About this book

Read if you dare! This collection of ten terrifying tales by New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier is THE book to share at sleepovers or around a campfire! Each story is illustrated in haunting, full-color artwork by Letizia Rubegni, and told with spare yet scare-inducing text. If you love sleepless nights and monsters that lurk in the dark, then this spine-chilling book is for you!

Hand this book to anyone searching for a good scare! It's perfect for new and newly independent readers alike. And it is a must-have for fans of Max Brallier's Mister Shivers Acorn series because it includes nine of the series' spookiest stories in one place, PLUS a brand-new, hair-raising story exclusive to this collectible edition.

Brallier's strong horror chops shine across all ten stories:

The Dark

Hair Down to My Stomach

Statue

Fingernails

Animal Behind the Locker

Billy Smiled

The Cast

Stolen Pen

Forever Hotel

Like Pulling Teeth

Reviews

American Booksellers Association July/August 2026 Kids Indie Next List

Praise for Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shivers #1):

Selected by the New York Public Library as one of 2019's Best Books for Kids!

* "Brallier's (The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond, 2018, etc.) strong horror chops translate well into this Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark-lite package for early chapter-book readers... Simplified spooks for the we-want-it-just-scary-enough crowd." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Shadow in the Woods and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shivers #2):

Selected by the Chicago Public Library as one of 2020's Best Books for Kids!

"Brallier effectively repeats the screamworthy formula established in Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories (2019) to add a sense of familiarity to the foreboding... The abrupt, disquieting endings mix the creepy and weird with the genuinely terrifying, creating a nice balance as readers jump bravely between stories... Easy to read but definitely not easy to forget." -- Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Doll in the Hall and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shiver #3):

Selected by the Chicago Public Library as one of 2021's Best Books for Kids!

Praise for A Walk in the Dark and Other Scary Stories (Mister Shivers #4):

"With topics ranging from a bizarre hotel to a magical pen, the tales are reminiscent of scary stories told around a campfire... The illustrations provide an added level of suspense, mixing dark shadows and spooky characters to keep the excitement going. Spooky fun!" -- Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The School Is Alive! (Eerie Elementary #1):

"Give this early chapter book to readers who want something scary but aren't ready for the 'Goosebumps' or 'Scream Street' series." -- School Library Journal

Praise for The Last Kids on Earth:

A New York Times bestseller

* "Middle-grade readers, particularly boys, will find Jack's pitch-perfect mix of humor, bravado, and self-professed geekiness impossible to resist." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review