AWRW Way Back Wednesday Book Review: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

Way Back Wednesday is a Book Meme created by A Well Read Woman with the aim to write mini book reviews on books read in the past, that left a lasting impression.

You know what kind of books I am talking about… The ones that you have read multiple times, and they still bring you nostalgia. Books like these are the reason you enjoy reading.

So grab that old-dusty-yet-loved-book off the shelf, glance it over, write a mini review, and join in with me on Wednesdays! EVERYONE is welcome to participate.

Rules

1.) Discuss a book you read in the past that left an impression on you. You can write a condensed review if you prefer.

2.) Tag your post as “Way Back Wednesday” and include the button above.

3.) Link back to my blog, and this page.

4.) Include instructions, (copy & paste everything above), for others to participate.

It has been a while since I have posted a Way Back Wednesday Book Review, but Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark popped in my brain and I thought that it would be fun to share my thoughts on it. I absolutely loved this trilogy as a child, and it scared me half to death! After a teacher read it to my class in the 4th grade during a Halloween party, I HAD to own my own copies!

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!

Paperback, 112 pages

Published October 1st 1989 by Scholastic, Inc. (first published October 14th 1981)

Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Children’s Literature/Middle Grade, Short Stories, Banned Literature

Goodreads

I don’t know about you, but the image to the left brings me so much nostalgia! This image was attached to the story about the woman with the red dot on her face, that wound up being a zillion spider babies that hatched from her face! Talk about TERRIFYING!

Sadly, in the revised edition, the artwork is much more tame. Ok, basically the artwork in the new books sucks, (sorry Bret Helquist, you are a fine artist but I prefer the original). The original artwork is what nightmares are made of! And that is what makes it AWESOME!

The Scary Stories Treasury has all the original stories and artwork, and can be purchased through Amazon by clicking on the link.

All those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz’s first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic.Is it possible to die — and not know it? What if a person is buried too soon? What happens to a thief foolish enough to rob a corpse, or to a murderer whose victim returns from the grave? Read about these terrifying predicaments as well as what happens when practical jokes produce gruesome consequences and initiations go awry.Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories — and even a scary song — all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare!

Hardcover, Library Binding, 100 pages

Published August 21st 2001 by Harpercollins (first published 1984)

Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Children’s Literature/Middle Grade, Short Stories, Banned Literature

Goodreads

OH MY GOD! Do you remember The Hearse Song? If not, let me refresh your memory:

“Did you ever think when the hearse drives by
That someday soon you too will die
They’ll wrap you up in a bloody sheet

And toss you down a thousand feet
The worms crawl in the worms crawl out
The ants play pinochle in your snout …”

Storytellers know — just as they have for hundreds and hundreds of years — that everyone enjoys a good, scary story!

Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories 3 joins his other popular collections of scary folklore, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, to give readers spooky, funny and fantastic tales guaranteed to raise goose bumps.

Who is the Wolf girl? Why is a hearse filled with men with yellow glowing eyes? Can a nightmare become reality? How do you avoid an appointment with Death?

Stephen Gammell’s splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozens scary stories — and even a scary song — all just right for reading along or for telling aloud in the dark..

Paperback, 128 pages

Published 1991 by Scholastic, Inc.

Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Children’s Literature/Middle Grade, Short Stories, Banned Literature

Do you remember The Bride? This story made me forever afraid of trunks! My husband has a large trunk and I have been trying to convince him to remove the outside locks, just in case a child crawled inside and somehow locked his or herself in. I can blame this story for that fear!

Again, if you are interested in purchasing the original stories, complete with original artwork, you can do so, here.

This volume contains the complete text and drawings from all 3 of the very popular and beloved Schwartz/Gammell books: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Scary Stories 3 More Tales to Chill Your Bones.

If you are interested in the revised box set, which has all new artwork, that can be purchased, here.

Walking corpses, dancing bones, knife-wielding madmen, and narrow escapes from death—they’re all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories.

HarperCollins; Box edition (September 27, 2011)
128 Pages

About The Author

Alvin Schwartz was the author of more than fifty books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and word play, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled The Blowtop. –Goodreads Author Bio

Do you remember the Scary Stories Trilogy? Which story was your favorite?