In a dark, dark room [and other scary stories]

by Alvin Schwartz

Cassette Audiobook , 1986

Status

Available

Local notes

R Sch (c.3)

Barcode

3037

Collection

Publication

[S.l.] : Listening Library, p1986.

Description

Seven scary stories to tell at night in front of a fire or in the dark, based on traditional stories and folktales from various countries.

Awards

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 1986)
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades K-2 — 1987)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Winner — Primary — 1988)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 1989)
CCBC Choices (Folklore — 1984)

Original publication date

1984

User reviews

LibraryThing member t1bclasslibrary
This has the story of the Green Ribbon- what more need I say? It also has other, less scary, less favored ghost stories. Read "The Green Ribbon."
LibraryThing member sharlamccall
Summary:
This is a collection of scary stories to scare your friends with. They are meant to be told slowly, with a soft voice, in a dark room.

Personal Reaction:
I thought the stories were more humorous than scary. That’s probably because I was alone, in a well lit room, reading them to myself.
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There was one story I remember telling when I was a child; of course it was scary to me then. I think children would enjoy the stories.

Classroom extension ideas:
I would have the students write their own scary story. I would turn off the lights, maybe make a faux fire, and we would sit around it and let them tell their stories.

You could also read this story around Halloween, and have the students make characters and scenes from the book to use as decorations in the classroom.
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LibraryThing member Megs_Scrambled
I love these stories, so when I found out they were published in Early Reader format, I bought the book. Children like creepy stories and these tales do not disappoint, even thirty years later. The book has seven stories, so although long, a child doesn't have to complete the book in one sitting.
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The font is in a large format with short sentences and controlled vocabulary. Each story is slightly different from each other, with some using rhyme and others standard prose. The pictures enhance the story but don't detract from the child's mission to read the words. I like that the scary appeal can help a child finish the story and find resolution.
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Folklorist and children's author Alvin Schwartz presents seven spooky selections in this early-reader collection. From the opening tale about The Teeth, in which a boy runs from a series of men, each with teeth longer than the last, to the closing children's song about The Ghost of John, the
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contents here is sure to give young beginning readers the shivers. In the Graveyard sees a fat woman speaking to three thin corpses in a graveyard, while The Green Ribbon follows the tale of a young girl who always wears a ribbon of green around her neck. The titular In a Dark, Dark Room uses repetition to build suspense, and scare the reader, while The Night it Rained and The Pirate both chronicle a ghostly encounter.

Although I have vivid memories of reading Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a girl - a collection that was intended for older, middle-grade readers - I never happened to pick up In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, which first saw print in 1984. I'm glad I've finally remedied that situation, as I think this collection makes an admirable spooky read for younger children who are just becoming independent readers. I appreciated the author's foreword, in which he talks about the appeal of being scared, and I also appreciated the afterword, in which he briefly discusses the folkloric sources for each selection. With the exception of The Teeth, which comes from Suriname, it would seem that these tales and songs are mostly British and/or Euro-American. The accompanying artwork by Dirk Zimmer accentuates the scares to be found in each tale, and ably complements the text. Recommended to beginning readers looking for ghost stories.
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LibraryThing member atlomas
My son brought this book home from school and we read it together and enjoyed it! Now he can't stop reading it so I am very glad it has his interest. I would use this book during Halloween time to try and create a scary mood for them by turning off lights and having flashlights. There are some
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stories like "The Green Ribbon" that would be too scary to read to children however but good retelling of scary stories.
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LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
That story about Jenny's green ribbon still haunts me
LibraryThing member YukiNatsuo
Loved this! Good for reluctant readers as this is a compilation of short horror stories but not too scary!
LibraryThing member Faith_Murri
That story about Jenny's green ribbon still haunts me
LibraryThing member bookofsecrets
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
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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.
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Rating

(103 ratings; 4.1)
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