More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Scary Stories, #2)

Justin Tate

Rating: really liked it
This second volume of scary stories compiled/adapted from folklore and legend is significantly scarier and more adult than the previous volume. I was going to include my list of favorites when I realized I loved every story in here except one or two which were still good.

What I love most is that Schwartz takes time at the end to explain his sources for the legend and offer supplemental reading suggestions for those interested. The list of books include many from academia. What people don’t realize about Scary Stories is that it’s an extremely scholarly project. It doesn’t surprise me at all that it took a full 3 years between volume 1 and 2 because of the massive research involved. It took another 7 years before the third book was released and of course there hasn’t been any more collections since.

Schwartz deserves much praise for his dedication to folklore and attention to quality. The slim volumes of utmost quality serves the vision much better than a mediocre thick collection, which is unfortunately the structure of competing collections. Combined, of course, with Gammell’s iconic illustrations, there’s not a finer book of campfire tales yet. While the first collection has some true classics, I think I prefer volume 2 because of the way it raises the scares a notch.

On to volume 3!

Mischenko

Rating: really liked it
This book is featured on Halloween Reads for Children @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/...

Here's another scary story collection that’s perfect for this time of year. Some of these are downright horrifying, but so much fun.

A few of our favorites are: Something was Wrong, The Cat’s Paw, Ba-Rooom!, which includes the simple sheet music we enjoy playing on the piano, Wonderful Sausage, and One Sunday Morning.

One of my favorite sections in the book contains the sources which explain the tales, adaptations, retellings and even different variations. Some even have a little history with them which explains where these tales were heard and when. The illustrations by Stephen Gammell are perfect and never disappoint!

5*****

Tina Haigler

Rating: really liked it
Another collection of spooky tales, Scary Stories 2 is not quite as good as the original but I love it anyway. I really only remembered a few stories from this one, so most of the stories were new to me this go around.

This is a very beloved book from my childhood, along with it's prequel and sequel. I'm still not entirely sure why I love something so much that gave me several serious complexes that continue into adulthood, but I guess I'm just twisted like that.

I chose to reread these books due to the Scary Stories movie that came out recently. Needless to say the stories didn't scare me like they did when I was a kid, but I still found that I was a little creeped out going to the bathroom in the dark, so to me that's a win for any book or movie, because fiction doesn't scare me easily.

It's filled with mostly creepy short stories, with a chapter dedicated to spooky yet humorous stories to make you laugh instead. This edition has newer pictures, but the original illustrator's drawings are intensely creepy, and unmistakably recognizable. It's perfect for kids 10 - 12, teens 13 - 15, or people 16+ that scare really easily and can't handle hardcore horror.

¸¸.•*¨*•♫ Mrs. Buttercup •*¨*•♫♪

Rating: really liked it


I didn't like this book as much as the first one. I found the stories dull and the narration uninteresting. However, there were a couple of them which I really liked, and I also think that it might be due to me reading this book for the first time as an adult (whereas the first one was a childhood memory). I still admire the work of collection and study of folk tales and urban legends that stays behind it, so I am definitely checking out number three. After all, this series is a classic!

Ashley Daviau

Rating: really liked it
These stories truly are the perfect Halloween reads! It just feels right reading them during the spookiest month of the year. While I did still thoroughly enjoy this second collection of stories, I do find it lacks a bit of oomph compared to the first. It doesn’t grab me in the same way that the first instalment does, it’s missing that teeny little something extra. It’s still such a fun read though, I felt like I kid again while between its pages and that’s a feeling I always cherish while reading! I have to mention the illustrations as well, they are just so on point and I’m loving the new art. The original art will always be my favourite but the new illustrations are still pretty damn stunning!

Kimberly

Rating: really liked it
I took a little trip down memory lane with this one. I remember reading this as a kid and trying to scare my brothers and sisters with Clinkity-Clink, then laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world when they all jumped at the end. Of course, all these stories were a bit spookier when I was younger. As an adult, I didn't find any of the stories to be all that scary, however there were several that were still quite interesting. I also like that the author included a section at the end telling where the inspiration for each story came from.

Juli

Rating: really liked it
The Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz was a favorite of my oldest son when he was younger. We read the stories out loud to each other, and even his friends. We talked about what made a story scary, how to tell a great ghost story and the basics of acting and public speaking. My son is now almost 30 years old and he still remembers these books. Before he left to serve in the Navy, he brought me used copies that matched the ones he owned as a kid. As part of my personal challenge this year to read books off my own shelves and to read more of what I personally enjoy, I am re-reading these books. I'm enjoying the stories, and also thinking about a little boy that grew into a pretty awesome man. As my son is stationed thousands of miles away in Japan and I haven't 'seen him in two years, I can think fondly of him as I read these books that he so thoughtfully brought to me before he left home.

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is the second book in the series. As in the first book, the tales are gathered from folklore. There is a notes section and list of sources in the back of the book. The 28 stories are accompanied by awesome bizarre artwork by Stephen Gammell. The artwork really makes this book something special. The stories vary from jump scares and scary situations to humor and even a song.

A great collection of kid-friendly horror!!

Maliha Tabassum Tisha

Rating: really liked it
➸ 3.5 stars

Stories I liked most:
• The bed at the window
• The bride
• The drum
• The dead man's hand
• The little black dog

Ronyell

Rating: really liked it


4.5 stars

SCARY STORIES PART TWO!

After reading the first book “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” I just had to read up on the sequel, “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” which is also written by Alvin Schwartz along with illustrations by Stephen Gammell. “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a continuation of the first book and we are introduced to more spine-tingling tales from this fantastic series as you will definitely be sitting on the edge of your seats after you read this collection of scary stories!

Just like the first book, this book basically contains a collection of scary stories to tell in the dark and they include:

One Sunday Morning



A young woman named Ida decided to go to church on Sunday morning and when she made it to the church, she started to realize that the people at the church were not normal as she saw one of her friends, Josephine Kerr, attend the service, even though she died a month ago…

The Little Black Dog



Billy Mansfield was fighting a man named Silas Burton, who was an enemy of his family and when Billy knocked Silas off his horse, he ended up killing Silas along with his black dog when the dog started barking at Billy. Unfortunately after that incident, Billy starts noticing a strange black dog following him around…

The Bride



A minister’s daughter just got married and after the wedding ceremony, she decided to play hide and seek and she hid inside a trunk in the attic. Unfortunately, the lid of the trunk dropped on the daughter and locked her inside the trunk and everyone at the wedding ceremony did not even know that she is missing!

Once again, I was blown away by this collection of scary stories from the creative retellings of Alvin Schwartz! Alvin Schwartz has done a brilliant job at retelling these ancient scary folktales as each story is just as creepy and intense as the last story and the twist endings are enough to make you scream! I loved the way that Alvin Schwartz provided an eerie atmosphere to each story as it makes the audience feel scare for the characters and the supernatural activities that surround them and it really brought out the creativity of this book. I also loved the fact that Alvin Schwartz took the time to research the various folktales dealing with horror and I loved the fact that Alvin Schwartz provided a bibliography section at the end of the book so that way you would be able to go back and check the original sources of these tales! I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection, but my most favorite stories would have to be “The Bride,” “The Little Black Dog,” “One Sunday Morning,” “Wonderful Sausage” and “The Cat in a Shopping Bag.” Stephen Gammell’s illustrations are as usual, eerily and brilliantly done as the artwork is truly frightening to look at and the black and white colorings of the illustrations really bring out the creepy feel to the stories. There is much creepy imagery in this book, but probably the scariest image in this book was of the skeletal bride in “The Bride.”

Just like the first book, this book might be too scary for small children since there are stories about characters being killed and haunted by supernatural forces. Also, what always made this series so scary for small children is the fact that the illustrations are truly scary and small children might not be able to get through this book because of the scary illustration. As for why I took off half a point from the rating, I felt that this book was using the same structure that was used in the first book such as in stories like “Cemetery Soup” where the character always steal something from the dead and something haunts them at the end.

Overall, “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is just another addition to your “Horror Books for Children” shelf that you just got to check out! I would recommend this book to children ages eight and up since the often spooky content in this book is too scary for small children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Scott Rhee

Rating: really liked it
True story, one that I’m almost ashamed to share since it will most likely make me look like an asshole and a horrible father, but what the hell, full disclosure:

I read one of the stories in Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” to my (at the time) 6-year-old daughter. I thought (at the time) that it was one of the less scary ones. It’s the one about the kid who finds a big human toe in his backyard and keeps it in his nightstand. At night, he hears a voice calling out, “Where’s my toe?”, and as he sinks deeper and deeper under the covers, the voice keeps getting closer and closer, until, eventually, he hears the voice right next to his bed. At this point (according to the book, as Schwartz occasionally adds audience participation), the reader grabs the listener’s toe and screams, “YOU’VE GOT IT!”

So, I did. And my daughter freaked out, and not in a good way. She screamed and then started crying and then hit me and said, “I hate you, daddy!” and I felt horrible (really, I swear). She wouldn’t talk to me for almost half the day.

Still, despite the trauma that my wife insists I cruelly inflicted upon our daughter, I have to say that it’s a testament to the power of a good scary story.

If it can bring the listener to tears, make them hate you, and make your wife think you are a monster, then it’s a pretty damn good scary story.

(I know. I expect to get some shit for this...)

Megan

Rating: really liked it
When I was a child, I used to love reading Alvin Schwartz's scary story books! There was nothing more fun than going to the library during the summer and getting my fix of creepy stories and macabre artwork by Stephen Gammell. I recently picked up a copy of this book as a testament to my childhood nostalgia to see if the stories held up to the test of time. I'm glad to say that they did! While written for children, the stories definitely gave me a few chills as an adult. The artwork is still just as creepy, although I'm not quite as scared to look at it now. The tales are based on folklore and legends, so you or your children may have already heard many of them before. Yet, there is nothing quite like the way that Alvin Schwartz tells them.

This is definitely a book I'd recommend picking up for children who love scary stories, or for those of us who loved these stories as a child! Don't forget to read them when the sun is out and the lights are on, though. Otherwise, you might start seeing things in every corner or hearing things in every room!

Nandakishore Mridula

Rating: really liked it
I found a copy online.

This was fun - a collection of creepy urban legends from the US. It was largely spoilt for me because I knew, or could guess, the punchline from most.

To get the most out of these stories, they have to be told around a campfire in the night. If the story teller is skilled, he/ she can frighten the hell out of people.

Shannon

Rating: really liked it
4/5

Although the stories are very tame, the illustrations are gorgeous, and the strong wave of nostaligia made this an awesome reread.

Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)

Rating: really liked it
When I was a kid, my older sister covered my window with a blanket and invaded the fort I had under my bed to scare the ever-loving shit out of me by reading stories from this– wait, did I already tell this story? In any case, that’s how vividly the memory has been etched into my brain, along with all the nights I spent awake under my covers, listening for the sound of the old woman’s clinking money from “Clinkity-Clink.” This, along with the melting faces from Piano Lessons Can Be Murder (also my sister’s influence) and the dead thing in the pool episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? (that one was all me) made up my childhood nightmares. I bet a lot of people have similar experiences, which is how you know you’ve made it into the canon of children’s horror. There’s nothing quite like the things that frighten us when we’re young. What were yours? (I know you remember.)

I like this collection as much as the first one and, in some ways, a little more. I found the stories more straightforwardly spooky, more ghostly and full of dead things, whereas the original has a couple chapters dedicated to funny or spoken-word stories that don’t have quite the same impact on page. They’re also less familiar, at least on my end, without the urban legends that my generation is so familiar with–except for “The Wreck,” of course, which is a version of my favorite ghostly hitchhiker. The version I knew of “The Bed by the Window” didn’t have murder in it. “Clinkity-Clink” and “The Bride” haunted my childhood memories, and “Somebody Fell from Aloft” is a creepy revenge story. As always, Stephen Gammell’s black and white illustrations are nothing short of chilling and a necessary element to these books, and I enjoyed Schwartz’s notes on the collection at the end. All in all, it’s just as worthwhile as the first, and I’m looking forward to the next.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Rebel Reads

Rating: really liked it
I just love all of these stories. And it just so happens to be Halloween season, so, let's face it, this is a must read. The illustrations are to die for - literally. And, even though I read these as a young child, I got to read it with my daughter, which was absolutely perfect!