In fact, the American Library Association named Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as the book most challenged by parents in the 1990s. Whether it was because of the gruesome nature of the stories or Mom and Dad being burdened with sleepless nights from frightened children, the books were often challenged. But Alvin loved it and thought it was great publicity.”Īlthough many children loved the books, parents did not.
The American Library Association really started tracking and making lists in the mid-1980s, which was when his books began to really take off. The attention to censorship within schools and libraries was just beginning to take shape around the time of his passing in the early 1990s. Cody Meirick, director of the new documentary Scary Stories, claims in an interview with Inverse, “Schwartz really loved the fact that his books were being banned. After all, children love things that are inappropriate. The appearance of the series on many banned book lists through the last three decades has only improved sales. Strengthening their legacy has been the outcry to condemn them. Tucked away in the children’s section at libraries or found at book fairs, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark gave many children their first glimpse into horror. The fiendish illustrations and foreboding tales beg to be shared with others. The literary series by author Alvin Schwartz and initially featuring drawings from Stephen Gammell has scarred children since its debut in 1981, its stature growing through the years as a tomb that must be passed down from generation to generation. The cover image of a head resembling a clown skull, with exaggerated features and red-colored nose, inexplicably rising from the ground, was a preview of the terrors to be found within the pages of the first book. Everyone can remember their first brush with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
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