Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Stephen Gammell, Alvin Schwartz
Readers rate it 3.8 (150 on Hardcover)
132 pages · Released Oct 1, 1989 · Scholastic Inc.
Content report card
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark parent’s guide: what’s inside
Language
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
Positive role models
A note for parents
This is a classic collection of short horror stories designed to entertain rather than traumatize, with most scares coming from atmosphere and surprise rather than graphic content. The stories vary in intensity—some are mild and silly, others genuinely creepy—so younger readers might find certain tales unsettling, while older children typically enjoy them. The Gammell illustrations are intentionally eerie but not gory; the content itself includes no profanity, sexual material, or substance use. This is a staple of middle-grade horror reading that rewards courage and resilience through the reading experience itself.
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From the publisher
Stories of ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, scary songs, and modern-day scary stories. Stories of ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, scary songs, and modern-day scary stories.
Shelved under
- Cuentos de terror estadounidenses
- American Ghost stories
- American Horror tales
- Cuentos de fantasmas estadounidenses
- Tales
- Folklore
- Cuentos populares
- Horror stories
- Ghosts
- Spanish language materials
- Translations into Spanish
- Ghost stories, American
Books in the Scary Stories series
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ISBN 9780590431972 · Scholastic Inc.