Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 25th Anniversary Edition: Collected from American Folklore (Paperback)

by Alvin Schwartz (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator) "A boy was digging at the edge of the garden when he saw a big toe..." (more)
Key Phrases: worms crawl, scary stories

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A fine collection of short tales to chill the bones of young and old with interesting notes for folktale buffs." -- -- Children's Books 1981 (NY Public Library).

"A fine collection of short tales to chill the bones of young and old with interesting notes for folktale buffs." -- -- Children's Books 1981 (NY Public Library).

"[Includes] traditional ghost tales, contemporary folklore, and chilling stories with surprise endings. . . .Superb illustrations." -- -- H.

Product Description
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.

If You Dare!

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 9, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064401707
• ISBN-13: 978-0064401708
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,094 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Horror
  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections
  #3 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Schwartz, Alvin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am still totally creeped out., May 3, 2004

By	J. Frank (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So ten or fifteen years ago, when I was in elementary school, this was definitely the NUMBER ONE MOST FREQUENTLY CHECKED-OUT LIBRARY BOOK, EVER. If you wanted this book in your hot little hand for just two days, you had to stand at the counter and wait for someone to turn it back in, just so you could snatch it up before the librarian got it back onto the shelf. No joke.

America's a young country, of course, so our idea of "American folklore" often falls into the sphere of Urban Legend. That doesn't mean this book is any less literary, of course: children will learn what REAL short story pacing is, thanks to Alvin Schwartz's suspenseful collection of concise, tense, and often outright nightmarish stories.

But the real thing that will haunt kids a decade or two later will be Stephen Gammell's illustrations. Yipes! I've asked my peers, and not one of us has forgotten those awful, macabre, dripping-flesh-decay illustrations. Ick! Just remembering this book gives me the creeps!

But parents, don't worry: this book is a must-have for any well-rounded childhood, so long as you don't mind sharing your bed with your kid for a week or two.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GREATEST CHILDREN'S HORROR SERIES OF ALL TIME, July 4, 2001

By	liler (Los Angeles, ca, usa) - See all my reviews

I don't know where to begin, these books have been such a huge part of my life! I remember discovering these when i was in 3rd grade, in 1993. I was truly obsessed, when friends would come over I would just read, read, read out loud to them, some of them scared to death by the stories, others mesmerized by the awesome illustrations (thank you steven gammell!) I still talk about them till this day (im a junior in high school) its been 8 years and I have still not forgotten these books. Alot of the stories live on in my mind, "The big toe," or "Bloody Fingers" (COOL IT MAN, GET A BANDAID!) ahhaha I lovem! I recommend this book to every living soul on the face of this planet, go out and buy all three! (More scary s's is the best, i think) I LOVE THESE BOOKS!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, Awesome, AWESOME!!- By Mary Sanders, July 29, 2005

A Kid's Review

Ever since I was very young, I adored ghost stories and when I was in first grade my father used to take me to the local library every Wendsday night. The librarian knew I was fond of scary books, and recommended we check this book out and read it.
The instant we got home, I begged my father to read the book to me. He agreed, and read the whole thing. It scared me a little, but I loved the stories in this book very much. The illustrations are beautiful, despite being very gloomy- like something Tim Burton would draw. The best stories in this book are the following:

THE GUESTS: A newlywed couple get a late start, and end up renting a room in the house of an elderly couple. The next morning they leave and go out to breakfast. There they discover that their hosts had died in a fire years before...

HIGH BEAMS: A high-school girl finds out a murderer is lurking in her backseat.

THE HAUNTED HOUSE: A priest goes to put a ghost to rest, only to discover the truth behind the ghosts' tragic tale...

I would say that children ages 7-12 should read this. Any younger can become scared by the stories, and illustrations. But if younger children are mature enough, they can handle this book. BUY IT!!!!!!!