Horror-related children's books you adored in your youth

[Klownzilla]

Did anyone ever have any cool childrens books that you loved because of their horror content? Not novels necessarily, but just illustrated books aimed towards kids. I remember this great one called I Was a Second Grade Werewolf, which ironically, I received in the second grade. By that time I was already a big fan of The Wolf Man so this book was something I could relate to. The boy's name was even Lawrence Talbot. Just a couple of weeks ago I found the book, which I haven't read in 11 years. Funny how I realize it now, but that kid in the story was delusional.

And of course, there was the awesome Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. I really wish Alvin Schwartz would have continued with that. If that series had went on to this day, he would have a new generation of fans.

[BloodMan]

Definately Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. I have that whole 3 book series in a nice silver case that it came in some years ago. Only read through em a few times since, but they are probably my favourites. :)

[Jess]

I used to simply adore the books like "My Teacher is a Vampire" and "My Principal is the Wolf Man", those types. 10-year-old-wise, I used to really enjoy Goosebumps and the occasional Christopher Pike novel.

But the books that I couldn't get enough of back in the day were, in fact, the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. There were quite a few of them if I recall correctly, like...

http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/spotlight/sp200210/kidsav.jpg

Man...some of those stories were fucked up!

Also, I remember I really liked some books that were similar to the Scary Stories... books. I remember that one of 'em had a mummy on the cover. If anyone can name that book, I'll give ya a loonie. ;)

[syxxpac]

I collected pretty much every edition of Goosebumps up until number...hmm...50 or so I think, before I grew out of it.

I'd still be interested in digging a few of them out of the library near me sometime for nostalgic purposes, since I gave all of my books to my niece.

[Jess]

Originally posted by Jess
Also, I remember I really liked some books that were similar to the Scary Stories... books. I remember that one of 'em had a mummy on the cover. If anyone can name that book, I'll give ya a loonie. ;)

Just to quote myself, I found 'em. They're called 'Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs'. They're really stupid looking...

http://www.thethriftyshopper.com/photostore/itemphotos/4180.JPG

Yeah...watch out for that guy. :rolleyes: But I used to love 'em, especially the one with the mummy on the cover cause the mummy story scared the shit outta me! Even though as of this moment, I wouldn't be able to tell ya what exactly the story was about...all I know is that it freaked me out.

This one creeped me out too

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0843182199.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg

I'm sad, I can't find the mummy one. :(

[BloodMan]

Originally posted by Jess
Also, I remember I really liked some books that were similar to the Scary Stories... books. I remember that one of 'em had a mummy on the cover. If anyone can name that book, I'll give ya a loonie. ;)

Super Scary Stories For Sleepovers? I think that mummy cover was "More Super Scary Stories For Sleepovers"
I have some of those too. :)

[BloodMan]

Well someone got ahead of me. :)

[Jess]

Haha. Just find me the cover of the book with the mummy on it and you'll have that dollar. Oh yes. That dollar will be yours. ;)

[mary lou 102]

Wow! Scary Stories To tell in the Dark! What can I say?

I found acopy of it at school. Someone left it on the floor so I took it home and still have it. I began to read it and realized that it was one of my favorite childhood books. Shit, it's creepy. My friend and I read every story and we got a little freaked out.


I remember a second book in this series. I need to find that one. Some real scary shit.


I also recal that a couple of fairy tale books, mostly Snow White and Hansel and Gretel used to scare me. Some of those illistrations are very dark and creepy, not to mention the text.

[Bear]

SCARY STORIE TO TELL IN THE DARK!!! DEFINATELY!!! I got the collection of all 3 last year, I love those books! I think the story I liked best was in More Scary Stories to tell in the Dark called Wonderful Sausage. That one was good. I'm thinkin' of turning into a movie. BTW, mary lou, I found the big book of all 3 of them at Borders for 9.99 last November and got it. If U want, I can get thay for ya, since so damn long for Ur movies.

[Cronos]

i used to love the Goosebumps books and read them all the time

[X-Nightcrawler]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002IQLFI.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/059067319X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

LOVED them.

[Kanadian_kev]

My all time favorite children's book was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! I liked all three, but the original was the greatest. The pictures alone were enough to frighten most people!

[Luke-Abbott]

My favourites were also Goosebumps, although having recently looked back on them the material was pretty much the same: "you can't leave here, you can never leave. Your gonna be here for a long, long time" then it would go to the next chapter and it would all be a joke. I guess I never noticed that when I was a youth, but I still hold them to heart and might read one of my favouties this Halloween: "The Haunted Mask" (the tv episode of the said story was pretty freaky too).

[gorysnoopy]

2 books that stand out from my youth:Grimms Brothers Fairy Tales(very descriptive and spooky)and "Southern Fried rat and Other Tales of Terror"(this being a collection of urban legends).

[Wolfman]

Well, there was a book titled "Meet the Werewolf". Though it really wasn't filled with scary stories, it did talk about werewolf myths and legends, so that was kind of cool.

Then there was... the Ghost Patrol? Something like that. The idea is that these teenagers had all died, and now their ghosts had unfinished business, and so they walked the earth and solved crimes. It wasn't really horror (there weren't really many horror books for kids back then), but it was creepy.

[Shatter]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark I remember that one from when I was a kid.

I was just looking around amazon.com and you can get those there. As well as some Goosebumps books.

[Kidsilk]

I collected all the Goosebumps up around number 50. Those were pretty damn good. It would be interesting to read through some of those again.

[fear's soul]

the ones i remember are to tell in the dark, r.l. stine's stuff, cris pike's, and this show on nick that scared the shit out of me (are you afraid of the dark)

eat your fear

[Could Be Worse]

Goosebumps, Fear Street, Chris Pike books, and my favorite...


In a Dark, Dark Room (I think it was called, or something to that effect) It had a bunch of short stories, like the Girl With the Ribbon whose head falls oof, etc. Loved it.

[Mentiroso]

Hrm, I was always a little more advanced when it came to reading. I do remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Got it in 1st grade at my schools book fair. But I was always into reading Stephen King's short stories. The Mangler was an awesome story because it made you feel scared which alot of authors cant do.

And for some odd reason I remember reading the majority of The Destroyer (Remo Williams and Chiun!) series of books when I was in 2nd-4th grade. Not a horror story but no way was it a kids book. Very violent and some language. Awesome movie with Fred Ward though!

[jackson13]

Hey, since y'all are mega horror-heads, and your talking about horror books, maybe one of you can help me find what book this is that this story is from.

The story is a short story (all of them in the book are) and its about a woman who is driving home down a very hilly dead end road that ends right at her house. Its a stormy night, kinda foggy, and as she comes over one of the hills, she sees a really creepy hitchiker standing there. She blows past him, but as she comes over the next hill, there he is again. This keeps happening, every hill she goes over, and then, her car runs out of gas and she has to coast over the remaining hills, hoping she makes it so that she can coast right into her own driveway.


I dont remember how the story ends, or the book that it was in. I think the book was "Stories for the Midnight Hour" or something like that. I can see the cover though, it had a big grandfather clock on it with a bat flying around it.

I've been looking for this book for years, so if anyone knows it, please help me.

[Shatter]

This one maybe?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590441434/qid=1097009922/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/103-5153033-2321417?v=glance&s=books

Or this one?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590453432/qid=1097009922/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5153033-2321417?v=glance&s=books

[jackson13]

Originally posted by Shatter
This one maybe?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590441434/qid=1097009922/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/103-5153033-2321417?v=glance&s=books

Or this one?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590453432/qid=1097009922/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5153033-2321417?v=glance&s=books


OMG those are it! Awesome, thank you very much!


Although, the story I mentioned, now when I think about it, I dont think it was in any of those books. I think its another book I read as a kid, so if anyone recognizes it, please, shoot it my way.

[bowieee]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/006105769X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I read this one in High school but it has always stuck out in my mind as one of the greatest childrens horror stories I've ever read.

[jackson13]

I just order all 4 "Tales" books for a grand total of .49 cents. Then shipping and handling hit me with 13 some odd dollars. So I got all 4 books for just under 15 bucks. Pretty good if you ask me.

Thanks again for finding them Shatter.

[Lindsey]

GOOSEBUMPS!!!

Definitely the best books I have ever read when I was younger! My favorite book of the whole series was The Horror at Camp Jelly Jam. Wow, I'm surprised I can even remember that. From then on, I only was interested in reading scary books.

[Cyclonus]

Originally posted by Lindsey
GOOSEBUMPS!!!

Definitely the best books I have ever read when I was younger! My favorite book of the whole series was The Horror at Camp Jelly Jam. Wow, I'm surprised I can even remember that. From then on, I only was interested in reading scary books.


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/006440465X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


I don't suppose you've ever read these Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books? In grade school they were my dish of choice. True, in retrospect they were sometimes a bit toned down when compared to the original folktales they're based on, and certainly compared to other modern horror fiction. Still, at the time reading them was a new and unique experience for me. Especially with these really creepy drawings. I suspect the guy who did them was on drugs of some sort. Standouts (for me at least) include the one about the chick who gets bitten by a vampire and the one about the disembodied voice (at least the fucked up drawing made it creepy for me).

[Beowulf]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1400094720.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Could Be Worse]

Originally posted by bowieee
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/006105769X.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I read this one in High school but it has always stuck out in my mind as one of the greatest childrens horror stories I've ever read.


Loved this book. Read it in high school as well, but it could work well as a children's or adult's story.

[p1phillips]

Fear Street. Some of them were pretty decent.

Also, I used to fervently read Point Books from Ashton Scholastic, who published "The Babysitter" series by R.L. Stine. Man, those books were just HUGE for several years.

Although I'm a huge horror film fan, my reading tastes have moved into crime and thrillers. I rarely seem to read horror novels anymore, except for Richard Laymon.

[SykkBoy]

not so much horror as mystery-suspense-thriller
Richard Peck's Secrets Of The Shopping Mall
I was in about 4th grade when it came out and I ordered it through Weekly Reader and fell in love with the book.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0440980992.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Kanadian_kev]

Jackson13, I'm almost positive you're talking about a book in the Night Frights series. Night Frights, More Night Frights, Still More Night Frights. I'm almost positive one of those has the cover you described and the story sounds familiar.

[Kanadian_kev]

No wait, you're right, it's one of the Tales for the Midnight Hour (by the same author as Night Frights though). Go here: Tales For Midnight Hour (http://www.oliverwillis.com/amazon/amazon_products_feed-item_id-0590453440-search_type-image-locale-us.html)

[Shatter]

Originally posted by jackson13
I just order all 4 "Tales" books for a grand total of .49 cents. Then shipping and handling hit me with 13 some odd dollars. So I got all 4 books for just under 15 bucks. Pretty good if you ask me.

Thanks again for finding them Shatter.

No problem, just glad I could be of help.

Originally posted by Kanadian_kev
No wait, you're right, it's one of the Tales for the Midnight Hour (by the same author as Night Frights though). Go here: Tales For Midnight Hour (http://www.oliverwillis.com/amazon/amazon_products_feed-item_id-0590453440-search_type-image-locale-us.html)

When I searched I didn't find one with that cover. The one I found must have been a second printing or re release. I wasn't sure I had the right one. Nice researching. :cool:

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Beowulf
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1400094720.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I WANT THAT!!!

Hmmm, I guess for me it was the Scary Stories, the fear streets and Pike books (if they count)


Theif of always is supposed to be children?? ;) Good book

[SonnyVanHelsing]

Bunnicula was badass! He should be declared Lord of All Vampires. He should be seen fighting Valek from John Carpenter's Vampires.

[jackson13]

Yay my books came today!

Bad news though, the story I mentioned isnt in any of them. So if anyone does know where its from, pretty please, with sugar, tell me.

[darchangel]

http://www.forbesbookclub.com/bookimages/ingram/059/044/0590440616.gif


i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you'd read this one of my faves from childhood, X!


<kisses X not-so-chastely on the cheek>




Rockin' Like Dokken

~darchangel~

[X-Nightcrawler]

Originally posted by darchangel
http://www.forbesbookclub.com/bookimages/ingram/059/044/0590440616.gif


i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you'd read this one of my faves from childhood, X!


<kisses X not-so-chastely on the cheek>




Rockin' Like Dokken

~darchangel~ Dammit, I read no such thing . . . see, the ones I had I bought when I visited the U.S. That one must've gone past my radar. *goes get it now* :D

[ComeNightfall]

Some that were mentioned on here, like Bunnicula and Secrets of the Shopping Mall (if there was a ever a book that should be made into a movie, it's that one).

I loved R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, Christopher Pike's Monster, his The high school trilogy (The Party, The Dance, The Graduation), and some other books by him I can't recall.

Dale Carson's The Frog People and The Plant People. When I was in elementary school, you were on waiting lists for those books.

Also, there were two super-creepy and scary series that had different stories, but they were part of a collection. One was called "Twilight," which contained novels called Fatal Attraction, Watery Grave, Blink of the Mind, Scavenger Hunt, The Warning, Blood Red Roses, Vicious Circle, The Initation, and more. There were over 20 in the series. The next series was for older readers. They were a little darker. One title I remember was called "The Charming."

Also, anything by Lois Duncan, Caroline B. Cooney, and Richie Tankersley Cusick. I also read some adult novels when I was young, by Claire McNally and Caroline Crane.

[Could Be Worse]

Originally posted by darchangel
http://www.forbesbookclub.com/bookimages/ingram/059/044/0590440616.gif


i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you'd read this one of my faves from childhood, X!


<kisses X not-so-chastely on the cheek>




Rockin' Like Dokken

~darchangel~

I used to read all of these. I even bought the special edition of one of them, that came with ten glow in the dark plastic fingers. Anyone remember that?