Arielle North Olson

An introductory note explains that this is based on a story in Rumanian Bird and Beast Stories by M. Gaster (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1915) and that there is no devil in the original story (Genesis 6-8). The pictures are incredibly dark and a little creepy---which makes sense, I suppose, since the devil is not a lighthearted character. It's also a just-so story that explains cats' eyes: SPOILER: A cat catches the devil by swallowing it and even though she spits him out into the sea, show more so that he does no more mischief on the ark, she is changed by the experience and her eyes now glow. This could lead to a discussion of whether coming in contact with evil taints you. show less

A haunted bell, made from the armor of a cruel baron who was murdered by the peasants of his village, which foretells disasters. A beautiful woman whose suitors are flee from her, screaming, when she is alone with them. A school of magic with a terrible price. An angry mermaid that grants wishes that turn back upon the fisherman who angered her.

You'll find these and other frightening folk tales in More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World by Arielle North Olson and Howard Schwartz. show more This book retells 22 stories from diverse places, such as Ireland, Germany, Egypt, Spain, Japan, China, and more.

This book is very much in the vein of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, though aimed at a slightly older audience, and with somewhat less frightening illustrations drawn by E. M. Gist. Also like that book, More Bones includes a bibliography listing the sources of the stories retold within. This is a nice feature, especially since the books are generally old enough to be in the public domain, like Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by W. B. Yeats.

The stories are something of a mixed bag. Some of them are quite good, if simple, like "Youth Without Age" or "The Severed Head," while others are fairly dull, like "The Haunted Violin." There are more hits than misses, though.

Some of the artwork is close to being as frightening as that in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, though I don't like it quite as well. This may just be a result of nostalgia, though--the illustrations are good.

More Bones is a great book for someone who wants something a little more mature than Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the bibliography will provide plenty of additional stories, for those who are interested. Definitely pick it up if you're interested in scary folk tales.

This review also appears on Barba Non DB. show less

Very entertaining! Simple scary stories from around the world. I love that, under the title of each story, it states what country/region the story is from. While the reading level is at about middle grade, some of the content may not be. Some of these stories are pretty gruesome. Loved the artwork too. Great addition to the stories.

This was a book about two children who were decorating their Christmas tree while simultaneously talking with each other about how they wished their grandma would make it home in time for Christmas. I really liked this book for a number of reasons. First of all, Grandma did make it home, and the children were not disappointed. I enjoyed the amount of troubles grandma needed to overcome to get back home though; she was out on a safari and she needed to chase down a monkey, elude crocodiles, show more force her way through hippos, ride an elephant, and then finally pilot a plane in order to get back home in time. Furthermore, I really enjoyed that this book stressed the important message of Christmas; that family is important. The children were desperately hoping their grandma came home in time, and the grandma was clearly willing to risk her life to get back there in time to be with her family (although she never appeared to be in any explicit danger during her more "dangerous interactions" because of the light hearted way the story was written.) The message of this book is about the value of family, and about how families are supposed to be together, especially during holidays like Christmas.

Reading Level K-4 show less