In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (I Can Read! Reading 2) [Paperback]

Alvin Schwartz (Author), Dirk Zimmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 2, 1985 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 430L (What's this?)

Creak...
Crash...
BOO!

Shivering skeletons, ghostly pirates, chattering corpses, and haunted graveyards...all to chill your bones! Share these seven spine-tingling stories in a dark, dark room.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alvin Schwartz is known for his more than two dozen books of folklore for young readers that explore everything from wordplay and humor to tales and legends of all kinds. Don't miss his other Scary Stories collections, including More Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark and Scary Stories 3.

Gregory Maguire was born in Albany, New York. He received his doctorate at Tufts University and has lived in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, as well as Dublin and London.

He has been a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and the Blue Mountain Center.

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (October 2, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064440907
• ISBN-13: 978-0064440905
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #37 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural

More About the Author

Alvin Schwartz is known for a body of work of more than two dozen books of folklore for young readers that explore everything from wordplay and humor to tales and legends of all kinds. His collections of scary stories -- Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, Scary Stories 3, and two I Can Read Books, In A Dark, Dark Room and Ghosts! -- are just one part of his matchless folklore collection.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Still sticks with me, even now September 10, 2006

By kml

Format:Paperback

I'm nineteen years old, and I still remember the day I found this book in my school library when I was six. I was enamoured, and checked it out numerous times before another student lost it. I was a bookworm as a child, having read hundreds of books in a matter of years, and this book still stands as one of the truly unforgettable books I read in my youth. I believe it is the powerful imagery of the book that has stuck with me all these years, and made it impossible for me to forget.

Granted, it is not for everyone, and some children might benefit from reading it at an older age. I remember being slightly perturbed by some of the ideas and nuances presented in the book. However, I doubt highly that it would truly disturb any child that was mature enough to approach the book thoughtfully.

An initial parental reading might be something to consider.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book. October 15, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I remember when I got this book. It was near Halloween and I had to go to Burlington coat factory with my grandma. I saw this book and asked her if I could get it. She said okay. I was eight years old. I took it back to her house and read it that night. My favorite story was 'The Green Ribbon'. I took it to school with me the following Monday so that my teacher would read it to us and she got excited when she saw 'The Green Ribbon' because it was a story she was looking for that was told to her when she was a child. I love this book and I recommend it to you, but I do think that if you're a parent, you might want to see if your child can handle some of these stories. Aside from that, this is a fine bit of literature and will be cherished by many people for years to come.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable September 13, 2005

By Kathy Reyes

Format:Paperback

This is one of the first books I remember reading as a kid and it freaked me out so much! Looking back, the stories aren't anything to get even remotely scared about, but there is something great about this book when you're a kid. I must have read this book 15 times in one year. I still remember the stories, and I've even reminisced about it with my friends. A must have in any childhood.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I still remember this! February 22, 2005

By TheDarkRoom

Format:Paperback

I remember when I was about 4-6 I would read this book endlessly, and it would always scare the crap out of me, especially THE GREEN RIBBON. I couldn't go to sleep at night because of that story, and as a result, it sticks out the most in my mind. And now, looking back on the stories, they still seem scary! I'm 13 now, and don't scare very easily, but these stories scare me, and I love them! A few years ago my parents shelved this book, and I'm searching through many rooms (not dark, thankfully) to find it. I like the book that much, and I recommend this to everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY! HAIL ALVIN SCHWARTZ!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GREEN RIBBON June 17, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I remember first looking at this book after my Kindergarten teacher had finished reading it. I loved it so much and I remember thinking it was the most wonderful book in the world. I had totally forgotten what the title of the book was and it wasn't until recently that I stumbled upon it and bought it. The stories are great and sometimes a bit humorous if you have a morbid sense of humor that is. Anyway, I now read it to my little brother and he loves it. This is one of those scary story books that's scary, but not too scary to keep kids up at night. It's an excellent investment to make and it's something I'm almost positive a child will treasure forever.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It was good October 18, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I thought it was a good book but I don't think it should be for little kids in pre-school because it was a little too scarey for them. I especially liked the story about the little kid who has a ribbon around her neck and when alfred untied it her head fell off.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Think very hard before you get this book. October 25, 2006

By Susan C. Ryan

Format:Paperback

This book is pure nightmare material. On the other hand, kids love it. At a playgroup we discovered that four of the kids in the group both obsessively read or listened to this story and had nightmares about it. One was my 5 year old daughter. She had nightmares about it last year for months after reading it at Halloween. This year she had only to glimpse it on the library shelf for the nightmares to start again. It is well written, it certainly does the job of being spooky. I am sure you could cement a lot of new sight words into your child's head with this emotionally rousing easy reader. But do you want to? They don't get to be innocent for that long. I say, stay away from it for the 4-and 5-year-olds. Use with caution with 6s and 7s. Sensitive 8s should avoid it, too. I give it 3 stars because, while very well written, it is not appropriate for its target age group.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My son loved this bood! November 17, 2005

By Mom from Spanaway

Format:Paperback

My 6 year old son loved this book so much he couldn't put it down! It was very refreshing to find a book that is different from the usual happy-sappy children's books. It was spooky enough to keep him interested but not so scary that it frightened him.