Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Collected from American Folklore

by Alvin Schwartz

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064401707
• ISBN13: 9780064401708
• Release Date: July 1986
• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

I received the wrong book.

I ordered a hardcover for $15.69 and I received a damaged paper copy worth $4.19. This is unacceptable. I will be returning it.

Love

Creepy, funny, and chilling short stories!

I walked around our home randomly reading these to my husband and grown children. So much fun!

Seriously, a fun read to share with others! I highly recommend sharing this at sleepovers, stories around the fireside, car rides, etc.

Fast shipping!

Ordered this for my son b/c I couldn't find some of his old books I had been storing when he left home since he wanted to read again before watching the movie coming out soon. Unfortunately, I didn't order "the right one" (apparently, there are several in the series) but he was still happy... I was pretty happy with the fast turnover. He told me he received it pretty quickly.

Awesome, Awesome, AWESOME!!- By Mary Sanders

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!!!!!!!

Lots of really nifty stories!

During a recent Cub Scout campout, I realized that I needed to expand my stock of scary stories. I checked this book out, and it is just perfect! These 29 (if I counted correctly) stories run from the funny to the downright frightening. As an added bonus, one of these 29 is actually a song (The Hearse Song), and one is an activity (The Dead Man's Brains).This is a great book, with a lot of really nifty stories. If you want some scary stories for younger listeners, then I highly recommend that you get this book!

Ah, good times

I remember when I got the first book of the series. I was little and looking through some old books my brother wanted to give away. I found it and kept it, although I didn't read it for a long time, the cover scared the b'geezus out of me. When I did read it, around the third grade or so, I loved it. It frightened the heck out of me and gave me nightmares. The most fun I had out of the book was sharing it with people, friends, cousins, ect. When I bought the rest of the series, everyone wanted to read them at SRR and I lent them out at a quarter each (hey, 75cents back then could buy an ice cream bar and a nutty buddy!). My mother always looked at me weird when she saw the books, she was like "how could you read that stuff?" and her and my dad would sit me down and have talks with me on how they didn't want me too interested in the occult or reading "books like that". Although I just ignored them, after all, they were the ones who bought me the books in the first place and continued to let me buy things like that, even though they were the ones who paid and took it to the checkout! Aren't parents funny?

THE GREATEST CHILDREN'S HORROR SERIES OF ALL TIME

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!