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Module 15: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark


Summary: "So you like scary things? Do you want to see something really scary?" That was a line from the movie The Twilight Zone Movie. If you liked that movie, or Goosebumps, then you'll enjoy this book. These stories are meant to scare you and you read it because you like to be scared. Scary Stories scares as you read it and allows you to use their stories to scare your friends. Whether it's a visitor coming down a chimney or the ever-popular man-with-a-hook. But, if you don't like scary things then you should probably skip this book, but if you do like those things then...did you hear that noise? I think it came from the book. I dare you to look inside.

Reference: Schwartz, A. (2010). Scary stories to tell in the dark. New York, NY. HarperCollins Children's Books.

Impressions: Reading these stories reminded of the The Twilight Zone and the Kolchak: The Night Stalker television series.  These tales were made to frighten you, but they weren't really that scary. Masks looked rubbery, headless motorcycle riders had long torsos, or the story line was so predictable you knew what was coming, so it wasn't always scary. But, I watched them anyways. Scary Stories is in that same mode. Schwartz states from the beginning that these are tales that are meant to be shared over a campfire or late-night party, or better yet at Halloween. Admittedly, some of the tales aren't too scary at all, but some might give some kids nightmares but these tales are never meant to to horrify. They're only meant to be fun and that's how I saw them.

Professional Review: Divided into five sections, this collection of American folklore has a little of everything--but not enough of anything. The opening chapter, "'jump stories' to make friends JUMP with fright," is varied but uninspired. In the opening tale, a big toe is discovered, brought home, cooked, and eaten. Are you entertained so far? The allegedly scary bit is when the storyteller accuses a listener of possessing said toe. The best offering is "A Man Who Lived in Leeds," a creepy, catchy rhyme of nonsense or is it? The second section's theme is ghosts. The first selection involves two friends chased by a skeleton; a year later, one of the friends dies and "looked just like the skeleton." The following story, "Cold as Clay," is a strong, spine-tingling one. The rest range from pointless to gruesome: "the flesh was dropping off her face She had no eyeballs and no nose." Chapter three is particularly rife with nightmarish, disturbing images. Chapter four consists of stories that "young people tell about dangers we face in our lives today." The only outstanding entry is "High Beams," in which a teenage girl is stalked by a car. It turns out that the bad guy is already in her car and the "stalker" was trying to warn her! The final chapter is devoted to tales meant to amuse rather than frighten. Only the first two succeed. The black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott winner Gammell are outstanding; next to them, the stories, not the readers, pale. A twenty-fifth anniversary edition. 2006 (orig. 1981).

Milliner, N.(2006). [Review of Scary stories to tell in the dark]. Children's Literature. Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:4639/index.php/jbookdetail/jqbookdetail?page=2&pos=3&isbn=9780397319268.

Library Use: I think this book could be shared for Halloween carnivals or Autumn Festivals. Librarians could read a few stories to help the mood of these events or to get everyone in the spirit of it all.  These are places that people would expect these types of stories and would be aware that they are meant for silliness and nothing more.

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