Night Frights Collection

by Judith Bauer Stamper

Great Collection of scary tales- 39 of them. Stories to read when the moon is full. Stories to tell your friends. in the dark...Stories for you to read all alone. At night. Night Frights. Scholastic

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Young Adult, Short Stories, Ghost Stories

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3.5 stars ✰

“I do beheve in Bloody Mary ... I do believe in Bloody Mary."

The eyes in the mirror didn't look frightened anymore. They were hard and seemed to glow.

Mary didn't understand why her mouth was turning down in such a wicked smile, but she kept chanting.”

Nothing like a trip down memory lane to get the blood flowing and the chills a-glowing with Night Frights - one of my favorite memories of my childhood. Read it in fifth grade and reading it now, it's like I never forgot these thirteen short scary stories that truly terrify you. Perfect for kids who want to read a good scary story, that are so short and easy to read that they can learn and recite over the roaring of a campfire or at their next sleepover for a restless night.

A definite guarantee of a good night's sleep. 😱😱

I love that they're so easy to read for young readers. Very simple to understand words and details with quick terrors, spooky action that actually has supernatural themes to it! If you're lucky enough to find this little spooky gem, it's a definite treat.

There's a little bit for everyone - graveyard scares, spooky dares, mysterious strangers, and creepy baby-sitters, and my personal favorite, a night in the museum where I really was terrified of mummies! Some stories still gave me the chills, because they really don't end with a happy ending - truly terrifying, indeed. 👏🏻👏🏻

“The skull lay looking back up at him with its empty eyes and grinning teeth. Tomas reached down to pick it up and, just as he touched the hard, smooth bone, he remembered his grandfather's words.

Never take bones from a dead body. Do not disturb the rest of the dead.”

Just don't be like ten-year-old me, who actually stood in front of her bathroom mirror and recited 'I don't believe in Bloody Mary' in the brave and reckless and foolish attempt of actually testing out the theory if the bloodied Queen of Scots will reach out through the looking glass and curl her hands around your neck... 😏

And did it actually work...

Well...

Don't say I didn't warn you. 😉

[Jason Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't care much at all for the Bloody Mary story and the story about the mummy, but otherwise I found myself having a ton of fun with this one throughout. Every story other than the two aforementioned ones had a least something memorable, if not absolutely epic about it. Even the story that was literally meant to be comedy had me entertained, and I kinda smirked at the end, even thought I knew what was coming as soon as I read the title. I've been on a big middle-grade anthology kick lately, and this is one of the best ones I've ever read. I'll be checking out the sequels to this, as well more of Judith Stamper's work in the near future.

[Austin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Authors such as Alvin Schwartz (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) and Robert San Souci (Short and Shivery / Dare to be Scared) take old folk tales and urban legends and mould and weave them into some fresh, unique takes that are somehow both terrifying and palatable for the younger audience.

J.B. Stamper is also an author who's work consists of old folk story retellings, but unlike the former authors mentioned, she lacks the talent and originality they bring to the table. Not only with this Night Frights book, but her Midnight Hour collections as well - they seem to be very minimal retellings, perhaps even a bit watered down from their original sources. All of "her" stories are ones that can be found in many other collections by various other authors (San Souci and Schwartz included), and retold in a much better fashion.

While I wouldn't say this book was outright bad, it really comes down to my overexposure to these tales and knowing they've been done - and better. I would only recommend this as possibly a gateway into spooky literature for young children.

2⭐

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick, fun read with stories covering multiple topics and urban legends. This is something I would've wanted at the book fair as a kid.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the sequel to this growing up and was finally able to find the original. While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much, I feel like that definitely has to do with the other one having more of a nostalgia feel for me.

These stories are great lengths for younger readers but will feel too short for the most part if you’re older. I still enjoyed most of these despite that. Most of these have great tension, atmosphere, and cliffhangers. Some of the cliffhangers were pretty easy for me to guess but younger readers will probably be surprised.

My favorite stories were The Graveyard Dare, Cold Bony Fingers, The Corpse’s Revenge, Stop that Coffin, and Mummies.

3.5 stars!

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly mediocre and uninspired tales that were way too quick. There were a few standouts, and the ending of the first story is awesome. Mostly just a bland book. Here’s my ratings for each tale:

Graveyard Dare - 3/10
Bloody Mary - 2.5/10
Cold, Bony Fingers - 9/10
The Mysterious Figure - 6.5/10
The Witch’s Paw - 7/10
The Corpse’s Revenge - 7/10
Coming To Get You - 8.5/10
Stop That Coffin - 1/10
Nightmare - 5/10
The Stranger - 4/10
Mummies - 6/10
Bloody Bones - 9/10
Night Woods (Cover Art Story) - 2.5/10

[Paul Lê · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, the tales get a bit repetitive. Kids encounter some kind of supernatural oldster or weirdo wherever they go. Then you're left to wonder what happens once the kid is cornered. It's always unresolved, but not in a satisfying way. That's the gist of all these stories, although the one about the babysitter who hears and sees footsteps in and around the house, yet never sees who the footsteps belong to, was creepy.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this book since I was a kid! I remember loving these stories (and I did actually remember some of the stories themselves) but these days, I'm not so much of a fan of them. That's probably maturity talking, but it did take me a bit to force myself to read the last half of the book. Great for kids who love spooky stories.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as creepy as the Tales for the Midnight Hour series, in my opinion. Still worth reading though, several of the short stories were satisfyingly scary.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lowkey kinda repetitive stories…

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
This was a fun and quick/ read aloud kind of book! Some stories were better than others, as it usually goes.

[Caresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite stories were "The Witch's Paw", "Mummies", and "Night Woods". Short, spooky stories for kids that reminded me of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes.

[Devri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these spooky stories! These were perfect for reading out loud to your friends during a sleepover.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night Frights: 13 Scary Stories, by JP Stamper, was published by Scholastic in 1993. It was the first collection of scary stories my oldest son ever read. When I asked him for a list of books that I could review for Throw-Back Thursdays, this one was in his top 10. He said he remembered us reading these stories out loud, and that they were creepy-scary-cool to him when he was in grade school.

The stories are all short -- perfect length for younger readers. They range in subject from old classics like Bloody Mary and a headless specter looking for its missing body part to more original scary tales. The stories are scary, but nothing is age inappropriate for middle grade age children. The stories are short enough to make them great to read outloud, or for grade school students to read by themselves.

I can see why my son remembers this book. I enjoyed re-reading the stories. They are truly creepy and fun to read, even for an adult. My favorite is the sixth story, The Corpse's Revenge, a taleabout grave robbers who get a big surprise.

J.B. Stamper has written several books for middle grade readers, including five Magic School Bus stories and three Tales for the Midnight Hour story collections.

[vampire (dipita) grul · Rating 4 out of 5]

13 scary stories! all so weird and freaky!

[Samm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading middle grade horror, its so much fun. This definitely takes me back to my childhood and books like this sparked my interest in horror. I really enjoyed it!

[Earl Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haha! I remember this one!!! This was so scary so me when I was a little kid... This is why I love goodreads! It's like going back in time.