Faces in the Dark: A Book of Scary Stories - Hardcover

Powling, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1856979865 ISBN 13: 9781856979863

Publisher: Kingfisher Books, 1994

Synopsis

A collection of spooky, spine-tingling tales about ghosts, goblins, and ghouls combines original stories with retellings of old favorites, including "The Bravest Man in the World," "The Ghost on Saturday Night," and "Siren Song."

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-6-A collection with surefire appeal for fans of strange and spooky tales. Most of the selections are original, with the exceptions of Vivien Alcock's creepy "Siren Song" and an adaptation of Sid Fleischman's The Ghost on Saturday Night. Settings and time periods vary, but many of the stories share a straightforward narrative style reminiscent of classic British horror fiction. Unusual phenomena or action are described in a matter-of-fact tone that leave readers wondering just how much might be true. This uncertainty lingers in the mind and is the book's real source of scariness (mercifully, blood and gore are absent). There is tongue-in-cheek humor, too, especially in the two tales set in the U.S. The colorful cartoons sprinkled liberally throughout the text underscore this, defusing any real terror in even the creepiest narratives. These stories would be excellent choices for telling aloud. All in all, an entertaining anthology that should find a home in most libraries.
Mary Jo Drungil, Niles Public Library District, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4-6. Because the 10 stories in this collection (some of which were written especially for this book) are not overly terrifying, they'll fill the bill for readers who want to be scared--but not too much. The best of the bunch is Powling's own contribution "The Oddment," about a soft "blanket lovey" that starts acting on its own when its owner tries to put it aside with other babyish things. Peter Bailey's illustrations are more comforting than scary. Their somewhat cartoonish style suggests a world in which nothing gets out of hand. Mary Harris Veeder

About this edition

• Publisher: Kingfisher Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1856979865
• ISBN 13: 9781856979863
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 78
• Illustrator: Bailey Peter