Banned Books Week 2010

September 25−October 2, 2010

Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark is a series of three children's books written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The scary stories of the title are pieces of folklore and urban legends collected and adapted by Schwartz. The titles of the books are Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981), More Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark (1984), and Scary Stories 3 : More Tales to Chill Your Bones (1991).

This series is listed as being the most challenged series of books from 1990–1999 and seventh most challenged from 2000-2009  by the American Library Association for its religious viewpoint and violence as well as for being occultist, satanic, or inappropriate. Source: Wikipedia

This is my first time participating in Banned Books Week and it was a last minute decision that I was squeezing into my reading schedule so I went with something short... equally dark and intriguing... and was surprised to discover my husband owned this book, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981), as a child and recalls most of the stories. I even recognized a few.

This book was banned in Michigan for scaring the hell out of first graders. Why anyone would give a book about death and ghosts to a five year old is beyond me. It should never have been banned because it never should have been there in the first place. The art work alone is graphic enough, although I loved it.

Each story is about one to three pages long. Some are ludicrous. Some are just funny. Some are rather freaky. And I imagine there is some fright to be found with the proper low, ominous voice... a suggestive pause... a piercing scream applied just so...

A couple even gave me chills.