about it should have been 5 stars – A great author as editor? Check. Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Check. A fantastic stable of writers? Check. And yet… This anthology really missed the mark for me.
My issues mostly lay with the unevenness of the collection. The book is marketed as YA horror and some of the stories are, but some are written to a very young middle-grade m ...more
I can’t tell you how much it kills me, absolutely kills me, to rate this book as just “ok.” Everything about it should have been 5 stars – A great author as editor? Check. Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Check. A fantastic stable of writers? Check. And yet… This anthology really missed the mark for me.
My issues mostly lay with the unevenness of the collection. The book is marketed as YA horror and some of the stories are, but some are written to a very young middle-grade m ...more

Jul 23, 2021
Rachel
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
No one
Recommended to Rachel by:
Myself
TL;DR:
This book in a nutshell was a disappointment. Think "Buddy the Elf thinking he's going to meet the real Santa at the mall" level disappointment.
I was ready to rip some fake beards off, lemme tell you.
WELL this was hideous.
And not even in a good way.
Honestly, the stories were bland and dumb. Mostly I found myself wondering why many of these writers even bothered...or if they bothered at all.
The writing was flaccid - most of the time the authors seemed to be parroting back a half-ba ...more
This book in a nutshell was a disappointment. Think "Buddy the Elf thinking he's going to meet the real Santa at the mall" level disappointment.
I was ready to rip some fake beards off, lemme tell you.

WELL this was hideous.
And not even in a good way.
Honestly, the stories were bland and dumb. Mostly I found myself wondering why many of these writers even bothered...or if they bothered at all.
The writing was flaccid - most of the time the authors seemed to be parroting back a half-ba ...more

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this collection in exchange for my honest review. Don't Turn Out the Lights is a beautifully done tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It is edited by one of the masters of horror, Jonathan Mabery. There are a total of 35 original short stories written by an absolutely amazing assortment of authors, including some of my personal favorites such as DJ McHale, Josh Malerman, Kami Garcia, Madeline Rou
...more

The following is copied and pasted from my blog.
The subtitle and a somewhat lengthy editor’s foreword at the beginning of this book introduces it as a tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, and as such, it’s sure to attract a lot of eager readers. Although the book as a whole is much longer than the immensely popular Scary Stories books, and most of the individual short stories are longer than Schwartz’s stories, too, it’s still similar enough in genre and appeal f ...more
The subtitle and a somewhat lengthy editor’s foreword at the beginning of this book introduces it as a tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, and as such, it’s sure to attract a lot of eager readers. Although the book as a whole is much longer than the immensely popular Scary Stories books, and most of the individual short stories are longer than Schwartz’s stories, too, it’s still similar enough in genre and appeal f ...more
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JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller and Audible #1 bestseller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of WEIRD TALES Magazine and president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. He is the recipient of the Inkpot Award, three Scri
...more
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