Alvin Schwartz (1) (1927–1992)

I missed reading this book when I was younger. It was published in 1984, and by then I was a young teen, and not interested in I Can Read books. I saw a clip on TikTok about this collection of stories recently and had to check it out. If only it had come out a few years earlier. My creepy little soul would have loved it.

I checked out the original 1984 edition from the library, though there is also an updated edition with new artwork. My favorite stories are: “The Teeth” (mainly for the creepy artwork); “The Green Ribbon” (ominous and scary); and “The Night It Rained” (sad, unsettling, spooky). “The Pirate” was pretty good too. The other three stories were fine, but could have used a little something more. All of them had great pictures.… (lisätietoja)

So, I never actually read these stories as a kid, but I wish I had! But, I'm sure back then, the illustrations would have given me nightmares. As an adult, they're still scary, but not so much nightmare-inducing.

Anyway, I bought the box set in preparation to see the Scary Stories movie. I loved this collection and went through it quickly, and even though the stories are meant for youngsters, I still felt a chill at some of them (Harold the scarecrow, the Bride, the babysitter and stranger upstairs, the killer at the back of the girl's car, to name a few). Others were funny, some were mysterious rather than scary. All in all, a good mix of creepy, disgusting, shocking, funny and lighthearted. All stories are between 1-3 or 4 pages long, so you can go through them quickly.

I also liked the addition of resources at the end of each book, and the folklore behind each story. I appreciated reading about them and learning a little background of our tales.

Would recommend, even if it's to just reminisce with a bit of childhood nostalgia, or to check out for yourself what the hype is really about, now that there's a feature film based on the stories. But, be sure to get the copy with the original illustrations by Gammell. They really add to the creep factor and atmosphere.… (lisätietoja)