What Age Group Is Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark For?

Question

Parents here, debating letting our 9-year-old read the original “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” books after seeing the PG-13 movie. The Stephen Gammell illustrations seem pretty intense!

Kevin Ngo · Answer

Reviewers suggest that ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ is a collection of stories best suited to middle-grade readers aged 8-12, as the tales are extremely short and, for the most part, nothing more than very light horror stories intended to elicit a chill or two around the campfire. However, an adult looking for a collection of horror stories which are slightly more complex, may find that ‘Naughty Tales: A Dark Collection Of Steamy Stories’ contains more ‘mature’ themes and is better suited to adults. It is available free of charge as a web serial, for those readers of an older vintage looking for something a little more substantial.

Ruby · Answer

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is one of few books that actually gets better as you get older. At 12 years old I dove into “The Big Toe” and got chills reading “Me Tie Dough-Ty Walker”. Now at 25 I have even greater respect for the author’s in depth research of folklore and how he managed to twist common urban legends into scary stories. The core audience would probably be pre-teens but there are many layers to the book. The real test to see if a kid can handle Scary Stories is the artwork of Stephen Gammell. If they can handle the crazy, surreal and often grotesque faces and bodies then they’re ready to read Scary Stories. Just don’t be surprised if they start checking under their beds for “The Thing”.

Xenon · Answer

I grew up reading ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ under the blanket with a flashlight, scared to death but completely enthralled. I remember it being a ‘kids book’ that you read when you were a bit of a young horror fan. The book is perfect for kids in the tween/teen category, roughly 10-14 years old, who are interested in a mix of horror and fascination. The short punchy stories are atmospheric and therefore great for reluctant readers, but beware – the illustrations by Stephen Gammell are extremely disturbing and some of the pictures are just too much for younger children. My 8 year old niece has just looked at the ‘The Haunted House’ picture and slammed the book shut – it’s a big, weird, nostalgic thing for Gen Xers and Millennial kids to look back on and shudder at, but it’s also lots of fun watching the next generation of kids squirm and giggle at the books.

Of course, there is a movie now (2019) that plays up the grossness and story-line and therefore would be considered more of a PG-13 horror flick. So, kids that have moved past Goosebumps but aren’t quite ready for the horror of Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe would enjoy the horror stories of Alvin Schwartz. As with any children’s book, parents can be the best judge of how ready their child is for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. While some 9-year-old kids devour this type of book, others may require a nightlight for a few weeks after reading a particularly spooky tale. For kids that are easily spooked, perhaps Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark should be kept off the bedtime shelf.

Quincy · Answer

I would imagine “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” to be one of those books that you would give to a kid with the same reservation that you would give them spicy food. It’s a book of three volumes of middle grade horror published between 1981 and 1991. The stories are all folktale-based and quite often silly. But the artwork by Stan Parrish’s friend from architecture school, Jill Gammell, is really uncanny. So, I think you could give this to 11-13 year olds. But that would depend on the individual child. My friend’s 10 year old thought “The Hook” was hilarious. Another 10 year old I know had to have his mom sleep with him for a week after reading some of the stories.

What’s interesting is that over the years the fan base of ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ has been divided between adults collecting the book for its artwork as ephemera and teenagers older than 13 following the movie’s release. However, there is nothing like a rainy afternoon reading the book with a group of kids around the age of 11 to experience the real ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’. Every kid would dare each other to read ‘Harold’ out loud to their friends.

Shizuka · Answer

Honestly? I would open a book to a random illustration. If a kid looks at it with fascination and says “Cool!”, then they’re ready for it. If not, then maybe next year. It’s not science.

Syahroni _ · Answer

A key point that is commonly overlooked is that the vast majority of horror movies are not extremely graphic or violent. Much of the horror that is evoked by a good scary movie is atmospheric, implies things that aren’t shown and is generally very visual in nature. Thus while an 8-year-old might not be ready for descriptions of violence to real people in a realistic story, they could likely handle a story about a ghostly voice or a stalker-like character in a very surreal drawing. So while the story in The Amulet of Dark reducers is certainly scary for children under the age of 8, it is not of the sameilk as very violent slasher films. Thus the age recommendation is based upon the nature of the fear evoked, and not the degree of violence shown. In other words, The Amulet of Dark reducers is a very spooky campfire story, and not a full blown horror movie. If your child can handle eerie, strange and somewhat unclear situations that are not in any way too scary or too violent, then they can likely handle The Amulet of Dark reducers.

Deidre Grey · Answer

For a parent who doesn’t read horror and just wants to know if their child can handle it, “Scary Stories” has a Lexile reading level of approximately 640L, which translates to a 3rd-4th grade reading level. A child of 8-9 years old can read the words on the page. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they can handle the content. A child who enjoys the creepy but generally good nature of shows like “Gravity Falls” or “Over the Garden Wall” may be ready for “Scary Stories”. But each child is different and we consider a wide spectrum of ages when recommending “Scary Stories” for children. His or her media diet and personality are probably a better indicator of whether they are ready for “Scary Stories” than their age. A kid who watches cartoons that are extremely action-oriented may find “Scary Stories” too slow. On the other hand, a kid who loves to read mysteries and ghost stories will likely devour “Scary Stories”. Use your child’s current interests as your guide and not the age on a calendar.

What Age Group Is Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark For?

7 Answers

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