Scary Stories to Tell if You Dare

I really enjoyed this book! It's a collection of short scary stories that pay homage to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series. As a near lifelong devotee of Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series, this was a welcome treat. Author Joe Oliveto includes a great mixture of stories in this volume (some supernatural, some far too real) that manages to capture the very spartan, matter of fact style Schwartz used in his books. Just enough detail is given to capture your attention but not enough to distract from the moment. Each story feels like it could be told and retold a few different ways which is part of the fun of these books. I know that I personally took Alvin Schwartz's stories and made them my own at various sleepovers, campfires, and other times when a good scary story is needed. While the artwork mostly consist of simple black and white photographs rather than actual illustrations (who could ever attempt to recapture Stephen Gammell's artwork), it overall is an excellent tribute that continues the legacy.

I thought it was scary stories to tell in the dark.... these stories all end with “...and they were never heard from again...” I liked the reference pages more than the stories and it took me 2 hours to read the whole book. It’s personal preference... I’m a Schwartz fan, so other people may enjoy these stories

The good:An honest effort to continue the tradition of sharing bite-sized urban legends in the style of Alvin Schwartz. Each story is accompanied by a black and white illustration, and the binding has a pleasantly smooth surface.The bad:No one could ever surpass the nightmarish imagery of Stephen Gammell, but even with this in mind, the illustrations leave something to be desired. The images are little more than photographs of landscapes altered on editing software. Some are moody and complementary to their stories, while others leave me wondering if traditional artists would improve the atmosphere.The awkward:Occasional typos are throughout the text.

Joe Oliveto made me and my family out here in Mexico re-live some of the old scary folktales we grew up with. I read this all in one night. All it's missing are creepy illustrations by Stephen Gammell and it would be an official #4 in the 1980's "Scary Stories..." trilogy. I found this stories to be a bit more original and I feel that Joe Oliveto can easily produce another book of scary stories to follow-up this one and hope he does. I'll be publishing soon myself but would be happy to contribute artwork to the pages of a sequel book. Read this with a group of people and I encourage that you engage your audience while reading...it works for a good jump-scare.

I read a couple stories to my 10 year old daughter and she was bored. These stories are not as spine chilling as the ones I read as a child. Very disappointing.

Wow this book definitely caused me to become reminiscent of a classic book series from my youth, that being Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. But make no mistake about it, this book could stand on its own. From the excellent and grotesque artwork to the great selection of terror tales, this book is a must own. I can only hope the author keeps churning them out!

I remember reading this as a kid I always loved these types of books. I read it again after so many years and still loved it

These are all short quick stories that are just right for some good old-fashioned campfire sharing of tall-tales and spooky ghost stories. 🙂great for kids and those that are kids at heart

My 10 year old enjoyed reading the stories.