Yes, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Is Banned!
ISBN: 9780062682895
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a collection of folklore-based horror stories retold by Alvin Schwartz, originally published in 1981 with nightmarish illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The trilogy (followed by More Scary Stories and Scary Stories 3) sold over 7 million copies and became a rite of passage for elementary school kids across America. Schwartz drew from folk tales, urban legends, and traditional horror, adapting them for young readers. Gammell’s ink-wash illustrations, with their melting faces and shadowy figures, are arguably more memorable than the stories themselves.
According to the American Library Association, the Scary Stories series was the most challenged set of books in America from 1990 to 1999, and it continued to rank near the top of the list through the 2000s. Livonia Public Schools in Michigan challenged them in 1990 because “the poems frightened children.” Neely Elementary School in Gilbert, Arizona, tried to remove them in 1992 for occult and Satanic content. The Lake Travis Elementary School in Texas pulled the sequel from its library. Dozens of school districts across the country have fielded complaints about the books, almost always from parents who said the content was too frightening or promoted witchcraft and the devil.
Why You Should Read This
Every kid who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s remembers these books. They remember the story about the girl with the spider eggs in her cheek, or the one about the thing that went “Me tie dough-ty walker.” They remember Stephen Gammell’s illustrations most of all: faces that looked half-dissolved, shapes emerging from shadows, the kind of images that burrowed into your brain and stayed there at bedtime.
That’s the point. Scary stories teach kids something important: that fear is manageable. You can pick up a book, scare yourself silly, and close it. You survive. The world doesn’t end. That’s a skill, and it’s one of the earliest ways kids learn to process difficult emotions in a safe context. Taking that away because the stories are scary is like banning roller coasters because they go fast.
The 2011 reprint replaced Gammell’s iconic illustrations with tamer artwork by Brett Helquist. Readers revolted. HarperCollins eventually re-released the originals. The kids who grew up terrified of those drawings wanted their own children to be terrified, too. They understood what the book-banners didn’t: the fear was the gift.
Why Was It Banned?
Where Was It Banned?
Read It Anyway
The best response to a book ban is reading the book. Here's where to get it:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark banned?
Yes, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz has been banned or challenged in 124 documented instances across 4 states in the United States, including Michigan, Arizona, Texas, Washington. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.
Why was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark banned?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: Violence, Occult/Supernatural, Age Inappropriateness, Religious Objections. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.
Where is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark banned?
As of 2025, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark has been banned or challenged in Michigan, Arizona, Texas, Washington. Notable bans include Livonia Public Schools (1990), Neely Elementary School, Gilbert (1992), Lake Travis Elementary School (2002).