SLIS 5420 - Module 15 - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dar5

Bibliography

Schwartz, A., & Gammell, S. (1981). Scary stories to tell in the dark (1st ed.). New York: Lippincott.

Summary

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a compilation of traditional and non-traditional stories intended to frighten and spook the reader and whoever the reader choose to pass the tales onto next. The stories are arranged by section, such as “AAAAAAAAAAAH!”, a section where the stories are told with emphasis on causing the audience of the story to jump in fright. The stories themselves are appropriate for the age group with some minor bodily dismemberment and other gruesome images likely to get a scare out of younger readers. The stories are short and easy to read and there are several stories with instructions on how to best to scare the listener.

Impressions

The book was written in 1981 and compared to a lot of more recent publication (books by Neil Gaiman come to mind) the stories are fairly tame. However, the tameness of the stories may be because I am not the intended audience for these stories and have experience much more blood-curdling stories in my many years or literary exploration. Looking at the stories from the perspective of my 8 year old self, I would have most likely been unable to sleep after only a few of these stories.

As for why this book was banned, I haven’t the foggiest. Scary stories are traditional and as old as campfires. Kids will always try to scare each other with ghost stories or other creepy tales, so I can’t understand why writing them down would make them forbidden. I suppose that kids who would use this book to torment other kids would make the book undesirable in the eyes of teachers and parents, but compared to some things, this book isn’t bad at all.

Reviews

“This folklore collection is unusually good. True to the genre, the stories contained are suitable for telling, particularly at Halloween and around the campfire. Contemporary and humorous stories are blended with spooky ones. The scholarship in the source notes and bibliography will be useful to serious literature students. Although the cover art is not charming, it hints at the particular macabre, shadowy black-and-white illustrations inside. The stories are not unbearably grotesque; they are suitable even for low elementary grades.”

Chamberlin, L. (1982). Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book Review). School Library Journal, 28(5), 81.

“This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright.

There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney.

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark. If You Dare!”

HarperCollinsPublishers. (2010). Scary stories to tell in the dark 25th anniversary edition. Retrieved 05/09, 2010, from http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780064401708/Scary_Stories_to_Tell_in_the_Dark_25th_Anniversary_Edition/index.aspx

Library Use

This book would be a great book to have out for Halloween or during the summer to get kids ready for camping.

SLIS 5420 - Module 14 - Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales

Bibliography

Noyes, D. (2004). Gothic! : Ten original dark tales (1st ed.). Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.

Summary

Gothic! is a compilation of ten chilling short stories created to provide spine-tingling fear for those foolish enough to read its pages. The stories range from the classic haunted house ghost story to a strangely unique view of our world as the land of the fantastic and the realm of the macabre as the norm. The stories feature authors of great renown, such as Neil Gaiman and Gregory Maguire, as well as several prolific young adult writers. The stories are long enough that the reader has a good feel for the characters and the settings, but short enough to leave the classic cliffhanger in place to really hook the reader and give that satisfying chill after finishing.

Impressions

The stories were very well written and age appropriate for the young adult audience. There was some minor language and sexual innuendo, but honestly no worse than would be found in a PG movie. The stories were varied enough to cover multiple aspects of the gothic genre, but themed well enough so that there was never a doubt that you were very much reading something gothic.

Reviews

“By turns lyrical and bleak and leavened at times with grim, bleak humor or goofiness, the ten stories in this anthology either entertain or terrorize--or both. Although the title conjures up a vision of Victoria Holt-like heroines in peril, Noyes has assembled an exciting variety of dark fantasy and horror stories--all far more sinister and less predictable than formulaic "gothic" tales. After a rather tame start with Joan Aiken's Lungewater--that provides standard gothic fare--terror takes over. Vivian Vande Velde, M.T. Anderson, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, and others offer ghosts and vampires, ghouls and sorcerers, and monstrous family members to quicken the pulse and provide frissons of fear. Consistently well-written, these stories will appeal to many fantasy readers and all horror readers and they will lead to exploration of other writings by the authors. The level of terror, violence, and overt sexual content mark this book for older readers--who will enjoy it mightily.”

(2004). GOTHIC!: Ten Original Dark Tales (Book). Kirkus Reviews, 72(17), 871.

“This uniformly well-written collection features short stories by noted young adult authors such as M. T. Anderson, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Garth Nix, Celia Rees, Janni Lee Simner, and Barry Yourgrau. From Joan Aiken's more traditional tale about a ghost haunting a river in the gloomy countryside to Gregory Maguire's contemporary offering about a teenage delinquent forced to live with an elderly relative who has a secret locked in the attic, almost all of these stories evoke a shivery delight. Vivian Vande Velde's shocking and scary piece features the ghost of a psychopathic serial killer who looks like a teenager and kills an unsuspecting girl posing as a "dead body" at a haunted hayride. Neil Gaiman's selection lampoons the classic gothic scenario of a terrified, nightgown-clad heroine running away from a brooding manor house and will have readers laughing out loud in recognition. These varied tales take place in the distant past and in the high-tech present. Some are humorous while others have surprising twists or are reminiscent of classic fairy tales full of malevolent characters, but all share a love of the surreal or supernatural. Noyes's insightful introduction defines what a gothic tale is and includes information about the authors and the origins of their stories. A sophisticated, thought-provoking, and gripping read.”

Rawlins, S. (2005). Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales. School Library Journal, 51(1), 134.

Library Use

This book would be amazing to give to “tweens” during the Halloween season. The stories are just scary enough that they would be chilled by reading them, but not gruesome enough to turn them off.

SLIS 5420 - Module 13 - Bone: Out From Boneville

Bibliography

Smith, J.,1960 Feb.27-. (1996). Out from boneville (1st ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Cartoon Books.

Summary

Bone: Out from Boneville is the first book of nine in the series that follows the Bone cousins and their flight from an angry home town to a hidden valley filled with mystery and war. The story begins with Fone, Phoney, and Smiley Bone being chased out of their home town, Boneville, because of Phoney’s poorly thought out schemes to become mayor. Lost in the mountains, the Bone cousins find themselves off the map (literally) and separated when attacked by a swarm of locust. Fone Bone is separated from Phoney and Smiley and spends the winter surviving on his own thanks to the help of the animals in the valley. The valley is not on any maps and no one in the valley has ever heard of Boneville. The cousins are reunited thanks to Gran’ma Ben and Thorn, two valley residents who were kind to Fone and housed him for part of the winter. The Bones may be reunited, but a hooded figure is hunting for the Bone with a star on his chest, which means that something bad is headed in the direction of the Bone cousins.

Impressions

I loved this book. I loved this book so much that I read the rest of the series just to see how it would end. The art style is fantastic, blending cartoony characters of the Bones with the more serious (yet still over exaggerated) style of the valley people. The story flows easily and is something that any age group could really enjoy.

Reviews

“A whimsical journey, cunningly told. It combines fable with American legend in a tale of greed, friendship, and struggle. The story follows three cousins who have been thrown out of their town for cheating the citizens. Shortly thereafter, they are separated. Each Bone stumbles into a mysterious valley full of odd creatures that reveal strange happenings. The story is well paced with smooth transitions. It is dark, witty, mysterious, and exciting. The full-color art reflects that of classic comic books; one glance at the comic cels and one is reminded of old Disney and "Peanuts" cartoons. However, the animation and fresh story line put Smith in a league of his own.”

La Counte, S., Jones, T., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., & Raben, D. (2005). Out from Boneville. School Library Journal, 51(5), 164.

“The nine-volume Bone graphic novel series was the toast of the comics world when it was published by Smith's own Cartoon Books beginning in the early 1990s; in this first volume of Scholastic's new edition, the original b&w art has been beautifully converted into color. Smith's epic concerns three blobby creatures who have stumbled into a valley full of monsters, magic, farmers, an exiled princess and a huge, cynical dragon. The story is something like a Chuck Jones version of The Lord of the Rings : hilarious and action-packed, but rarely losing track of its darker subtext about power and evil. This volume is the most lighthearted of the bunch, though, featuring some of the wittiest writing of any children's literature in recent memory--a few of Smith's gags are so delicious that he repeated them for the rest of the series. It also introduces the Bone cast's unforgettable supporting characters: the leathery, tough-as-nails, racing-cow-breeding Gran'ma Ben; the carnivorous but quiche-loving "rat creatures"; a spunky trio of baby opossums; and Ted the Bug, whose minimalist appearance (a tiny semicircle) exemplifies Smith's gift for less-is-more cartooning. The way his clear-lined, exaggerated characters contrast with their subtle, detailed backgrounds is a product of his background in animation, and so is his mastery of camera angles and choreography. This is first-class kid lit: exciting, funny, scary and resonant enough that it will stick with readers for a long time.”
(2005). BONE: Out from Boneville.

Publishers Weekly, 252(6), 44.

Library Use

This would be a great bridge book to bring fantasy readers into the graphic novel genre. Conversely, this could be a good book to bridge the audience of graphic novels to the fantasy genre. Or, it could be a good book to introduce anyone to the graphic novel genre, as it is well drawn and easy to read. Several uses, and good all around.

SLIS 5420 - Module 9 - Down the Rabbit Hole

Bibliography

Abrahams, P. (2005). Down the rabbit hole: An echo falls mystery (1st ed.). New York: Laura Geringer Books.

Summary

Ingrid should have waited for her parents to pick her up from the orthodontist’s office, but with her soccer practice time fast approaching and the field not that far away, she decides she can make it on foot. After walking for what she thinks should be the right amount of time, Ingrid becomes aware that she may be lost, and worse than that, she may be lost in the Flats, the worst part of her home town Echo Falls. While thinking about her situation, Cracked-Up Katie, the infamous crazy woman, asks her if she’s lost and offers to call her a cab to get her home. Ingrid reluctantly agrees and enters in Katie’s run down home to wait for the cab. The next day, Ingrid reads in the town paper that Katie was murdered that night in her home. Ingrid is dazed by the news, and becomes even more frightened when she discovers that she had left her soccer cleats in Katie’s home, which contain her name and address. Not wanting to be connected to the crime, Ingrid sneaks back into Katie’s home that night to retrieve them when she accidently arrives at the same time as the killer. Ingrid hides from the killer under Katie’s bed and sees that he is wearing Adidas shoes with green paint on them. Ingrid is compelled to find the person who murdered Katie and clear her own name in the process.

Impressions

The book was very good. The plot was well balanced around Ingrid’s personal life and her role in solving the murder of Cracked-Up Katie. Ingrid’s character was also well balanced between being a thirteen year old girl with braces and being a sleuth trying to solve a problem much bigger than she is. The main thing is that the story was balanced, which is difficult to do in mystery novels. The author didn’t give too much away to spoil the ending, but there were enough clues that with a bit of thinking on the readers part the culprit became more and more apparent as the story went on.

Reviews

“The charming 13-year-old heroine of Abrahams's (A Perfect Crime, for adults) murder mystery will guide readers through its many twists and turns. Ingrid Levin-Hill, who, like her hero Sherlock Holmes, is "a habitual noticer of little things," has just been cast as the lead in Alice in Wonderland when she finds herself in a different role--murder detective. The corpse is that of "Cracked-Up Katie," whom Ingrid encountered when she attempted to get from her orthodontist to soccer practice--and wound up five miles away in the poorest part of Echo Falls. The next day, the local paper states that Katie's body was found soon after Ingrid left her house; realizing she's left her red soccer cleats behind, Ingrid breaks in to retrieve them. But she's not the only one in Katie's house that evening. Ingrid's sleuthing is complicated by a budding romance with the police chief's son, and the dialogue crackles with wit--Ingrid gets the best lines. It's disquieting, however, that big brother Ty, the football star, blackens Ingrid's eye in anger without repercussion, and many of the supporting characters are more fully developed than her nuclear family; the town's newspaper editor, her curmudgeonly Grampy and even Cracked-Up Katie come across as more convincing. And dropped threads abound(e.g., will Grampy stave off developers by populating his farmland with endangered eastern spadefoot toads?) Readers who stick with this intelligent, if overstuffed novel will be clamoring for answers--and more of Ingrid. Ages 10-up.”

(2005). DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: An Echo Falls Mystery. Publishers Weekly, 252(14), 60.

“Impatient with mother for being late for her ride to soccer, Ingrid Levin-Hill, eighth-grade Sherlock Holmes fan and amateur actress, makes an impulsive decision to walk, inadvertently becoming a witness in the murder case of Cracked-up Katie, the weird lady in the rundown house on the wrong side of town. Ingrid is afraid to come forward with her first-hand knowledge, fearing her parents' reprimand for leaving the neighborhood. Landing the lead role as Alice in the town's playhouse production of "Alice in Wonderland," she becomes more curious about the playhouse's past performers and a possible connection to Katie's youth. As the police investigation gets further away from the truth and the wrong suspects are arrested, Ingrid takes increasingly daring risks to solve the case herself and eliminate the evidence she left behind indicating her own suspicious involvement. Abrahams has crafted a suspenseful page-turning drama complete with misleading clues and gutsy midnight escapades that make for thrilling intrigue right up to the culminating drowning-in-the-river scene. Ingrid's plucky, if not foolhardy, behavior will have readers both rooting and worrying for her simultaneously as she continues, like Alice, to fall deeper and deeper into the mystery's unfolding. Harrowingly absorbing.”

2005. "DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: An Echo Falls Mystery." Kirkus Reviews 73, no. 7: 411.

Library Use

Very good book for starting a reader in the mystery genre. The language is a bit coarse for younger readers, however, it sounds natural and teenagers will appreciate the fact that the book does not talk down to them.