Tell Me a Scary Story... But Not Too Scary! (Book & Audio CD) - Hardcover

Reiner, Carl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316833290 ISBN 13: 9780316833295

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2003

Synopsis

A little boy has an adventure in the scary basement of his mysterious new neighbor, Mr. Neewollah.

About this title

About the Author

Carl Reiner is a twelve-time Emmy-award winning writer, producer, director, and comedian who co-starred in the legendary television program Your Show of Shows and created and co-starred in The Dick Van Dyke Show. He also made comedy history as the co-creator of The 2,000 Year-Old Man and has directed many hit feature films including Oh, God!, The Jerk, and All of Me. Mr. Reiner lives with his wife in Beverly Hills, California. Inspired by his grandson, Tell Me A Scary Story... But Not Too Scary! is his first book for children.
James Bennett is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Halloween by Jerry Seinfeld. A Hamilton King Award-winning artist from the Society of Illustrators, he has also illustrated for many major publications including Time, Sports Illustrated, and Mad.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2-As this book opens, the author is preparing to tell his tale to a young listener, gently assuring her that he'll stop if it gets too scary. He then proceeds with his story, supposedly a recollection from his own childhood, during which a mysterious man named Mr. Neewollah moved into the house next door. As he watched him unload boxes, something fell out, and when he picked it up, the boy discovered that it was a marble that looked just like an eyeball. He decided to return it at midnight, saw a light in the basement, and fell through the window. This inevitably led to a meeting with his neighbor and the spooky costumes he created. This tale has the makings of a shivery treat, but the surprises are rather predictable and the chills fail to materialize. Reiner continually interrupts his narrative with questions: "This isn't too scary for you, is it?" and "Should I keep going?" and the tale unfolds at a glacial pace. Bennett's cartoon characters with their oversized heads and exaggerated facial features are appropriately grotesque but seem better suited for comedy or parody. The trouble is that readers simply aren't drawn into the young protagonist's story. Stick with old favorites like Bill Martin, Jr.'s The Ghost-Eye Tree (Holt, 1995) or one of Alvin Schwartz's fine collections, such as In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (HarperCollins, 1984).
Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316833290
• ISBN 13: 9780316833295
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bennett James
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32