Books › Scary stories to tell in the dark
Scary stories to tell in the dark
First published 1990 · 208 pages
A campfire whisper that follows you home and hides under your bed.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like sitting around a dying campfire while the woods press in close. The pace is brisk and punchy, delivering bite-sized folklore and urban legends with a deadpan, matter-of-fact tone that makes the horror feel entirely plausible. The prose is stripped down and unadorned, relying on stark imagery and abrupt, chilling twists rather than flowery descriptions. It creates an atmosphere that is deeply unsettling, soaking the reader in a nostalgic, creeping dread that lingers long after the book is closed. It is the perfect read for brave kids seeking their first genuine thrill and adults looking to recapture the delicious, wide-eyed terror of a childhood sleepover gone delightfully wrong.
- Mood
- creepy
- dread-soaked
- nostalgic
- unsettling
- Tone
- deadpan
- eerie
- matter-of-fact
- folkloric
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- childhood fears · urban legends · the macabre · the unknown lurking in the mundane
- The writing
- Sparse, unadorned, and deceptively simple, relying on rhythm and abrupt twists to deliver its shocks.
- The arc
- Starts with a shiver of anticipation and builds to lingering, jump-scare-induced paranoia.
- Who it's for
- Young readers seeking their first taste of genuine horror, and adults chasing the nostalgic thrill of a sleepless night.
Content notes
- body horror
- death
- ghosts
- macabre imagery
- jump scares
About the book
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends, in which folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time.
678 Childrens Plus, Inc.
P Fountas and Pinnell.
Accelerated Reader AR 4.1 1.0 18788.
Accelerated Reader MG 4.1 1 18788
Description from Open Library.
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