Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

by Alvin Schwartz

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney. Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

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

110 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 1981

About the author

Alvin^Schwartz
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Alvin Schwartz was the author of more than fifty books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and word play, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin_Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled The Blowtop.

For Batman - See: Alvin^^Schwartz https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Trudi]

I'm not giving any stars here, only a warning: beware which edition of this collection you choose, for if you choose unwisely, you will be sorely ripped off in more ways than one.

I chose unwisely. My edition is the 2010 "updated" version published by Harper Collins with new illustrations by Brett Helquist. To say that it's been sanitized for safe consumption is an understatement. The reason the original 1981 edition became an instant classic and a frequently challenged book in schools and libraries was for Stephen Gammell's ghoulish and nightmarish artwork.



I cry foul and bullshit. You don't mess with perfection and genius. Without Gammell's drawings, this collection loses its bloody, beating heart and is barely worth the paper it's printed on. Who thought this was a good idea? I'm incensed, especially for all the kids who might pick up this book expecting to have the bejeebers scared out of them and wind up merely bored or slightly amused. Unforgivable!

I was going to rant here about our ill-conceived, often hypocritical efforts to "protect" our children and censor their reading materials, but I'll save that for another day. Perhaps for when I write a real review for the real version of this book, the only one that counts, the only one that should be bought and gifted to any young person seeking his or her gateway drug into the realm of the macabre.

This review has also been posted to: Busty Book Bimbo

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes you are about to watch a movie when you suddenly realize it is based on a book. Sometimes you choose to care.

A collection of short horror stories to scare you senseless, and some to make you laugh. Each story two pages at most and some eerie pictures accompanying each one.

The book started nicely. "The big toe" and "The walk", the first two, were very simple and highly enjoyable, two stories to make you jump scare. "Cold as clay" and "The girl who stood on a grave" were also good.

Unfortunately the rest of the stories, which were plenty, were unremarkable or plainly forgettable, and a few of them simply a complete waste of time. I think this book can be awesome if you are a kid, but sadly I think I have outgrown child horror stories.

*** The movie (2019) was average, or a bit below average (5.5/10). "The big toe" was there, and several more included or mentioned, but I was surprised by the amount of stuff I did not recognize. Maybe I should have read the whole series before watching the movie. Still, it was an ok adaptation, at best.

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PERSONAL NOTE : [1981] [111p] [Child Horror] [Not Recommendable] [Short Stories] [Simple]
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A veces estás a punto de ver una pelicula cuando de repente te das cuenta de que está basado en un libro. A veces decidís que te importa.

Una colección de cuentos cortos de horror para asustarte hasta perder el sentido, y algunas para hacerte reir. Cada historia dos páginas cuando mucho y algunas fotos acompañando cada historia.

El libro empezó bien. "The big toe" y "The walk", los primeros dos, fueron muy simples pero altamente disfrutables, dos historias para hacerte saltar de miedo. "Cold as clay" y "The girl who stood on a grave" también estuvieron bien.

Desgraciadamente el resto de las historias, que fueron varias, no son destacables o directamente olvidables, y algunas de ellas simplemente una pérdida de tiempo. Creo que este libro podría ser genial si sos un niño, pero lamentablemente creo que ya superé las historias de horror para chicos.

*** La película (2019) es algo promedio, o un poco menos que promedio (5.5/10). "The big toe" estuvo ahí, y algunas más incluídas o mencionadas, pero me sorprendió la cantidad de cosas que no reconocí. Tal vez debería haber leído toda la serie antes de ver la película. Aún así, estuvo ok como adaptación, cuando mucho.

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NOTA PERSONAL : [1981] [111p] [Horror para Niños] [No Recomendable] [Cuentos Cortos] [Simple]
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[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! I can see why so many people say this scared them as a kid. The illustrations alone had me 🫣🫣🫣

[Justin Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

In anticipation of the new movie, I dusted this off and made the foolish decision of reading in an empty house, well past the twilight hour. About halfway I got too creeped out to continue. Had to finish the rest this morning.

These stories are SCARY. Something about the nonchalant way horror happens makes it even more real. In this world, there's nothing unusual about ghosts and murderers and zombies. Why should there be? They are so common. There could be a murderer in your attic right now. And wait--what’s that noise?

I did not obsess over these books as a kid (like I did other teen horror series) but I was surprised by how much I still remembered. Reading as an adult I can appreciate more what Schwartz achieved. The extensive research into folklore is done remarkably well. The guy knows his stuff, and it shows with the lengthy list of references and interviews he did during research. Another key part of the success, I believe, are the stories that reveal how to scare an audience. Starting the collection this way empowers the reader before they wade into the more bone-chilling tales.

Obviously, it would be impossible to comment on this without discussing the artwork. I'm glad the illustrator's name is as large as the author's because Gammell's contribution is just as significant. My biggest hope for the movie is that they are able to immerse us in a world that somehow resembles these drawings. There's been nothing like them before or since the Scary Stories series ended, and they remain the most iconic piece of the collection.

All in all, a fantastic book that holds up well. Glad I never gave away my copy!

[s.penkevich [mental health hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the nightmare fuel that is Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is more silly nostalgia to me now than actual frights, nothing held a grip on me quite like these books when I was a kid. Especially Stephen Gammell’s illustrations, which still pop into my mind like intrusive ghosts on spooky nights…

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Grab your blanket and flashlight, these stories are best enjoyed in the excitement of childhood nerves. The kind that make sure stare into the darkness and wonder if every sound is that creepy lady from the illustrations slowly creeping across your floor. You know, this one:


Stephen Gammell’s artwork for these books was so frightening that it was frequently a target for book bannings in the 90s (though the stories were thought to be too frightening as well and alarmed the usual subjects who get all giddy for Satanic Panic) and there was even a reprinting of all three volumes with different, toned down illustrations. Which of course, nobody wanted because it was the artwork that was half the fun.

But the stories themselves are quite charming. Alvin Schwartz is a folklorist and set out to craft a sort of Grimm-style series of stories for American children’s literature. There are many fairy tale and folklore elements to these books, especially a large moral warning for children who misbehave (one story that always scared me was the children’s parents leaving and sending in a monster to raise the children because they had it coming). One element I found really exciting as a kid was to see narratives that did not end in tidy, happy resolutions. Stories end in misery or other terrors and that was such a thrill to me because you never knew what you were going to get.

A lot of them are really cheesy as an adult, and each of the three volumes has a few meant to be silly jokes rather than scary (the window washer story still pops into my mind at least once a year), but it is still just a good time to share with the young readers in your life. I love those early moments in life where books are exciting because they unsettle you so much, making you uncomfortable but unable to look away. Those always stick with me, and I’m always thrilled to see so many young people still picking these books up for a frightfully good time.

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: SCARY PICTURES. Do not click on this review if you don't want to be plagued by nightmares. I don't care how old you are. Fear transcends all age barriers.

I'm a supporter of childhood literacy, but I beg you. Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not make the mistake of giving this book to your children. They will never forgive you. Think of all the therapy costs.



When I was a little girl, I was terrified of the dark. I couldn't sleep without my rituals. All blankets had to be tucked in completely around me. All closet doors must be closed. Before bed, the room must be checked to for all odd-looking shadows that might morph into something terrifying when I open my eyes in the middle of the night.

Above all, all toes must be secured, or else something will munch on them.

It didn't help me when I was 12.



I read 5 pages of this book, and I couldn't go on. I don't know if you've seen the drawings, but this book is absolutely fucking terrifying. If you have children, please, please do not give this book to your child. It will scar them for life.

It took me years to summon the courage to open this book again. I was 16. I had just watched It. I couldn't sleep for 2 weeks afterwards for longer than 30 minute increments. I could barely stay awake in class. It was horrible. Surely, after surviving the horrors of Pennywise the Clown, I could...possibly? maybe? take on this book again?

I was wrong.

I got to "THE THING" before shoving it into the back of the closet (IF I CAN'T SEE IT, THE MONSTERS DON'T EXIST) and ran to the living room.



Monsters won't eat you when you're with your parents.

The artist for this book is Stephen Gammell. Thank you, Mr. Gammell. I hope you sleep well, you diabolical crafter of nightmares. Who knows how many children and adults you have scared. Who knows how many hours of terror and sleepless nights this book has wrought. Stephen King has nothing on you.

I'm a grown-ass woman, and tonight, I'm still going to sleep with one eye open.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were the really scary part of these books. I remember being afraid to turn the page and look at the next one when I was a kid, peeling the next page over gradually like a Band-Aid. One pictured effed me up so badly I had to tape a piece of construction paper over it so I could flip through the book without having a heart attack.

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is featured on Halloween Reads for Children @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/...

This is a great collection of short scary stories for kids to enjoy. It’s a book that I enjoyed as a child and can now share with my own kids. Some of the stories are pretty scary and best for older readers, but a few of them can be read to younger readers as well. There are plenty of traditional ghost stories, retellings and folklore to enjoy. The black and white illustrations add even more eeriness!

A few of our favorites include The White Wolf, The Guests, The Wendigo, The Girl Who Stood on a Grave, and The Attic.

I really enjoyed reading the references in the back of the book which explain the tales and where they originated.

5*****

[Tina Haigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very beloved book from my childhood, along with it's two sequels. I'm still not entirely sure why I love something so much that gave me several serious complexes that continue into adulthood, but I guess I'm just twisted like that.

I chose to reread these books due to the Scary Stories movie that came out recently. Needless to say the stories didn't scare me like they did when I was a kid, but I still found that I was a little creeped out going to the bathroom in the dark, so to me that's a win for any book or movie, because fiction doesn't scare me easily.

It's filled with mostly creepy short stories, with a chapter dedicated to spooky yet humorous stories to make you laugh instead. This edition has newer pictures, but the original illustrator's drawings are intensely creepy, and unmistakably recognizable. It's perfect for kids 10 - 12, teens 13 - 15, or people 16+ that scare really easily and can't handle hardcore horror.

[J. Kent Messum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession time: I was a scared kid growing up. And I mean fucking terrified. My imagination was fertile, and it tended to grow dark twisted things with thorns that were poisonous to my thoughts, vines of blackened fish-hooks that would creep over me like ivy and ensnare my mind, body, and soul.

My early encounters with anything of the 'horror' variety would take on a life of it's own, finding a nest in my kid brain where it could grow into something much more monstrous. Thinking back to my childhood, there were several experiences that left a deep and dark impression on me. For instance, I watched 'Jaws' at far too young an age (and my parents had to cancel my swimming lessons because I refused to get into the pool after that). I accidentally switched channels on the TV one night and came across the famous eye-gouging scene from 'Blade Runner'. Didn't sleep for days as a result, wouldn't let anyone (even my trusted family) touch my face for a month.

I recall 'Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark' as the first book to ever visit this type of sheer dread on my little being. It had such a notable effect, giving me nightmares for weeks. It turned out that horror movies were pale in comparison to the terror my own mind could conjure up after listening to creepy stories matched with with hideous artwork. Alvin Schwartz undoubtedly helped set me on the path I'm on now as an author of thriller/horror fiction.

My grade two teacher read it to us in class, showing us the illustrations in between stories (the unbelievably arresting art of Stephen Gammell). Never in my young life had I been read anything like it. At home my parents read Roald Dahl to me, far different I must say. But during story time at school I could feel fear eating at me, the discomfort welling up from my gut to my heart as I tried to digest horrors I’d never been presented before. This was the first time I’d ever experienced a book that made me sweat and squirm and hold my breath.

I'm sure the publishers didn't know the kind of effect this book would have on impressionable children when they brought it out. But let me assure you, it had the power to shape the future of some. And I owe a debt of gratitude to such a fine work that didn't hold back, despite the young audience it was created for.

*This was one of the '10 Books That Stuck With Me' piece I wrote. Check out which others made the list: https://jkentmessum.com/2014/03/19/10...

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As scary stories go, they are only slightly. Sometimes they are funny, or just weird, or sad. Except the one about Harold the Scarecrow. God, that one is terrifying. Oh and the spiders hatching from your face.

But the illustrations... The illustrations in this book are good old-fashioned nightmare fuel. I really don't know what they were thinking.



I mean, what were they thinking?



Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 8: Book that scares you.

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the dark and the gloom, it is easy for someone listening to imagine all sorts of strange and scary things."

A collection of stories based on American folklore written with the intention of giving you the creeps or making you jump with fright. The stories are accompanied by delightfully disturbing illustrations provided by Stephen Gammell.

Anytime I post these books on instagram, people lose their shit. It seems that everyone overseas (and by overseas I mean America or Canada) can attribute all their childhood nightmares to the stories and illustrations found within these collections. A lot of people also say that these books were almost like their gateway into horror. Sadly, I did not have such an experience growing up *sad face*. Quite honestly I had never even heard of these until I saw them on instagram - and then I WANTED them. But they're quite tough to find over here! Luckily, I won a giveaway hosted by one of my BG buddies, Sadie, and now I have 3 of these in my collection.

So, this was my first encounter with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I tried to remind myself that these stories are written for children, I'm not necessarily the target audience. A lot of the stories were fun, and I can definitely see how those illustrations would be nightmare fuel for a younger group, but I was never actually scared or creeped out at any point. I mean, if I was, I guess I would be slightly worried... it's a children's book!! But I still enjoyed the experience! And the illustrations. And all I could think was that I can't wait to share these with my future children. This will be their gateway into all things horror. This will be their stepping stone to Stephen King (of course they won't be allowed to touch my collection, they can buy their own copies!)

One of the highlights for me was getting to read some of my fave urban legends, like the The Hook, High Beams and The Babysitter. Now THOSE stories do have the potential to freak me out, because they're things that could very much happen to any one of us! And that aspect of horror hits a little close to home for me. I also remember hearing one of the stories on Last Podcast on the Left - Me Tie Dough-ty - that story where a human head falls down the chimney each night. So it was fun to revisit that one too!

Overall, it was fun to read these and the illustrations in particular were the best part! I just wish I had at least grown up with them so that I could feel the same nostalgia towards them that nearly everyone else seems to! But never fear, the next generation in my family will... I'd give this 3 and a half stars out of 5!

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was very nostalgic.

When I was around 13-years-old, I would sit around in a circle with my friends, the lights were off and one of us had a flashlight under our face. We would tell scary stories and try to be the best at getting the most screams. Brings back great memories, lots of laughs and plenty of SCREAMS!

This would be a fun and spooky book to read to your kids around this time of the year. It's not scary but spooky enough to get them to jump and scream. And if you can do it around a campfire, even better!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read these in about 15 years, but I'm re-reading them before I see the movie :)

[Josu Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sabía qué esperarme de este libro y me ha sorprendido para bien.

Historias de miedo para contar en la oscuridad es un libro que une muchos relatos basados o adaptados del folclore de distintas partes de Estados Unidos, Reino Unido, etc. Hay dos partes diferenciadas: la de las historias en sí -la más larga tiene 4 páginas- y la de la explicación de las historias.

Creo que la más interesante es sin duda en la que el autor explica todo lo que hay detrás de esos cuentos. De dónde han salido, cuándo se documentaron por primera vez, quién lo narraba y cómo. Además, cita todas y cada una de las publicaciones donde esos cuentos se han mencionado y de las cuales bebe para crear su propia versión. La labor de investigación y de divulgación me parece increíble.

Respecto a las historias de miedo he de decir que las primeras no me han gustado nada. Eran demasiado flojas, sin elementos de terror y con una manera de ser narradas que no me terminaba de convencer. Sin embargo, como la parte de las historietas está dividida en sí en diferentes temáticas, ha comenzado a cambiar, y así, me ha ido conquistando.

Lo comenté por Instagram: hay alguna historia que me ha hecho pasar miedo de verdad. Sí, el autor lo ha conseguido en tan solo dos páginas. Son sencillas, directas y apelan a terrores que todes tenemos (que un extraño venga a casa, que nos persigan por la calle, que se aparezca un fantasma...). Los giros que hay en las historias a veces son sorprendentes, otras son cómicas y otras te ponen los pelos de punta. No todas son buenísimas, hay algunas más simples, pero las que me han dado miedo... ojú. Los pelos como escarpias.

En definitiva, es un libro que se lee en media hora. La edición es una auténtica pasada, con unas ilustraciones espectaculares y una maquetación preciosa. De verdad, in love. Recomiendo este libro a todo el mundo, hay historias para todo tipo de público. A disfrutar... si podéis.

[Helen Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved these stories as a kid! Still just as spooky as an adult.

[☾❀Miriam✩ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

From its nose down to its chin
The worms crawled out, and the worms crawled in.
O-o o-o o-o!
The woman to the preacher said,
“Shall I look like that when I am dead?"
O-o o-o o-o!
The preacher to the woman said,
"You'll look like that when you are dead!"



One summer evening, when I was a kid, I went to a sleep-over at a friend's house. At some point one of the girls suggested that we start telling scary stories. I wasn't very enthusiastic about it (I was very well conscious of being a chicken), but I said okay. So all the girls started to take turns and, pointing a flashlight at their faces in the dark, told one story after the other. I was already scared to death at the second story, but then my best friend told one story which just scared the poop out of me (I wish I remember what it was, but she had read all the Goosebumps series so she had a lot to choose from, the little rascal). Anyway, right in the middle of the story I noped so hard I stood up, gathered my things and run away alone outside in the dark (followed by a trail of laughter) to go back to my house which was only one block away. Two things I did't consider when making this choice: one, my parents were furious when they found out I had walked alone at night; second, the familiar road to my house was a completely foreign place in the dark; and every bush, tree or brick looked like a monster ready to eat my brains. Funny that I would become such a horror fan after that experience... could it be I am trying to make up for that shameful moment all my life? 😂



Reading this book again as an adult, brought me back to those moments I lived as a child in which just the feeling of eeriness, just the thought that something could be scary, was enough to bring tears of terror to my eyes. For me, this book will forever be not just a collection of folk tales, but a foolproof guide to scare the bejesus out of your girlfriends in a quiet summer night.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES…DEFINITELY YES!



I have always loved reading banned books because even though I am usually curious about the reasons why they were banned in the first place, it just makes me really want to read the books even more! Well, I just picked up this spooky book for children called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz along with illustrations by Stephen Gammell and it basically has several horror folktales collected over the years. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is definitely one horror collection that you just have to read during Halloween!

Basically, this book has a collection of scary stories that you can tell in the dark and they include:

The Big Toe:



In this tale, a young boy finds a large toe in the ground and digs it up and he and his family decided to eat the toe. But, the young boy will soon realize that you should never pull anything out of the ground as something scary starts happening during the night!

Cold as Clay:



A farmer has a daughter who fell in love with a man named Jim, but the farmer did not like having Jim be around his daughter. So, the farmer decided to send his daughter to live with her uncle to keep her and Jim apart. Unfortunately, Jim dies of being heartbroken and the farmer feels guilty about it. Then, a strange thing happens to the farmer’s daughter after Jim dies…

The White Wolf:



When wolves started attacking the cattle and sheep in French Creek, the state decides to post up a reward for anyone who can kill the wolves. One man named Bill Williams ends up killing the wolves, but he will soon realize the folly of his wolf killing ways.

Wow! After so many years of reading books that have collections of horror stories that will chill you to the bone (and I have read plenty of books like that), this was one of the few horror books that actually chilled me to the bone! Alvin Schwartz has done an excellent job at retelling these ancient horror folktales and each story was scary and intense at the same time as the characters involved in each story are either murdered or tortured to death by the dead. I also loved the way that Alvin Schwartz provided some helpful hints in scaring anyone if you are telling these stories to other people in the dark such as in the “Aaaaaah!” section of the book, Alvin Schwartz provides various moments where the narrator can scream at the audience to give a dramatic effect to the stories. Some of my favorite stories in this book were “The Big Toe,” “Cold as Clay,” “The White Wolf,” “A New Horse,” and “The Ghost With the Bloody Fingers.”

Stephen Gammell’s illustrations were truly haunting yet effective at the same time as the monster images were truly frightening to look at. Probably the most frightening image in this book was the image of the horse in “A New Horse” as the horse has a misshapen head and you can see a woman’s legs attached to the horse’s back legs.

After looking over the banned books list, I have often seen this book on the list a couple of times and I wondered to myself about why this book was banned in some states? Well, even though this book is basically retelling scary stories, this book is surprisingly too dark and violent for small children. There were many stories in this book where characters were killed and dead beings haunt the characters and to add to that, the illustrations are often frightening as there are images of dead beings being covered in blood and having sunken eyes. Parents might want to read this book first before they read it to their children in order to prevent children from having nightmares if they cannot handle the morbid content of this book.

Overall, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a brilliant collection of scary tales that you can tell in the dark while scaring people during storytelling time! I would strongly recommend this book for children ages eight and up since the morbid content is extremely scary for smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those fast paced stories with their great illustrations really got me hooked (one story is even titled the Hook!). The narration is simple, there is always a fine twist and a chilling climax takes your breath away. Slowly, step-step-step closer the tension rises and with it the eeriness. The stories cold as clay eat your eyes and eat your nose. The songs mentioned here are scary too (e.g. The Hearse song). Meet The Girl Who Stood on a Grave, learn to avoid elevators, even if there is Room for some more. The highlights in this anthology come in with High Beams (another story title). Here you find perfect examples of quick and perfectly constructed little horror tales. Absolutely recommended! A great treasure jest of horror tales for younger and older horror fans!

[Maliha Tabassum (back from hiatus) Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short horror anthology. It took me about half an hour which I think is great since I had to struggle so much with my last read. The stories are basically folklores and urban legends that have been passed around for ages, which is why you might feel like you've heard (some of) them before - at least I did.

The book is divided into five chapters, each comprising a handful of these stories with a common theme. There are also some notes about the origin or source of the stories at the end of the book which is pretty cool!

I usually don't read horror stories because they never scare me the way I want them to - not even when I read in the dark, home alone, or past midnight. (Maybe I haven't found the right book yet??) I always wanted to get the chills while reading a horror story, have goosebumps, feel too scared to go to sleep and everything, but oh well. In spite of being such a letdown, I haven't ditched this genre tho (thanks to the adrenaline rush it provides), and so here I am.

Now I do highly doubt my ability to judge the "scariness level" of these stories but I can still see how creepy and disturbing they are for a children's book, not to mention the illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Speaking of which, I myself couldn't care less about that as a child. I always used to look out for extra-spooky stories and stuff, in fact. So I think I might have liked this book more if I had read it as a kid.

Stories I liked most:
• High beams
• The girl who stood on a grave
• The hook
• The white wolf
• Wait till Martin comes

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I am most definitely NOT the target audience for these stories but I enjoyed the hell out of this collection nonetheless and I’m very much looking forward to the next two collections as well. You see, these little short stories were my introduction into horror when I was a young kid and reading them again just brings back so many memories and makes me thankful that I had these to open the doors of horror for me. Sure some of the stories seem a little silly now that I’m nearly 30 and reading them again but I can still remember how much they creeped me out when I was young and it was just such an enjoyable blast from the past!

[ray ౨ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

rtc. it was okay, nothing special, and boring

♡‧₊˚🕸 pre-read: ‹𝟹 ∙ 🕷
I have school tomorrow but wtv. Yes, I know that even adults have been creeped out by it. Yes, I know I'm loaded with caffeine and it's nighttime even tho the back specifically says don't read at night. I get scared easily so I'm not being very wise....but it's October, so what better way to spend the first minutes of it finishing a creepy book?

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My oldest son had a favorite three book set as a child. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The tales were spooky and the artwork was amazing. In fact, the bizarre art really made the book. Flash forward a few years and my son was getting ready to join the Navy. I hit that oh-my-god-one-of-my-kids-is-really-leaving mom moment and the oh-my-god-my-son-is-engaged-to-be-married event as well.....ahhhhhhhhhh! But, before he left to start his journey to being a grown man, he brought me a set of three books he found at a bookshop in Greensboro. Scary Stories, More Scary Stories and Scary Stories 3. Through the years of moving and just living life, his copies had been lost or given away.....but he remembered how much he loved the books and brought me copies so I could re-read them. He is now forward deployed in Japan with the US Navy. I haven't seen my son in two years now. I'm going to re-read these books and think about that little boy that has grown into a very awesome man.

Gotta start at the beginning. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Originally I ordered this book from one of those school book order forms. Every parent with school age children has been given these forms, crinkled from being in a backpack,and filled them out. My kids always waited impatiently for their book haul to arrive. Because this book was about stories that could be told in the dark, I remember that we took turns reading the stories out loud, showing the pictures at appropriate intervals. I think that being able to read aloud is a great introduction to public speaking and even acting, so we read out loud to each other often. This book was fun to read. All these years later I still remember us working on our scary voices. :) We even got his friends in on it. I remember one sleepover where the boys huddled in sleeping bags while we told ghost stories....some from this book. Snacks were eaten, much soda was drank.....and those pre-teen boys slept with the lights on. :)

The 29 stories are varied....jump scares, ghosts, monsters, evil people, and humorous horror. The horror comes in mixed formats as well -- short stories, poetry, a song, and supremely creepy artwork. The stories are taken from folklore, and there is a notes section in the back of the book that talks about their origins and the sources used.

I had so much fun re-reading this book! So much nostalgia for my son and I. I messaged him to let him know I was reading it. :) These book stay on my keeper shelf. I'm whittling down my personal library by reading and donating many of the more than 3000 books I own, but these three books are special. They get to stay. :)

On to More Scary Stories!

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun to slowly flip through, a story or two at a time, over a few weeks in autumn.

one of my childhood best friends had a similar book of spooky folklore and urban legends, and for a while i thought this was the same one. but that book had the story of the girl with the ribbon around her neck (always my favorite!) and this one does not. so though many of the stories are familiar, i think it was my first time actually reading this?

i love the notes in the back of the book. super interesting to learn the origins of these scary stories! my favorites are "cold as clay" and "room for one more."

[Cliff's Dark Gems · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy stories for children but the illustrations absolutely steal the show. Some of them are truly terrifying!

[abigailscupoftea]

oh my gosh i remember reading this as a kid! this cover was burned in my brain. this book explains my reading taste as an adult. 😆👻

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.

Cute book. It was a great book collection of scary stories for kids. I could see this as a great idea for a Halloween kids party, or around a campfire at night. Might even try something like that for my daughter and her friends now that they are getting around the age to enjoy it.

How I choose my rating:
1* Hated it. Had to force myself to finish it.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!

[Bon · Rating 4 out of 5]

just as creepy as when i was little and trying to muster the courage to turn the pages. this artwork remains terrifying (especially the murdered woman ghost who comes out of the basement. i can't keep that page open!) and i've since read so much folklore i started to recognize some of the origin stories! ("cold as clay" is almost exactly the same as the Holland Handkerchief folk song...)

[Diego Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historias de miedo, intriga e incluso humor que se tornan muy entretenidas. Algunas son basadas en cuentos americanos y otras son de reciente creación. Lo mejor es que este libro está enfocado para contarlo en voz alta junto a amigos en torno de una hoguera al más puro estilo campamento de verano.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few readers know Alvin Schwartz for anything but the Scary Stories trilogy, though he had a decades-long career in folk tales. Only near the end of his life did he and Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Stephen Gammell bequeath us this trilogy, one of the most evocative franchises in literature. Schwartz reveals his folklorist roots in the foreword with a mini lecture on the purpose, history, and cultural relevance of scary stories, and it's interesting stuff.

Jump stories is our opening section, starting with "The Big Toe". A boy ignores basic decency and rips a toe right out of the ground, which his parents prepare for supper. In bed that night he is stalked by the toe's owner, a moaning creature who closes in on the boy in the dark. "The Walk" is a short piece about the narrator's uncle and a stranger walking down an isolated dirt road. They deeply fear each other, but how will the moment end? A lonely old woman wishes for company in "What Do You Come For?" until rotting human parts drop down the chimney and reassemble into a living person. She should have taken care what she wished for. A haunted house is center stage in "Me Tie Dough-ty Walker!”. A boy stays overnight with his dog in a house where a bloody head drops down the chimney every night. The boy hears a voice in the woods sings out, and his dog sings back to it. Gruesome death is poised to enter this house. The section concludes with an unsettling poem, "A Man Who Lived in Leeds", and a song, "Old Woman All Skin and Bone".

The second section regards ghosts. In "The Thing", Ted Martin and Sam Miller are outdoors then they spot a skeletal creature darting toward them. It portends a future of prolonged suffering. "Cold as Clay" tells of a farmer's daughter who loves a farmhand, Jim. Her father sends her away to keep them apart, and Jim perishes from grief. The farmer refuses to tell his daughter, but the deception is exposed when Jim finds a way to see his beloved one last time. In "White Wolf", an overabundance of timberwolves prompts a butcher named Bill Williams to hunt them for the lavish government bounty. When a mysterious white wolf shows up years later, Bill may be destined for a bloody, vengeful end. "The Haunted House" sees a Christian minister attempt to exorcise a haint, but the ghastly apparition means him no harm. She wants her murderer brought to justice, and will reward the minister if he helps. The last ghost tale in this section, "The Guests", introduces a traveling man and woman who stay overnight with a kindly old couple. The next day the man and woman discover nothing last night was as it seemed.

Up next is a general collection of stories. "The Hearse Song" satirizes human decomposition after death, and "The Girl Who Stood on a Grave" details the tragic story of a dare gone wrong. A girl accepts her friends' challenge to stand atop a gravestone at night, but her life is snuffed out by a simple misunderstanding. In "A New Horse", farmhand roommates are harassed by a witch who turns them into horses for all-night rides, until one of them cleverly fights back. "Alligators" regards a married couple with two sons. The husband always was a fanatical swimmer, and after the birth of their children the wife tells people her husband and sons are turning into alligators. It couldn't be true, right? "Room for One More" presents Joseph Blackwell, a businessman who has a premonition of a hearse driver coming to collect him. Was it a dream...or a warning of doom to be heeded the following day? "The Wendigo" relates an Indian legend about a spirit that burns people to cinders, and "The Dead Man's Brains" describes the classic tactile game and how to set it up for your own party. In "May I Carry Your Basket?", a man named Sam Lewis offers to help a woman walking home in the dark, but is assaulted by the monstrous fiend hidden in her basket. Can Sam make it home before the cackling head eats him alive?

We enter the most intense section in the book, urban legends. "The Hook" sets up teenagers Donald and Sarah alone in the car, romance in the offing, until they catch a radio report about an escaped killer with a hook for a hand. Sarah insists on going home, which an exasperated Donald finally agrees to. Upon reaching her house they discover how close they were to being murdered. "The White Satin Evening Gown" tells of a young woman at a school dance. She rented a gorgeous dress from a pawnshop, but as the dance winds down she feels lightheaded, weak. Her mother finds her dead in bed the next morning, but what caused it? A high school girl driving home from a basketball game observes a pickup truck following her home. The driver hangs back, occasionally flicking on his high beams. The girl is rattled by his intimidation game, but if she makes it home she'll see the real danger was closer than she knew. "The Babysitter" opens on teenage Doreen watching three kids at their house. The phone rings, and a maniac on the line threatens her. He calls back every half hour, but the threat he poses is more immediate than Doreen can imagine. This whole urban legends section leaves me chilled every time.

Last, we come to humor-based horror. "The Viper" has a man calling a widow on the phone to announce he's on his way, but she isn't in as much jeopardy as she fears. In "The Attic", Rupert hears sounds in the attic sometime after his German shepherd Sam goes missing. Rupert goes to check it out, but unknowingly sabotages himself in a silly way. "The Slithery-Dee" is a poem about a carnivorous sea beast, and "Aaron Kelly's Bones" features a man come back from the dead to ensure his widow never remarries. He does it with a smile across his skull and a bounce in his bony step. An old man shelters from a storm inside an unfamiliar house in "Wait Till Martin Comes". He nods off in front of the fireplace, and every time he wakes up, an additional black cat is staring at him. Will he tarry here to meet the mysterious "Martin" the cats speak of? The final story is "The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers", about a haunted hotel room. Even the bravest guests run when the bleeding ghost stumbles from the closet, moaning…until a guitar player with the right temperament comes on the scene. Terror is a matter of perspective.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the most iconic collection of its kind, worth three and a half stars and maybe more. Alvin Schwartz strikes the perfect tone for each type of story, from eerie to horrifying to comical, and Stephen Gammell's illustrations are a festering nightmare come to life. The only horror author/illustrator team who can match these two is Jack Prelutsky and Arnold Lobel. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark gives me actual goosebumps, chills running down my arms and up my back, but many of the stories also offer insight and wisdom. If I were to highlight a handful of the best, I'd mention "The Thing", "Room for One More", "The Hook", "The White Satin Evening Gown", "High Beams", "The Babysitter", and "The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers", though so many more deserve to be spoken of. This trilogy is Alan Schwartz's legacy, and what a legacy it is.