Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories

These five spine-chilling stories will have beginning readers everywhere begging to stay up late to read (with the light on!). The first story, Shadow in the Woods, focuses on a monster that is rumored to live in the woods. When Hugh has to walk through the woods alone, he isn’t worried. He knows an owl—not a monster—is hooting, “Hoo!” But is it?  

In The Monster in My Room, Ruby is convinced that a monster lives under her bed. However, no one believes her. One night, in order to comfort her, Ruby’s brother gives her a flashlight. When she drops the flashlight, “That’s when she saw the hand! A large, hairy, purple hand! Eight long fingers were wrapped around the flashlight!”  

The third story, Fingernails, focuses on Tommy. Even though his grandmother tells him not to, Tommy chews on his fingernails. Right before she takes a nap, Grandmother makes Tommy promise not to chew on his fingernails. When Grandmother wakes up, “Bits of fingernail were littered across her lap. Tommy stared up at her as he chewed and chewed and chewed. . .”  

In The Writing on the Wall, Sophia and her parents move into a creepy, old house. As she explores the house, Sophia feels as if she’s being watched. Right before she goes to bed, she writes on the wall: “I don’t want to live in this house!” In the morning, when she wakes up, a new message is written on the wall, “I don’t want you to live here either!”  

The final story, The Animal Behind the Locker, takes place at Emma’s school. Emma hears a scratch-scratch behind her locker. She’s convinced that an animal is stuck behind the locker. When Emma investigates, she falls through the back of her locker and is stuck. However, Emma is frightened to discover that a spider is making the scratch-scratch sound. 

Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories is part of Scholastic’s early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. Each page has one to four short sentences that are easy to read. With a short story format, and full-color artwork on every spread, this book will boost reading confidence and fluency. Acorn books instill a love of reading and help readers grow. 

Readers who enjoy scary stories will enjoy each short story’s surprise ending. However, some readers may also be frightened when monsters and things that go bump in the night are shown to be real. In addition, each story is so short that there is little character development. Readers who want more ghoulish fun should also read the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol Series by Andres Miedoso and the Eerie Elementary Series by Jack Chabert. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• As Hugh is walking through the woods, he thinks he sees his shadow. But then, “the shadow turns toward him. Its huge mouth opens. The mouth is full of fangs. . . Finally, Hugh starts to run. But it is too late.” It is implied that the monster eats Hugh. 
• When Emma gets stuck behind her locker, she finds “a huge spider was hanging beside her. . . The spider smiled at Emma. Sharp, wet fangs stuck out.” It is implied that the spider eats Emma. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None