Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz

Bibliographic Information:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (1981). Retold by Alvin Schwartz. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Harper & Row. ISBN: 0397319266

Book Awards:
None


Plot Summary:
A collection of spooky and macabre short stories, with a few poems and songs. These are the classic 5 minute or less campfire tales--bare bones (pardon the pun), with few embellishing details. The first chapter contains tales that end in a scream-- that is, you make all your friends jump at the end. The second and third chapters are where the inexplicable remains unexplained, and the haunt always gets its man. The fourth chapter has tales of narrow escapes, such as the well known "Hook" story. The fifth chapter's stories start out spooky, but end up funny.

Critical Evaluation:
These stories are short and unimaginatively written-- almost a reporter's style. They would have little dramatic impact if read out loud in a normal voice, or read silently to oneself. This book is really meant to provide a template for would-be story-tellers; after memorizing the gist of a story, they would tell it out loud in a suitably frightening tone of voice, hopefully adding gory details. The artwork, however, is another story entirely-- it is gory, scary, and high-quality--possibly the biggest reason for this books oft-challenged status. Judging by the dog-eared multiple copies at the library, however, kids love it!

Reader's Annotation:
Terrify your friends in the dark by telling them a story or two from this book! Slumber parties will never be the same!

About the Author:
Alvin Schwartz was born on April 25, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York. He was in the Navy, and then worked as a reporter before beginning to write folklore collections for children. According to the ALA, his Scary Stories series were the most challenge books in libraries from 1990-2000.

Genre:
Paranormal fiction
Folklore

Curriculum Ties:
Drama

Booktalking Ideas:
Story telling, adding to
campfires, terrifying friends and family

Interest Age:
9+

Challenge Issues:
Disturbing art and content
If a challenge should occur,
Read the book! Urge parent to do the same. Refer to collection development policy. If dispute continues, parents' wishes regarding their own children will be respected.

Reason Included:
Kids love this book! I wanted to see what the hype was-- but I had to put it on reserve to actually get my hands on it.