SOLVED. Scholastic Scope type anthology of scary stories from the mid-late 70's [s]

[Shawn]

Okay, when I was in grade school (mid-late 70's) I was a big fan of the bookmobile and Scholastic Scope type books, especially the great collections of ghost/spooky stories, which helped put me on the road to being the reader of classic fiction that I am today. And I kept (or kept track of mentally) all those books and have gradually reacquired them through the years....

Except there's one that's such a faint memory that I can't even remember the cover. I can remember, distinctly, 3 stories that I *think* were in the book, and have since been able to positively identify 2 of these stories (more on that in a second). Here's the problem - I don't know for *absolute* sure that these 3 stories were all in the same collection - my memory says they were but since Ive identified 2 of the stories, I've never been able to find a resource online that says that the 2 stories were in the same collection together, so I may be conflating some memories. I guess I'm on the hunt for either the collection itself (assuming it had the unidentified story in it and at least one of the 2 I've since identified) or at least the name of the third story I can't identify.

Intrigued yet? Okay, here goes. The collection did not, necessarily, HAVE to be a Scholastic Scope book but certainly something like that - a collection of scary stories (intended for young/teen readers) by different authors (not a single author collection) and actual works of fiction (not a STRANGELY ENOUGH type paranormal compendium). The two stories I've since identified are:

John Steinbeck's "The Affair At 7 Rue De M-" (which is about a boy who is always chewing bubblegum, until the bubblegum starts chewing HIM! - that's exactly how it was put on the back cover or flyleaf)

and

"Wide O" by Elsin Ann Perry (nee Elsin Ann Graffam) (which is very good and so short I'm not going to ruin it for you here but if you've read it, you'll remember it - and it's available online)

If I'm wrong and both were not in the collection, then it was almost surely "Wide O" over "The Affair Of..."

And the third story? - okay, here goes with all I remember (including spoilers, and details may be wrong) a kid is being bullied at school but is always getting blamed by the teacher for the outcome of the bullying and is forced (re: Bart Simpson) to endlessly write his sins on the blackboard. After one confrontation during which the bullied kid snaps, we next see him drag himself into class and, without being directed to by the teacher, begin mechanically writing on the blackboard "I will not push [bully's name:] down the stairwell" (or "staircase" or something like that) as the teacher gasps and runs out of the room...

The collection was not LITTLE MONSTERS (or it's sequel) or any of the TALES OF UNEASE collections, and probably not in any of the collections that started with SOME THINGS DARK AND DANGEROUS (which I think I only discovered in middle school).

So, anyone? Bookfinder awaits....

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

You might be looking for Adventure and Suspense ed. Marion L. Huyck (Scholastic, 1973, 192pp, tp); Textbook.

Here's the contents list:
6 · Runaway Rig · Carl Henry Rathjen · ss The Saturday Evening Post Oct 5 ’57
20 · Wallenda Is At It Again · Misc. · ar Time
25 · the lesson of the moth · Don Marquis · vi, 1927
26 · Inch by Inch Up El Capitan · Dean Caldwell · ar
36 · Staying Alive · David Wagoner · pm
40 · who knows if the moon’s · e. e. cummings · pm, 1925
41 · First on the Moon · Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins & Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. · ar Boston: Little Brown, 1970
52 · The Good Run · Ronald Rogers · ss, 1968
70 · Doby’s Gone · Ann Petry · ss Phylon, Review of Race & Culture
82 · The Different Ones · Rod Serling · sa Night Gallery #2, Bantam, 1972
98 · House of Flying Objects · Robert Wallace · ar Life
112 · The Wish · Roald Dahl · ss, 1948
120 · Alligators · Jennifer Blatchley · vi, 1966
122 · The Whole Town’s Sleeping · Ray Bradbury · ss McCall’s Sep ’50
148 · The Shed · E. Everett Evans · ss Avon SF&F Reader Jan ’53
172 · The Affair at 7, Rue de M— · John Steinbeck · ss Harper’s Bazaar Apr ’55
186 · Mujina · Lafcadio Hearn · vi Kwaidan, Houghton Mifflin, 1904
191 · beware: do not read this poem · Ishmael Reed · pm

[Shawn]

Hmm, I don't think so. Possibly....

[Michael]

The story you are looking for is "A Hundred Times" by Syd Hoff. It was included (along with the other two that you mentioned) in Time Bomb and Other Stories edited by Peggy Doherty. Scholastic Books 1971.

Hope this helps,

Mike

[HeavyReader]

I got a message from Shawn (the original poster) in which he said this

"The suggestion of TIME BOMB, indeed was correct and I've since purchased the book. I unjoined the group - do I need to rejoin to move it to the "solved" shelf?"

Can a moderator move this thread to the correct solved shelf?

[Lisa]

Thanks. I'll move it now.

Running behind with moving folders and especially with shelving books.

[Lisa]

Needleroozer wrote: ""The suggestion of TIME BOMB, indeed was correct and I've since purchased the book. I unjoined the group - do I need to rejoin to move it to the "solved" shelf?""

I don't see Time Bomb. Anyone can tell who it's by? I'll move to solved but I don't know which book to shelve. Thanks.

[HeavyReader]

I think this

Time Bomb and Other Stories edited by Peggy Doherty. Scholastic Books 1971

is what Shawn meant. It was suggested by Michael on 9-11-10. This wasn't a link, just text, so I think you must have missed it when looking through this thread. I'll find it and shelve it.

Thanks for moving it to solved!

[HeavyReader]

I put the book on the shelf, but realized I can't add the [s] to the end of the subject. Can one of the moderators see to that? Thanks!