| Title | : | Tales for the Midnight Hour |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0590453432 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780590453431 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 124 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1977 |
These seventeen stories are guaranteed to keep you awake and shivering with fear. We dare you to read them alone, late at night. The moon is full. The clock strikes twelve. Don't be afraid. But what's that sound? Footsteps in the hall? It's just the dog. That creaking door? Merely the wind blowing. And is that a face at the window? Or is it just your imagination? Read these stories at your own risk. . .but be prepared to be scared out of your wits.
Tales for the Midnight Hour Reviews
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When everyone talks about
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, this is the book I think of instead -- I read this a handful of times (because once clearly wasn't enough even though it scared me shitless every time) when I was in school. -
I read this in about Grade 3, and still stories from it haunt me. It was probably one of the first really scary books I read, and it absolutley terrified me. I got it from our school library, after I saw a friend reading it. I remember sitting in a corner of the library, wide-eyed with horror, and not even talking to anyone at lunch because I was a traumatized wimp. I dreamed about it, and vividly remember the tales that affected me the most: One about a creepy windego grandmother, one about a theif who gets pushed down a chimeny, and a story I think is pretty much a classic, about a girl with a yellow velvet ribbon around her neck. And, the hands-down scariest, The Furry Collar. I think that the goal of writers and movie directers is to completly mess up as as many people's childhoods as they can. Seriously, the kind of stuff I watched read as a kid was incredibly disturbing. A Series of Unfortunate Events, anyone? I remember it now because I just found a print-out of a short story from it.It was one of the more boring ones. I like to think that if I read the whole book again, I would handle it in a mature and grown-up way now that I recogize how chessy and childish it is. But I would probably just end up as petrifyed as I was all those years ago. So, it gets points for pretty much molding me into the paranoid freak I am today and childhood nostalgia, but loses some for too much cheese, bad writing, and one to many sleepness night.
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The stories are really short so this is a quick read. The problem is these stories are not scary. I could read these to my 5 year and she would laugh at how unscary they are. Some were predictable and others are just different retellings and versions of stories.
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A favorite from my childhood--I reread this one again the other day. I initially picked this one up from someone back in third grade or so who got it at a book fair (remember those?).
I've got to say, for being so short and written for children, these stories are really pretty good. Most achieve a good deal of psychological tension and really stick in your head. My personal favorite is the one about the jigsaw puzzle and it's stuck with me since I first read it.
The only story I don't really care for is The Gooney Birds--it's just not of the same caliber as the others.
The great thing about books like this is they show what you can achieve in 3-5 small pages. I've read entire books that could not establish an atmosphere as well as say "The Old Plantation" does. -
My friend Janina brought up this book when we were talking about books we'd read as teens (this, and Sweet Valley High). She remembered being really freaked out by the first story, and so we checked to see if any libraries still had this gem. Yep! My local town library, in fact. I told her to find out when this book had last been checked out (since we were teens back in the 1990s). She went one step further and checked the book out to me. Surprisingly, this book - first published in the late 70s - was ADDED to the library collection in December 2006. The stamps inside show that it was checked out 3 times since (most recently 2008), but it may have been around that time that the library finally got the technology to print out receipt slips and eschewed the stamping. The book is in very good shape.
The awesome cover you see here pretty much sums up the book's contents. If I was a twelve-year-old reading this book under my covers at night with a flashlight, I might have been scared. But today I mostly just chuckled over the stories. They were all VERY short, between 3-12 pages for each one, and the book is 124 pages long (Janina's retelling of the story she was most affected by, "The Furry Collar," probably took longer for her to retell than for me to actually read). Many of the stories ended like this: "He is still there.... IN HER MIND." (emphasis added, because really, how can you read this line and NOT add the emphasis??). In fact, after each ending, I added in my head: "Duhn duhn DUUUHHNN!!"
Aside from the brevity of the stories that made me yearn for more details, or more from the abrupt endings, there were some stories that had some creepy ideas. "The Jigsaw Puzzle" was one of these, and "The Boarder." There was just not enough depth for me. I would love to take some of these stories and expound upon them... (like how I'd love to rewrite Nora Roberts's Sign of Seven trilogy). I could probably write a novel just based on some of these ideas. Some of the stories really were ridiculous, like the last story, "The Gooney Birds." There were a lot of headless people and stumps throughout these stories, but strangely, very few deaths. However, as silly as this seems to me as an adult, I can imagine kids who have recently outgrown
Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark gravitating toward this title and its sequels -
More Tales for the Midnight Hour,
Still More Tales for the Midnight Hour, and
Even More Tales for the Midnight Hour. Reluctant readers who want something scary for their age level would enjoy this book. -
This is a guilty-pleasure book. The type of book you curl up in bed with alone looking for a cheap thrill or adrenaline rush, yet feeling very cheesy and juvenile indeed. But alas, as you read, you realize the stories are quit disturbing, not your average "ghost stories." I read the book many years ago, as a child, and some of the stories have stayed with me for over 10 years now.
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I loved this book.. I read it in elementary school (the scholastic book club, or whatever it was called).. For some reason, I still own this book.. I have no idea why I still possess this book that I received 30+ years ago in my 5th grade class (in the scholastic book box--it was so cool to receive books (presents) in school).. I guess I will pass it on to my kid--maybe he to will like it..
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I know it was written for children so I can excuse the terse style, even though it took some getting used to. If you can get over the simplicity of the prose and embrace the tales with childish curiosity, then you'll have a good time. A couple of the stories were even surprisingly visceral.
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This is a collection of seventeen scary stories that average about 5-6 pages in length. I'll be upfront about this book and say I didn't much enjoy any of the stories here, however, I am not the target audience. Given that these stories are very brief and mostly hinge on the surprise/shock-type endings... there just isn't much substance to them at all. However, they aren't terrible for what the author is working with. These read almost like old folktales or campfire-type stories, directed at the younger audience. This would be a good introductory collection of stories for the young, aspiring reader, however, there are some descriptions (albeit, very short and not exactly detailed) of blood, gore and violence... and some parents might be a little hesitant in letting their young ones read this. It's kind of odd to see the writing so clearly targeting younger kids but the stories themselves not exactly tip-toeing around death and sometimes other, weightier subject matter (although most of it is implied rather than shown/told).
Overall... not a bad book, but it doesn't do much for me, because, again - I think this is a book meant for the younger audience who don't have much experience yet with reading on their own. Still, there were a couple of stories I DID like a little bit, or the ideas behind them at least - but because of how short these tales are, there just isn't any room to get invested in them or take any of them seriously. But, the stories I did find mildly interesting were:
The Face
The Attic Door
The Gooney Birds
The rest of the stories might have elicited a chuckle out of me during the twist-endings, but that's about as much as I can say.
I give this mini collection of stories a 2 / 5 Stars. -
Actually quite creepy for a kids collection. I have read the Black Velvet Ribbon before though. A Free Place To Sleep was the creepiest to me. Recommend it for older kids who like horror, and are too old for Goosebumps, ect, but too young for Stephen King.
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So I'm not really big on rereads.but I've Had Tales For The Midnight Hour for along time. And I'm sure I've read it or atleast some of it at one point ,because I do remember the puzzle story but that's it.So I figured it was time to read it just in time for spooky season.
The Furry Collar-starting right off the bat with a banger.This story is about two girls one of the girl lives in this big creepy house and wants the other girl to come over until her parents come home,because she didn't want to be alone. The story takes place on Christmas break.The girl that lives in the house is wearing a cotton robe ,with a furry collar . in the story the girl in the robe begins to act weird, saying she hears things and whatnot and so does the other girl eventually. They hear a sound sounding like knives sharpening. And the girl in the robe runs down stairs turning the lights off in the process.Wow.This story was really good.It was perfectly paced.It had a straight up ending that made me wonder how this got put in a 90s kids book. Five stars easy.
The Velvet Ribbon-In this story we have a guy that's been single all his life. And he finally decides to marry this girl that he falls in love with. The girl seems ok ,but she's wearing a ribbon around her neck that she refuses to take off. When she's asked about it she says "you won't like it if it does."or "you'll be sorry." Or something like that. This story was good too. But it had a little bit of the same ending of the first. This one should of been moved around a bit I think. I also give this one a five star rating.
The Border-This kid despises this new border, that moves in with his family. And I guess a border is just another word for roommate. But a roommate specifically used to pay help pay bills. The border sneaks out every Friday.So the kid wants to find out how this guy gets all this money.This one felt really out of place. Nothing horror related happens really. There is a sense of dread ,if you let your imagination wonder.Other then that it's just ok. I give it a three out of five stars.
The Thing With Ten Claws-This village is under attack of this mysterious monster,that is killing all of their livestock, and eventually the town drunk. These two guys go after it to stop it.This one I kind assumed the ending, but only kinda.Because I did guess the culprit.But I had no idea how this culprit would be doing the killing.Pretty entertaining though.However I did wish we had more answers .I give it a four out of five stars.
The Jigsaw Puzzle-This is the one I remember as a kid, and I can see why. This girl is at a thrift store and finds a puzzle labeled "the world's strangest puzzle". The top off the box is crossed out where you can't see the picture. She gets home and Begins to put it together for a very sinister picture. As I said nostalgia wins this one.But it still holds up .I give it a five out of five.
The Face-Reading this one.I kinda had a vage recollection of this.These guys sneak into a cabin to hide from coyotes. At night as they're sleeping they see that their not alone.The ending is really upsetting and misfortunate. I give it a five out of five stars as well.
Mirror-A guy basically wakes up and does his usual nine to five job every day. Only for one day to see a different person staring back at him.But it seems it's the right call as everyone recognizes him. This one was the most Twilight Zone esque story so far.But it was a little confusing at the end.It should have been a little longer I think. Three out of five stars for me
The Egyptian Coffin-A guy has a job at a meusium.But gets moved out of his usual night security job,to take care of the Mummies and artifacts. He has zero respect for things like this.He even stated he vandalized the Vikings exhibit he had to take care of. This one was ok, a little slow. I really wanted something crazy to happen. But it seemed pretty tame. three out of five stars
The Old Plantation-This guy staying inside a house discovers a book that basically tells his exact every move. I gave it a three out of five stars.
Phobia-okay this one brought back alot of memories.Pretty sure this one was a favorite when I was younger.This girl ,who is terrified of rats is followed by this stranger. the stranger ends up being something I did not expect as a kid. As an adult I saw it coming. But only because I started remembering .I gave it a four out of five stars.
The Train Through Transelvania-These two kids and their mom is riding on a train through transelvania.The little boy is reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. While on the trip ,these two strangers sit on either side of the girl. One, a guy with a pale completion and slicked back black hair. And another guy who is a doctor who seemed nice. This one is very predictable. But I enjoyed how they found out who was what.This one had a really dark ending also. I give it a five out of five stars. PS. If I ever went on a train ride to transelvania, I would also bring dracula with me. So props for that.
The Attic Door-This girl is going to stay with her aunt ,who has just lost her husband to suicide. (wow.) The aunt tells her she can explore the house. But stay away from the attic. Well eventually she goes up to the attic and discovers what's up there. This one was fun but really slow for a short story. And then when we finally get what's up their, it dosnt last very long .I did think the ending to this one was also dark though. Four out of five stars.
The Tunnel Of Terror-A girl goes to this carnival, determined to show she's really brave. They run into this attraction called The Tunnel Of Terror and something jumps on her, That honestly would be scary in real life. But in book form, it seems like it's an attempt at humor .It fails.I give it a two out of five stars.
The Fortune Teller-A guy goes and sees a fortune teller ,that his wife begs him to go see. She eventually tells him he is basically cursed to die.And alot of near deaths happen. One in particular ,almost running into a train, which is a scary thought. Unfortunately this one ends really arubtly.I give it a three out of five stars.
The Stuffed Dog-This kid goes to see his grandma.And he thinks she's a little creepy. Her husband and his dog both die around the same time.And shee keeps the dog stuffed in one of her rooms.You can probably guess what happens. Three out of five stars.I still wanted more of an explanation.
A Free Place To Sleep-These two guys are walking, and are very tired, and need a place to stay.They go inside this house,that's for sale. It dosnt take long to realize this place is haunted. They hear cackles, and run into what I think is the greatest thing in this book. But again I wanted to know more about this thing. Four out of five stars though. Not bad.
The Gooney Birds-Ok so The Goony Birds isn't bad.But it's written almost backwards, in my opinion. These kids go canoeing andrun across this place with huge eggs in a tree. One of the kids want to impress the older leader and end up knocking eggs out of a tree, only to get attacked. They run and end up at this abandoned camp site.One of the kids even ask "Where do you think everyone went in such a hurry"? Well you just seen a giant bird attack you.Probably that.I think this one would have worked better if they found the camp first and then the birds, but whatever. Three out of five stars.
After reading this book,alot of it came back to me.And honestly I can see why I could only remember The Jigsaw Puzzle. Alot of these stories were good. But some were just ok. But the biggest flaw was they weren't long enough . I give this like a four out of five stars overall -
I think that this book is ok. I am not in to horror stories that much. I am more into graphic novels and fiction books. Even though it wasn't that good, the one that I liked the most was called ''A Free Place To Sleep''. Even though I didn't like this book that much, I would recommend this book to someone who likes horror books or horror short stories (not me) ):❎
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A perfect scary book for a child - but it was REALLY scary. I can't believe I got it from my school's book sale (when they used to send the flyers around). I still think about the jigsaw puzzle story sometimes....
Mine had a much more frightening cover - a skeleton, I believe. -
I think that this story is really stories. I read this in about the 4th grade. It still haunts me and I am in 7th grade. I am really scared to read this at night but I still read this now! THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!! You should seriously read it if you love scary stories!!!!
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How do I read a book. I just downloaded this app today and I have no idea how to read the book:(
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I read this back when I was in middle school and remember thinking the stories were so scary. I even remember having a weirdly vivid dream based on one of the tales. Now, I'd say most of the stories are just subpar and childish. That being said, it was a book written for a younger crowd so I guess childish is what the author was going for.
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This collection of short stories is very good for what it is, a collection of spooky stories for kids. The author does a good job in each of introducing the characters, building the tension, and having a creepy ending.
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I reread this book usually around Halloween cause it’s the spooky season and it definitely makes my skin crawl a bit. I’ve been reading it just about every year for years now, so the stories don’t really freak me out anymore, but they do make me run up the stairs after turning out the lights.
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As predictable as some of the stories were, I yep enjoyed them. Also, for some reason I seem to have found a couple of them quite funny. Not sure if that was the author's intention, however.
This was a three stars for me. I liked it. -
The favorite spooky kid book of my Jr. High years. Wore my copy out from re-reading.
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Not bad (remembering it's for kids).
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I read this one multiple times as a teenager.
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A middle schooler's book. Adults will want better versions of these stories.
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This book still haunts me sometimes, even 30 years later.
