Dennis Pepper [ed.] - The Oxford Book of Scarytales

[dem bones]

Dennis Pepper [ed.] - The Oxford Book of Scarytales (Oxford, 1995; originally 1992)

Louise Brierley

Dennis Pepper - Introduction: Scary Tales

Dave Calder - This is the Key to the Castle (verse)
Sheila Lavelle - Dear Jane
Kevin Crossley-Holland - Slam and the Ghosts
Catherine Storr - Crossing Over
Charles Causley - Miller End (verse)
Vivien Alcock - A Change of Aunts
Daniel Wynn Barner - Tiger in the Snow
Adèle Geras - Camilla
Dannie Abse - Emperors of the Island (verse)
Grace Hallworth - The Shiner
Edward Lowbury - Prince Kano (verse)
Virginia Haviland - Wiley and the Hairy Man
Roy Fuller - The Start of a Memorable Holiday (verse)
Geraldine McCaughrean - Great Swallowing Monster
Robert Scott - The Slitherydee
James Kirkup - Who’s That? (verse)
Robert Scott - Bush Lion
Ruskin Bond - Eyes of the Cat
Alison Prince - Timmy
Ian Serraillier - The Visitor (verse)
Maria Leach - The Big Black Umbrella
Robert Scott - Dare You
Susan Price - My Great-Grandfather’s Grave-Digging
Hugh Sykes Davies - Poem (verse)
Alison Leonard - Bronwen and the Crows
Dennis Hamley - Supermarket
Gregory Harrison - The Cave (verse)
John Gordon - The Hawk
Jan Mark - No-Good Claus
Douglas Livingstone - Pteranadon (verse)
Marilyn Watts - The Leopard in the Rafters
A. C. Bolton - The Friendly Ghost
Rachel Hands - Kiltos! Kiltos!
Brian Lee - Empty Fears (verse)
Patricia Miles - Exit

Found this for £1 at this morning's market. Not especially scary oversized compilation of stories, vignettes, poetry, and full-colour illustrations, possibly targeting a slightly younger audience than the other books in the series. The ghost girl at the fancy dress party; Aqualung's revenge: policeman in peril: the first born is dead; etc.


Robert Scott - Dare You: Kevin claims that if you lie down on a freshly filled grave at midnight, the occupant will drag you down to spend the rest of eternity with them. Jeanie disputes this, so Kev dares her to visit the cemetery tonight and rest atop the remains of the tramp found dead on the allotments.

"Old man Crosby had been a vile old man; bad tempered, dirty, often drunk, he would sit on the bench outside the school watching the girls in the playground and shouting comments at them."

To prove she's done so, Jeanie must plant Kev's sheaf-knife in the soil for him to retrieve tomorrow morning.

Alison Prince - Timmy: (Haunted Children, 1982). Mum doesn't mind that three-year-old Anthony has an imaginary friend, but why must he call him 'Timmy'?

Adèle Geras - Camilla: Lynn Michael interviews a writer of supernatural stories, for the school magazine. Monica Bridges, whose books include Ghoulies & Ghosties and Shades of Darkness recalls growing up in Borneo, and Camilla, the best best friend she never had.

Grace Hallworth - The Shiner: (Mouth Open Story Jump Out, 1984). An inexperienced policeman makes schoolboy error of offering assistance to a member of the public. Chancing upon a young woman walking alone after dark, he offers her a ride home on the crossbar of his bicycle. But there is nothing vulnerable about the girl with the hooded face, and it is only the moonlight shining on his helmet saves the kind Bobby's soul.

Patricia Miles - Exit: (Jean Russell [ed.], The Methuen Book of Strange Tales, 1980). Hawkins, precocious, speccy four-eyes nerd, believes there is a connection between thunderstorms and alleged psychic phenomena. To test the theory, he insists Carter accompany him to the ruins of a woodland chapel.

Susan Price - My Great-Grandfather’s Grave-Digging: (Here Lies Price, 1987). Returning home drunk from the pub, Jody Price, gravedigger, takes a short cut through his place of work and falls into one he dug earlier. He wakes to discover he has company.

[Swampirella]

For those interested, archive has it; it can be borrowed for 14 days, not just 1 hour.

[andydecker]

Jun 28, 2020 16:49:23 GMT Swampirella said:

For those interested, archive has it; it can be borrowed for 14 days, not just 1 hour.

At first I rolled my eyes on the 1 hour rule. I discovered a few westerns which are not avaiable as Ebooks and started one. But as you don't have to wait before you can access the book again it is okay.

[dem bones]

Kevin Crossley-Holland - Slam and the Ghosts: (British Folk Tales, 1987). Douglas drops a sheet over his head, poses as a ghost to put the willies up his bone idle, drunkard brother on his way home from the pub. As Slam cuts through the graveyard, Douglas leaps out from behind a tombstone - to no huge reaction. Something's gone wrong ...

Ruskin Bond - Eyes of the Cat: (Time Stops at Shamli & other stories, 1989). A person can only takes so much. Singled out before the class for being unable to afford tuition fees, Binya the were-leopard hits back at her tutor in uncompromising fashion.

Sheila Lavelle - Dear Jane: The school camping holiday at Stonehouse Bay. Jane is unable to attend through illness, so Sarah Jennings writes every day to keep her informed of developments in her ongoing feud with Audrey 'Armpit' Armstrong. Mr. Harrison sends them to their suitably terrified with a campfire tale of the local ghost, a girl who took her own life when fiance ran off with another. "She walked straight out to sea in her nightie, and her dead body got washed up weeks later, all yellow and bloated and crawling with maggots." Audrey thinks it a wizard wheeze to dress up as seaweed girl and give Susan a fright. Susan gets wind of her plan and decides to play Ms. Armpit at her own game. Of course, the ghost, being the real deal, has no need for fancy dress.

Pop culture references include Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas, 'Michael Row A Boat Ashore' and feeling "sick as a parrot."

[dem bones]

Catherine Storr - Crossing Over: (Cold Marble & other Ghost Stories, 1985). As her contribution to a help the community initiative, a schoolgirl volunteers to walk old Mrs. Matthews dog. Togo, a hulking, ill-tempered half-Alsatian, proves too powerful and single-minded for her to control. The dog breaks its lead and runs into traffic. A terrible crash! Blood everywhere! The girl can't look! Deeply upset and frightened, she calls on Mrs. Matthews to break the sad news that Togo is dead. Approaching the house she hears a growl from within ....

Robert Scott - Bush Lion: Even were the alternative starving to death, could you put your trust in a were-lioness?

Jan Mark - No Good Claus: Stephanie doesn't believe in Santa Claus - "he"'s just Mum dressed up. So who came down the chimney and squeezed out of the of the living room fireplace? And where have the stockings gone?

Maria Leach - The Big Black Umbrella: (The Rainbow book of American Folk Tales & Legends, 1958). The old cook, Mary Simmons, joins a phantom funeral procession through the long-neglected paupers burial ground. A gallant stranger-in-black gifts her his brolly.

[dem bones]

John Gordon - The Hawk: Ten-year-old Paul's ambition, to soar like a bird, ends in tragedy when his 'flying machine' - a bicycle - fails to remain airborne as he races over a slope. He falls to his death.

A very contented hawk attends the funeral.

Dennis Hamley - The Supermarket: Recently recovered from flu, Gary accompanies Mum to Safebury to help with the weekly shop. When Mum sends him for a jar of marmalade his fever kicks back in. Gary hallucinates that he is trapped in a never ending maze.

[dem bones]

Vivien Alcock - A Change of Aunts: (Ghostly Companions, 1984). The pond in Teppid's Wood is haunted by the ghost of a nursemaid still seeking the two children she left playing beside the fire while slipping out to meet her sweetheart. Both were burnt to a crisp. Unable to live with the guilt, the nurse made an end to herself.

A century on, young Meg and William Thompson live in terror of their abusive Aunt Gertrude who is forever punishing them for some perceived misdeed whenever dad is away on business. Which is often. On learning that the children are scared of a silly ghost story, she insists they take a short cut home past the pond.

Daniel Wynn Barner - Tiger in the Snow: (The Horror Show, Fall 1984). Throughout his short life, city boy Justin has been haunted by an irrational fear of tigers. It's not like he's a timid boy. Only very recently he showed Zit-face Corkland where to get off when the older boy dared him to walk across the frozen ice of Shepherd's Pond. Why then, is he so convinced there's a man-eater trailing him home through the winter snow?

A. C. Bolton - The Friendly Ghost: (Leonard J. Matthews [ed.], Super Book of Ghost Stories, 1977). Four years ago, four Bengali's disappeared in a flash of lightening while crossing the haunted field. Now Ram Das bravely defies the ghost to lead a prize buffalo back to safety.

That's me done with ... Scareytales. Some stories were that slight I couldn't think of anything to say about them. The rest weren't so lucky.

[helrunar]

Kev, that Vivien Alcock story sounds like a nice way to spend half an hour. Any impressions about the source collection, Ghostly Companions? I saw a copy on an online vendor site--worth picking it up? She wrote kids' ghost stories... so may not be worth the bother.

cheers, Steve

[ripper]

Jul 3, 2020 23:08:51 GMT helrunar said:

Kev, that Vivien Alcock story sounds like a nice way to spend half an hour. Any impressions about the source collection, Ghostly Companions? I saw a copy on an online vendor site--worth picking it up? She wrote kids' ghost stories... so may not be worth the bother.

cheers, Steve

I have read Ghostly Companions, though not for some time. I think most, if not all, of the stories are aimed at younger readers. I thought A Change of Aunts was one of the best stories in the collection, but another about a haunted ship's figurehead, and one concerning some creepy people at a seaside resort, were not bad. Most of the other tales I don't recall too well, but on the whole I remember having a decent time with it, and if you can find it for a reasonable price, it is not a bad way of spending a few hours.

[helrunar]

Thanks for the recollections about the book, Ripper!

Best, Helrunar