What's all the hubbub, bub?
School Book Scare is a blog / digital archive that remembers and preserves all the weird, creepy stuff that used to haunt the shelves of book fairs and libraries of the past. Read on to find out more!
Q: What kind of books do you feature on the site?
A: Our coverage specializes on works of horror (or "scary stories") written for children and released during the first great publishing boom of these titles, the 80s and 90s, a.k.a. the millennial age of the school book fair.
Q: Do you only cover horror?
A: For the most part. In addition to chapter books and short story collections, we also review nonfiction works on tangential subjects like folklore, crime, the paranormal, and so on. Picture books and readers are welcome as well. And we love covering any book that falls under the umbrella of the bizarre and the oddball. We like our stories whether they're spooky *or* kooky.
Q: Do you ever cover books published before the 80s or after the 90s?
A: To the former: most definitely. To the latter: occasionally. (My own "book fair timeline" leaks into the early aughts.) Our goal is to highlight the strange books that time forgot, so whether that means they were published fifty years ago or fifteen years ago, we want to celebrate them.
Q: WHERE'S R. L.?!?!
A: R. L. Stine was a huge part of my early reading life--he was practically the reason *for* it. Many, many other readers can say the same. As such, there have been more than a fair share of blogs, podcasts, and other tributes made to the author over the years. We may throw in the occasional outlier title, but don't expect a book-by-book breakdown of Give Yourself Goosebumps. (At least not yet, anyway.) Because as much as I love ol' Robert Lawrence, this site is meant to shine a spotlight on all those "other guys" that Stine's success allowed to thrive. (For better and worse!)
Q: What about Pike, Cooney, and all those Point Horror cats?
A: This is similar to the Stine situation. These days YA horror has achieved a level of recognition and respect amongst readers who would now be considered OA (old adults). There are virtual book clubs and fan pages dedicated to these authors and publishers. They even have feature film adaptations now! The same can not be said of the creepy books that were written for the elementary and younger set during this same time. These titles float around like ghosts in an ephemeral soup. People remember them, but only very vaguely for the most part. These books are still waiting for their moment. Waiting for a home. We hope that School Book Scare can be that time and place.
Q: Where do you get the books you review?
A: Libraries, used bookstores, thrift shops, flea markets, online retailers--wherever they are, we try to find them. And that includes the help of readers like you!
Q: I'm a traditionally-published / self-published author and I've just released a creepy kids book. Can you review it or promote it?
A: First of all, congratulations! That is a great accomplishment, and I commend you for keeping the tradition of weird children's literature alive and well. The blog is specifically reserved for reviewing titles released in the past (or their contemporary reprints), so no current releases for us. However, we are open to sharing a promotion for your book on our social media accounts. Just email us at schoolbookscare [at] gmail [dot] com with a press release or other information about your upcoming title. Not every submitted announcement is guaranteed to be featured, but we will make every effort to share news of your book if we think that it's a good fit with the interests of our readers.
Q: Help! I'm trying to remember a creepy book I read as a kid! Can you assist?
A: We will surely try! Send your best description of the book to us at schoolbookscare [at] gmail [dot] com and we will put a call out to our readers to help I.D. the read!
Q: Do you accept guest posts and reviews on the blog?
A: That we do! Drop us a line at schoolbookscare [at] gmail [dot] com and let us know what you're interested in covering. Like we said earlier: the more obscure, the better. And don't be afraid to dive deep. We want to know about these books--and your experiences with them--inside and out!
Q: I have another question that wasn't addressed here / I just wanted to say "hi".
A: Find us on Twitter or join our "Boo of the Month Club" on Facebook and give us a shout!
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