Scary Stories

by Tony Johnston (Author) Tomie dePaola (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

First published in 1978, this perfectly spooky picture book with illustrations by beloved and award-winning Tomie dePaola compiles four spine-tingling tales as told by little monsters.

One dark night three little things--an imp, a goblin, and a scalawag--get together to tell the scariest stories they can think of. They are brash and brave as they argue over who should go next, and each one tries to make his story the scariest. When they finish, they realize someone was listening...and that may be the scariest thing of all.

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Previously published as Four Scary Stories (in 1978), this creative, metafictive, silly-not-spooky tale features lively, vivid-hued illustrations starring dePaola's recognizably round-faced characters with their easy-to-read thoughts and funny facial expressions.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 4--Four spine-tingling tales as told by an imp, a goblin, and a scalawag; they may be the scariest stories these three can think of, but combined with dePaola's illustrations, are just the sort of bedtime fare that little monsters need. VERDICT Reissue is just another word for "repeat" and that's the hallmark of good scary stories everywhere, to retell them.--Kimberly Olson Fakih

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Tony Johnston
Tony Johnston is the award-winning author of more than 100 beloved children's books. She lives with her family in San Marino, California, where she grew up.

Tomie dePaola (1934-2020) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than 270 books for young readers, including the children's classic Strega Nona. He was the recipient of the Newbery Honor, Caldecott Honor, and the 2011 Children's Literature Legacy Award for "significant and lasting contribution to children's literature." A native of Connecticut, Mr. dePaola studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and spent much of his life in New London, New Hampshire. Visit his work online at Tomie.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665904315
Lexile Measure
530
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date
July 19, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV017030 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Halloween
JUV069000 - Juvenile Fiction | Ghost Stories
Library of Congress categories
Storytelling
Picture books
Courage
Fear

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