Reviews

Scary Stories Treasury by Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Gammell

sizrobe's review against another edition

5.0

Fantastic compendium of spooky folkloric tales written in simple English, intended for consumption by children I'd estimate around grade school level. From the footnotes, most of them go way back, at least one of which dating all the way back to ancient Rome.

These stories were definitely formative to me. The stories themselves are great, but the illustrations are what really make them special. Sadly, most of the modern reprints replace the terrifying watercolors with more age-appropriate and way less cool versions. It's a good thing that this collection of all three books preserves the original art.

victoria_readsstuff's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

hannahreadslotsofbooks's review against another edition

3.0

The stories are well researched and well written. The intended audience is children, but I found them to be quite frightening and not sure if it’s really kid friendly.

tanjatuesday's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

3.0

lamusadelils's review against another edition

3.0

Historias sencillas, clicheteras y para un público muy joven, pero tiene el toque nostálgico y las ilustraciones de Gammell, así que valió la pena.

raynaking93's review against another edition

dark mysterious

4.0

jryan's review against another edition

4.0

3.5

Fun stories that are geared towards a younger crowd. I’ll be interested to see how the movie plays out as this is a book of unrelated short stories.

I will say that this editions has so really really awesome illustrations!

robinhoodreads's review

Honestly, this collection still slaps. I have loved the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series since I was a kid and they really hold up for me still. While they don't exactly scare me now, they still give you the creepiest vibes throughout. Many of these are old urban legends that I'm sure you've heard a thousand times, but they still bring the horror. Especially with Gammell's artwork. These drawings are so creepy now, but as a kid, they definitely gave me nightmares. My top three are The Babysitter (the call is coming from inside the house!), The Girl Who Stood on a Grave, and High Beams. To this day, High Beams is one of my favorite stories to tell and still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

svangleboyer's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 I first read these books in elementary school, and I still love them as much today as I did then! Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series is full of creepy stories but also some funny stories so there is a bit of something for everyone.

The illustrations in these books are AMAZING! They still give me the creeps and they definitely stay with you long after you finish reading.

It would be hard to pick a favorite so the one that has stuck with me the most is the tale of the wolf girl.

Highly recommend Scary Stories to any horror fans, any fans of scary short stories, and anyone who loved the movie because it is pretty spot on with the illustrations! 

caitlinann's review

dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0