Beware!: R.L. Stine Picks His Favorite Scary Stories

by R.L. Stine (Compiler)

Dim the lights. Lock the doors. Pull down the shades—and BEWARE! It's time to read the favorite scary stories of R.L. Stine, bestselling children’s author and master of the spooky tale.

R.L. Stine has gathered a selection of all things scary, and even added two new tales of his own! Short stories, fables old and new, comics, and poems. It′s a spine-tingling collection of work by dozens of writers and artists who are famous for hair-raising fun.

Discover a ghastly secret in a retelling of the classic story "The Judge′s House," by Bram Stoker. Peek into a Christmas stocking that holds a shocking surprise in a Vault of Horror comic, "A Sock for Christmas." Meet an ice-cream man who will chill your blood in "Mister Ice Cold" by Gahan Wilson.

But first, visit an evil carnival in "The Black Ferris," by Ray Bradbury. R.L. Stine says that this story changed his life! Be sure to read all the introductions—because R.L. reveals why he picked these stories just for you, and why he finds them the creepiest ... the funniest ... the scariest! BEWARE!

Black ferris / Ray Bradbury --
Conjure brother / Patricia McKissack --
My sister is a werewolf / Jack Prelutsky --
Surprise guest / R.L. Stine --
Judge's house / Bram Stoker, retold by R.L. Stine --
Cremation of Sam McGee / Robert W. Service --
Elevator / William Sleator --
Witches / Roald Dahl --
Joe is not a monster / R.L. Stine --
Tiger in the snow / Daniel Wynn Barber --
Sock for Christmas / Grim Fairy Tale from "The vault of horror"; Volume 4, by Jack Kamen --
Terrifying adventures of the Golem / Jewish folktale, retold by R.L. Stine --
Examination day / Henry Slesar --
Harold / retold by Alvin Schwartz --
Girl who stood on a grave / retold by Alvin Schwartz --
Grave misunderstanding / Leon Garfield --
Mister Ice Cold / Gahan Wilson --
Haunted / Shel Silverstein --
Blood-curdling story / Shel Silverstein

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.

R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.

Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.

http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beware! is a selection of R.L. Stine's favorite scary stories. A beautiful mix of those he wrote himself and tales (whether or not retold) by Ray Bradbury, Bram Stoker, William Sleator,...

It's those 3 I named, because their stories are my favourites of this collection. In order of appearance:
- The Black Ferris by Ray Bradbury was a great opener! A bit predictable perhaps, but still...
- The Judge's House by Bram Stoker, retold by R.L. Stine was probably the creepiest of all
- The Elevator by William Sleator is the reason I prefer taking the stairs!

I also love that 'The Cremation of Sam McGee' by Robert W. Service is included: a poem with a lovely rhythm and easy to visualise - which makes it kinda creepy and funny at the same time.

The cherry on top is without doubt 'A Sock for Christmas' by Jack Kamen: a true gem for horror comic fans!

Spooky and fun read! All of them!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Some of them are spooky and some of them are funny and I thought they were perfect for the Halloween seasons. I really enjoyed every story in this and flew through it within a day.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had actually bought this book for my son back when he was in middle school and it wasn't until years later when he was grown and packing up to go out on his own that I decided to read it before he took it away. I have always loved horror anthologies so some of these stories were familiar to me, I had previously read Bram Stoker and Ray Bradbury. The 2 stories by R.L. Stine were new to me,. I really enjoyed them and also the personal touch he added with the notes on why he chose each story. These are not just for kids, anyone who loves a good spooky story can enjoy these at any age.

[Austin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of some of Stine's "favorite scary stories".
Most of these fall within the children/YA target audience, keeping in line with Stine's own work. I have to say I really enjoyed this collection and I think Stine has a great taste in literature. Although, perhaps needless to say, high literature it is NOT. Most of these stories are just pulpy and goofy entertainment. (Some of them are a bit dark, though, and/or have twisted endings)
This collection is quite diverse, featuring poetry and even a comic book entry (from an old Vault of Horror publication) alongside the short stories. The one entry that didn't make much sense to me is the inclusion of a chapter from The Witches by Roald Dahl. I love that book, don't get me wrong, but it seems odd to include a single chapter from a longer work. I suppose the younger audience might still be able to enjoy it out of context, but, (especially having already read The Witches) it was the one "story" in here that I skipped over.

Overall I had a blast reading this and it was fun seeing what kind of stories Stine himself has enjoyed. There are some classics in here by Ray Bradbury and Bram Stoker, and also some newer works. Again, a very diverse collection.
If I had to pick a few favorites, they would be,
The Black Ferris by Ray Bradbury
The Conjure Brother by Patricia McKissack
My Sister is a Werewolf by Jack Prelutsky (a poem)
The Surprise Guest by R.L. Stine (He has two of his own stories in this collection)
and A Sock For Christmas by Jack Kamen (a comic from the Vault of Horror)

I really enjoyed almost every story in this collection, though, and I highly recommend it.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otro de mis favoritos de la juventud, comprado en otra feria del libro infantil y juvenil. Lo compré creyendo que era una recopilación de cuentos cortos escritos por R. L. Stine (en aquellos tiempos yo era una gran fanática de las series Escalofríos y ¿Le temes a la oscuridad? ) y me vengo a encontrar con que es una antología de algunos relatos de Stein pero incluyendo a otros autores del género.

Este fue uno de los libros que me ayudaron a ampliar mi conocimiento sobre el género de terror. Los cuentos son muy buenos. Hubo uno o dos (quizá tres) que realmente me hicieron sentir un escalofrío porque no me esperaba sus finales.

Uno de los cuentos que incluye y que es de mis favoritos del libro es La casa del juez

Si pueden conseguirlo, les recomiendo que lo lean, aunque son cuentos de terror juveniles e infantiles, vale mucho la pena.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and (at times) creepy collection of author R.L. Stine's favorite scary stories. This short story compilation was overall enjoyable, and a few of the entries were downright spooky! I think R.L. Stine did a fantastic job of selecting a variety of different genres and formats for these horror stories: some are ghostly tales, some are classic suspense stories, some are science-fiction oriented, and some are just campy fun. Stine also includes poems, a comic strip, and a selection from a longer book, in addition to short stories. Some of my favorites from the collection were Stine's retelling of Bram Stoker's ghastly "The Judge's House," Ray Bradbury's creepy and well-told "The Black Ferris," and R.L. Stine's "The Surprise Guest," a Halloween ghost story. (Side note: I can imagine many of these stories and poems being read aloud in the classroom or at home around Halloween time!). One of the elements I liked most about this collection was that Stine included a short introduction to each story, either making a personal connection or explaining his choice to include the selection (which is a great draw for his young fans who hope to gain insight into a favorite author!). I definitely recommend this collection to R.L. Stine fans and readers 9 and up who like spine-tingling stories!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun collection of short horror stories chosen by R. L. Stine and in a few cases either written or retold by him, such as in “The Judge’s House”, a classic ghost story by Bram Stoker whose Victorian diction is modernised for the child reader, and “The Terrifying Adventures of the Golem”, posited by Stine as the first superhero tale, about the golem of Jewish folklore who in the story is brought to life to defend the Jews of 1500s Prague.

The book also includes poems and a comic from The Vault of Horror, “A Sock for Christmas”. The Vault was a horror comic of the 1950s that helped to usher in the comics code due to the moral outrage of parents offended by its gruesome content. The story is indeed surprisingly gory for something that was intended to be children’s literature. Like much of The Vault and similar comics it retells an old legend with a grim ironic punchline, serving essentially as a fable.

The first story is by Ray Bradbury, “The Black Ferris”, taken from his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes. It’s a great story and Stine is clearly a devotee of Bradbury. Stine introduces the stories and they come with brilliant black-and-white illustrations by various artists, among them Goosebumps cover artist Tim Jacobus and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark illustrator Gris Grimley.

The collection contains no duds. It’s hard to pick a favourite, although I was pleasantly surprised by Gahan Wilson’s “Mister Ice Cold”, a story told in the second-person about a mysterious ice cream man. It’s a darkly funny and genuinely menacing tale. I was also very fond of Patricia McKissack’s “The Conjure Brother”, although it’s not really a scary story so much as a fairy tale. “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar paints a surprisingly convincing sci-fi dystopia.

“The Elevator” by William Sleator, meanwhile, is oddly dark and psychological in its subtext, concerning a boy who (in my interpretation) projects his anxieties about his neglectful father onto an obese old woman in a lift. This is probably the one that left me the most unsettled. It honestly wouldn’t seem out of place in a book for adults.

Beware! is a really good book that’s both entertaining and educational in what it teaches kids about folklore, places, and people, introducing them to art and poetry along the way. How many kids’ books include Renaissance-era Prague, American South superstitions, humour, and science-fiction all bound together in one volume?

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mir als Erwachsene hat es Spaß gemacht und gegenseitig hat es mich auch. Die Geschichten sind teilweise sehr gut,haben mich sehr unterhalten.

[Readbygio · Rating 4 out of 5]

que beieza de colección

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nice collection of spooky stories. Some are darker, some are slightly humorous, and some are downright odd. Here are a few classic scary stories alongside some of R. L. Stine's original work. Here are vignettes, short stories, poems, and even a comic book. The only part I didn't personally care for was Stine's rewriting of Stoker's "The Judge's House." Sure, I get that Stine was writing for children, and I know Stoker's wording can be difficult at times, but the dense writing of "The Judge's House" is part of what sets so creepy a tone. Still, it's a minor complaint, and the overall collection is strong.

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this book was a collection of creepy short stories, don't expect to get majorly attached to any of the characters. Some of the stories are poems and some are more in depth; ones like The Judges House really do pull you into the story. (Though these are more creepy than scary, they are good for their reading level). The authors in here didn't use a ton of pulling in difficult words because of its reading level though. Over all this was a very good read and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the quick reads that it provided.

[Lorene Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

In case anyone was confused, STINE WRITES FOR CHILDREN! Even at 8, Fear Street wasn't that bad. I always thought Goosebumps was stupid, but I read Fear Street like a maniac. If you read this as a child, you had the best book of your life in your hands. I must have checked it out from the library at least 5 times. I used it for a book report in the fifth grade. Clearly, it's not scary for adults. I loved this book, and it's definitely great for late elementary age.

[Mary Michals · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun to read! The stories were creepy, fun, and even a little spooky scary some of them! The poems were enjoyable and brought me back to reading in middle school and high school! RL Stine was one of my favorites growing up so when I saw this at my jobs little free library I had to check it out! Definitely recommend for a fun blast from the past spooky read 👻

[Matt Mazenauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let R.L. Stine scare you from this. There are a lot of great stories here, from little undiscovered treasures to Ray Bradbury, Bram Stoker, William Sleator, Roald Dahl, and even Shel Silverstein. Definately worth picking up.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was used for a two-month unit in my student teaching experience. The kids unanimously loved it (aside from one who couldn't due to religious convictions). There's something for everyone in here. Whether you enjoy genuinely scary, creepy-scary, or silly-scary, this book has you covered.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alisa read a funny, scary story from this collection at Halloween time.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good selection of horror stories I enjoyed reading them even if they were designed for teenagers :)

[Kendalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun! I might reread this around Halloween time cause it was so entertaining.

[Amelie Place · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love horror so much and I was delighted to come across this spooky book!!!

[Kacey Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nostalgic read similar to “Goosebumps.”

[Christine Verstraete]

I have the hardcover. Thrilled to find it a flea market! Very nice book!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been looking for an obscure short story for twenty years, and I finally found it in this collection.

Up until about age ten, I could not handle anything scary even a little bit, not even age-appropriate horror. Towards the end of fifth grade, I started dipping my toe into the odd ghost story (for babies!!) here and there. But it wasn’t until seventh grade that I really started consuming horror.

My seventh grade English teacher’s favorite holiday was Halloween. That meant that from the start of the school year to the end of October, it was all horror all the time in her class. I was not jazzed at first. But very quickly, her class became my favorite. It basically exposure-therapied me into loving horror. I went from barely being able to handle anything scary to being obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe within the year. Needless to say, her class was extremely formative for me. She’s single-handedly responsible for maybe two-thirds of my personality? I owe her a lot.

I still listen to Christopher Lee’s reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart” every Halloween after first hearing it in her class. But there was another, less well-known short story that she played for us once. It stuck with me, but the title and author didn’t, and I was unable to find it again for two decades. Until this past Halloween, when I finally dug up that it was called “Mister Ice Cold,” by Gahan Wilson. I couldn’t find the audio she played for us, but I did find that it had been printed in this scary story collection, curated by R.L. Stine.

Since I went from zero to full horror so quickly, I missed out on reading Stine as a kid. I’m vaguely nostalgic for Goosebumps, but only because it was in the zeitgeist. I remember the book covers from my classmates reading them. I saw a couple episodes of the TV show in my seventh grade class. But I’ve never read a Goosebump myself. I never really felt like I was missing out anything. But after reading this collection, I realize maybe I did.

Two things about Stine are very apparent at a glance: He is a massive horror fan himself, and he genuinely respects the children he writes for. This is a truly great collection of short stories for the budding horror reader. Stine has good taste, and he wants the kids to have good taste. A few of these stories are Stine’s original work, some are retellings he’s written, and some are true classics. He also shines a light on less well-known authors, and I think that’s so cool.

Each short story is preceded by a brief introduction from Stine, in which he acknowledges the author and talks about their work and how and when he discovered them. It is endlessly charming to read Stine explaining to his child audience who Ray Bradbury is and why he’s important.

There’s an impressive level of variety here. Most of these are more tongue-in-cheek horror. There’s a joke story from Stine and a few funny macabre poems. (Two by Shel Silverstein! And “The Cremation of Sam McGee”!!) There’s a nasty little Christmas comic from The Vault of Horror. There are stories the young reader is probably already familiar with, like an excerpt from The Witches by Roald Dahl, and a couple of stories from Alvin Schwartz of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (There are illustrations, but not the supremely fucked up ones by Stephen Gammell, unfortunately.) There are also unsettling but hopeful stories like “The Conjure Brother” by Patricia McKissack. And “Tiger in the Snow” by Daniel Wynn Barber, which was deeply and unexpectedly sad. The tone shifts were really well handled, though, and again, the variety was very much appreciated.

I’ve read a lot of short story collections this year, and I think this might be the first one where there wasn’t a single miss? Just back-to-back bangers. I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. A true delight from start to finish.

So, did “Mister Ice Cold” live up to the trauma it inflicted on me twenty years ago? Honestly, kinda? I remember it being a lot longer, but it’s quite short and simple. It’s written in second-person present tense, which is notoriously hard to pull off, but it really works. The big reveal still prompted a primal fear response in me. All these years later, I’ll occasionally hear the sound of an ice cream truck in the distance, a little too late in the day or after the weather starts to turn cool, and it feels so deeply wrong it freezes me in my tracks. I have now confirmed that this short story is what did that to me, and rereading it twice did not cure me. Big ups to Gahan Wilson for taking a simple, kind of clichéd idea and turning into something that will continue to stick with me for the rest of my life.

I would highly, highly recommend this collection to kids taking their first steps into the horror genre, as well as for adult horror fans who are kids at heart. This book was such a delight, and I’m really glad I sat down to read the whole thing instead of the one story that prompted me to discover it.

[Sarah B]

This is good scary fun and perfect for Halloween! And although all of these stories were not written by R. L. Stine they do not disappoint. If you are familiar with his stories then you should know what to expect: chills, thrills, scares, nasty twists that will shock you so your blood runs cold and a bit of bloody gore added in! Because what is Halloween without some blood, a corpse or two...or even a ghost! I was kept entertained throughout and had loads of fun reading this.

And yes I had favorites which included:

The Black Ferris by Ray Bradbury: there is definitely something creepy & unnatural about the carnival man who rides a ferris wheel backwards in the middle of the night! This is the first story in the book and it had me hooked from page one.

The Judge's House by Bram Stoker: how big do you like your rats? Although I am not scared of rats I sure am aware of what they can do and I think that knowledge made this tale more scary than ever - yet this story ended up shocking me. The end was totally unexpected!

The Elevator by William Sleator: there is just something creepy about this one and the illustration makes it even more creepy! The end is very open but somehow that makes it even worse!

Tiger in the Snow by Daniel Wynn Barber: you may think a tiger cannot possibly be prowling the streets of a city but then you read this. And suddenly it made sense! A lot of this one is about anxiety. You know its nonsense but you have the fear anyway...I think everyone has felt that way and so you can relate to the boy in here.

A Sock for Christmas by Jack Kamen: this is the comic book tale and wow...what a bloody horror! The major twist in here will please for sure, especially if you want blood & gore for the holidays.

Mister Ice Cold by Graham Wilson: this one is near the end of the book so I was expecting nasty twists. This one teaches a lesson too: it doesn't pay to be too nosey and snoop where you shouldn't because the ice cream man might get you!

This is a high quality book. The hardcover is heavy and solid. And the evil face on the dust jacket is actually kind of shiny or glittery. Those dark nails definitely shine - which makes it all the more creepy. Look at that manic expression in those eyes! Now that thing is something you do not want to run into at night!

There are 19 stories in here including a few by the author. I enjoyed all of these except for one poem - "The Cremation of Sam McGee" which just did not interest me. Some of these tales are very short and others are longer. They all are surprising. Most are regular stories but there are also poems and even a comic book type tale.

There are also some very famous authors in here including Ray Bradbury, Bram Stoker and Ronald Dahl to name a few. Perhaps some of the others are famous too but I am just unaware of it.

A definite fun read!

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"¡Peligro!" (Beware!)
R. L. Stine
S.A. EDICIONES B, 2003

Recopilación de relatos y algunos poemas de terror que en algún momento impactaron a R. L. Stine. Los autores son muy distintos en épocas y estilos, desde Ray Bradbury, hasta Bram Stoker y hasta el mismo recopilador.

Entre otros podemos encontrar:

"La noria" - Ray Bradbury: Muy buen relato con un fin quizás un poco predecible pero que hubiera estado aun mejor de no ser porque el ilustrador cometió la enorme pifia de decirnos el final de la historia con su dibujo.

"El invitado inesperado" - R.L. Stine: Relato de Halloween que podría ayudar a que los padres no volvieran a gastar en disfraces para sus hijos. =)

"La casa del Juez" - Bram Stoker: Para este genio, no hace falta mayor presentación, el relato es fantástico y quizá un poco "Poesiano". Stoker pasa del horror alado al horror terrestre, con otro de los mayores temores del ser humano.

Además de algunos poemas dignos de mencionar como "La incineración de Sam McGee" de Robert W. Service y "Casa Encantada" de Shel Silverstein.

Muy recomendable para una tarde nublada.

Aguascalientes, Octubre 21, 2014.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled across this collection while searching for writings by William Sleator, the author of Interstellar Pig and several other fun books for youth. He’s got a short story in here about a kid scared to ride an elevator, and while it cheats you in the end, it’s pretty effective at building dread.

Other stories in here are a little uneven. They’re personal picks by R.L. Stine, so that’s understandable, and I like that he explains why each one is there. I could really do without the short story that turned into Something Wicked This Way Comes (one of the few books I’ve ever started and not finished), but Stine’s own inclusion (his kid’s favorite of all the stories he’s ever written) is really good. There’s one about a kid sure he’s going to get mauled by a tiger that makes very little sense. In all, though, if you have a kid who likes scary stories, this is a pretty good pick -- nothing too gross or damaging here.

[Maria Falegiardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I love how it gives you a glimpse into r.l. Steins favorite horror novelist. It was a really great and fun read. Especially on those days when you don’t want to completely dive or, have time to dive into an entire book. I enjoyed reading this with other novels as well. Sometimes you need a little break from the book you are reading and this, was perfect! It had great stories and some very funny poems. If you loved this as much as I did, I would also recommend Scream and Scream Again. It’s another one of r.l. Steins books that have short stories from other young adult horror novelist.

[Hew La France · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always been a fan of R.L. Stine. His taste in stories as demonstrated in this collection is indicative of his view on the horror genre: that which is scary, is often ridiculous and/or funny. Most of the stories that ARENT written by Stine are quirky and have something absurd about them, and I mean that in the best way possible.
I do have to say, I think my favorite story in this book is one written by Stine, wherein he puts to paper an old Jewish folktale about a golem. REALLY wish Stine would write a whole collection of Jewish folktales.

[Victoria Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect story story collection doesn’t have exis…… it sure does! This is a collection I want to reread again and again although I absolutely ADORED all of the works in this my top five picks are 5)”The black Ferris” by Ray Bradbury 4)”The Suprise Guest” by R.L Stine 3)“haunted” and “blood curdling story” by Shel Silverstein 2)”the judges house” by Bram Stoker told by RL Stine and 1)”The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert W. Service the introductions to all of these tales by Stine himself were also an amazing addition I can’t say enough good things!

[Sergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fue mi primer libro de terror que he leído.

Es maravilloso, la antología que recoge R.L. Stine aquí es bastante buena, aunque destacando la primera historia de la noria (no es un spoiler grave). Es una muy buena historia que, sin ninguna duda, te engancha a leerte el libro entero (cada una de las historias, básicamente).

Su portada me fascina, mi favorita por el momento.

Antes de empezar a relatarte la historia, explica el autor de dicho libro el motivo por el cual lo ha incluido en esta recopilación.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🟰💯
Mi aprobación ✅

[Kyrub · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book is truly wonderful, it has suspense,horror,laughter and sadness...
i understand why R.L. Stine picks his favorite Scary Stories in this book,i really love it all especially the story about A Sock for Christmas it is truly terrifying and you can easily relate about it.
I hope many more people will able to read this Book it is truly amazing even thou i am quite young to make a book review about this i am just stating that this Book is Wonderful that the other readers can read this..