Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was surprised to find that SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK was a collection of folk tales and campfire tales from around the world rather than the original stories I was expecting, but that turned out to add to my enjoyment whenever I recognized a story. For example, I read Helen Creighton’s BLUENOSE GHOSTS in college, so I recognized the story “The Thing” right away.
The stories are very short, so they (often amusingly) get right to the point. Consider this opening line from “Me Tie Dough-Ty Walker!”: “There was a haunted house where every night a bloody head fell down the chimney.” They don’t write ’em like that anymore! But while the extremely short lengths make them perfect for small children, they make it difficult for adult readers like myself to become invested in the stories. Granted, I should have read this book 40 years ago instead of now!
Still, this is a charming and fun book. On to the next volume!
Leave a Reply