Kitchen Table Reviews: Nighttime: Too Scared to Sleep
The family brings this collection of scary stories on a camping trip.
Nighttime: Too Scared to Sleep by Todd Strasser
My children have always gobbled up any “scary” book I’ve brought home for them, so when I spotted the Nighttime books, I figured we’d give ‘em a go. Too Scared to Sleep came on a recent camping trip with us—when my son asked if we could tell ghost stories around the fire, I gave him the book and he read aloud to the rest of us.
Me: Did this book actually make you too scared to sleep?
Daughter: No.
Son: Nah, they weren’t that scary. Just sort of scary.
Daughter: They weren’t even sort of scary, most of them. They were sort of dumb.
Me: Well I think you’re a little older than the target age for these.
Daughter: Whatever. They’re too short, too, to be real stories. I like stuff that’s longer.
Me: Well that’s kind of the point with these—they’re very quick, but with enough unexpected things to keep it interesting. Did you like any of the stories?
Daughter: I kind of liked the one about the karaoke machine that wouldn’t stop playing. If I had to pick a favorite, that would be it.
Son: Me too! The karaoke one was my favorite. They remind me of Goosebumps, but shorter. And I don’t think they’re too short. They’d be good to read in the car, or when you only have a couple of minutes to read.
Me: Were they good around the campfire? Sufficiently spooky?
Son: Definitely.
Me: I don’t know if I can approve of this one…
Daughter: See!
Me: … I mean, there isn’t a single story about an enchanted monkey’s paw.
Son: A what?
Me: A monkey’s paw! Don’t you two know about the curse of the monkey’s paw??
Son: Nope.
Daughter: Is this another one of those things from when you were a kid that you think is really great but is actually boring?
Me: No, it’s—hey!
Daughter: Sorry.
Me: Anyway, never mind the monkey’s paw. What ages for this book?
Daughter: Younger than me.
Me: Wow, that was very helpful. You?
Son: Maybe 5 to 10?
Me: Whoa, I think 5 is a little young for some of the content. Maybe 7 to 10?
Son: Sure, that sounds good.
All in all, neither child’s reaction surprised me; my daughter went back to reading her typical Young Adult, tween/teen girl angst books, and my son rooted around until he found some other Nighttime books and read them all. Twice.
Pros: Bite-sized stories great for reluctant readers or reading on the go. Will appeal to Goosebumps fans. Great campfire reading.
Cons: Older kids will want more substance. Tween girls may find it dumb. No mention of a monkey’s paw.
Nighttime: Too Scared to Sleep gets two-and-a-half thumbs up for some light horror/suspense goodness for the younger set from our kitchen table. (And if my daughter wasn’t so busy establishing her coolness, I suspect she would’ve given it an entire thumb up.)
