Scary Stories for Campfires
Grade 4-6–Anthologies of stories for sleepovers and camp-outs are always in big demand. Unfortunately, most of these 37 tales are unlikely to find an audience. The stories are divided into sections such as Haunted Habitats, Famous Phantoms, and Messages from Beyond. Most are short, generally two pages, and all made their first appearance in earlier Sterling publications. Unlike some of those titles,Scaryincludes no introductions to the selections or narrators, or elements that might tie the tales together. The new version of Valentino's Ring is somewhat stilted and lacks the detail of the earlier story. With its undistinguished black-and-white block prints, this volume has a very unpolished look. Those looking for scary stories would more likely enjoy Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books (HarperCollins), with pencil illustrations by Stephen Gammell.–Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.