A World Full of Spooky Stories

This is a fantastic book full of some of the world's spookiest fairy tales. I love that Vasilissa the Beautiful (AKA Vasilisa the Beautiful) is included in this collection. The illustrations are very nicely done and are reminiscent of some of the classic imagery associated with these stories.

This collection is certain to please children who love spooky stories, and it will also make the perfect gift for adults who study and/or collect fairy tales. Very nice presentation!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I was granted a wish on NetGalley to read and review an ebook of A World Full of Spooky Stories Written by Angela McAllister.

I really enjoyed reading this, it was filled with so many unique and interesting short stories set all over the world, including different cultures within the stories. The layout of the book was really fun as each section of the book was categorised from Into The Woods to Frozen Lands and many others.

No two stories within the book were similar which made me happy as sometimes fairy tale/ folk tale/ short story books like this can be repetitive and that can make reading the hard at times, but luckily with this book it wasn’t and it was a very fascinating read.

There were many illustrations by Madalina Andronic throughout the whole book, each story had bright and colourful pictures showing you the story you were reading. Each new section of the book had a beautiful title page showing you what may lay ahead in that section.

I really loved that I got given the chance to read this book and found so many new and interesting stories from around the world. I think that many children and parents would enjoy reading this together, plus anyone that enjoys a good folk tale would also enjoy getting to read these stories of many cultures and eras.

A World Full of Spooky Stories is a simple book filled with interesting tales from all over the word. Strange. Scary. Spooky. Silly. I feel these stories are great for kids as well as adults.

These stories are all really simple and easy to follow. They read like a campfire story that could easily be retold by young children.

I thought the artwork was beautiful and creepy throughout the book.

I love a good spooky story and this is a book I will definitely be reading to my son and daughter.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
The beautifully illustrated story book of tales from all over the world is creepy and fun!

This is a surprisingly fun read even for an adult. I am curious about magical fairy tales and this particular book contains many of them from all over the world, most of which I have never heard before. These enchanting stories are decorated with beautiful illustrations. The stories are told as they appear in the original versions, unembellished and they are not changed to end with a happy ending. They are what they are and I liked the simplistic way they are written. Even though the title of the book implies spookiness, not all of the stories are spooky or Halloween-material but they are diverse in content. I would definitely read them to children and I would enjoy the book just as much as them.

This is a fantastic collection of stories, some of which will be known to readers and listeners while others may not. There is, for example, the story of Hansel and Gretel which, or course, I know. That is immediately followed by Grandfather's Eyes, a tale from Czechoslovakia that was new to me.

The stories are organized into sections. A few examples include Into the Woods, Down by the Water, Enchanted Places, Strangers at the Door and many more. Each story is identified by region of the world and country. No story is very long so these tales make for perfect (slightly) scary bedtime or anytime reads. The illustrations reflect the tone of the book and are quite striking.

This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for these spooky reads.

This was a fine anthology. I liked that it collected stories from a variety of cultures, but the stories were told in very short, simple versions which, while traditional, made them less interesting for the most part.

I really enjoyed A World Full of Spooky Stories. This book is full of 50 spine-tingling folklore stories from around the world. I found it absolutely fascinating to read these fables meant to teach something to each culture. One of my favorites was a story from France that told how misery became so widespread in the world.
While this is a children’s book, I thought it was great. I loved how each story was condensed. The illustrations were amazing too. This would make a great addition to anyone’s Halloween book collections or a great bed time story book for children.

From the cover to the table of contents, I was impressed before I began to read. I love that you can pick and choose what culture you want to read from, and that you can dip in and out as much as you like.
There are certainly some favourite in here, like Hansel and Gretal bit some new ones to entertain as well.
Being from Canada I particularly loved the ones from our native cultures, representing the past of s country I love.

Spooky tales will keep children , and adults, entertained. The stories are perfect bedtime story length or if you find them too spooky, they are also perfect for a light daytime read.

I will be buying this book for our shelves at home as well as for the school library. A great way to entice children back to basics! What could be better than a dark and spooky story?

This is WONDERFUL! Each story has its own message and the colourful art truly fits its story. I really liked "The dance of death" but it's hard finding the one you most like when their all so perfect!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully illustrated, this book contains a selection of stories from around the globe. The stories have been divided into categories such as 'Into The Woods' and 'Enchanted Places'. The stories are the perfect length for an end of day class read or for children to read to themselves. The illustrations are engaging, detailed and vividly coloured.

I enjoyed reading this and will be adding a copy to my class library.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley.



This book wasn't quite what I expected. I suppose if I would've read the synopsis in more detail, I would've known it wasn't the author writing these stories, rather the translation of stories from all over the world. A few of the stories like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood, I know well and grew up on. The others not so much. It was fun to read stories I've never heard from different parts of the country. I wouldn't call them "spooky," its more of a collection of fairy tale type stories than actual scary stories for kids. Nothing was over-the-top and if your child is a fan of fairy tales, they'll certainly love these.

I love this book. Not only does it have some of the well known stories, it has those that may be new to the reader.
My favourite part is the labelling of the stories by location which provides an extra educational level to the book.

This book of traditional tales with a spooky element is amazing. The illustrations are gorgeous and I love how at the start of each story It tells you where in the world the tale was first told. I will definitely be sharing this with the classes in my school.

A World Full of Spooky Stories is such a delightful book to read and gaze upon. This is a great folklore anthology for all ages alike and although starts with the fairy tale that we're all quite familiar with, travels around the world and showcases tall tales from all over the globe.

Some of my personal favorites are: The Cold Lady, The Ghost Land, The Sea Nymph, and Counting Out the Bodies.

The folklore ranges from Tibet to Canada from the spooky to the downright mundane. This might be a bit too much for children, but definitely just right for the middle grade age rang and even for adults my age! Did I mention how gorgeous the art is? It's absolutely stunning.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children's for this copy of my ARC in exchange of my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved reading spooky stories from all over the world! Each story was short and the illustrations were captivating. This is a great read for older children!

What a beautifully illustrated book of stories! There are over 50 stories from around the world with gorgeous illustrations by Madalina Andronic. The stories are lovely as well.

This collection of spooky stories were fairly short for my taste but all-together create a really nice bind-up for children! The illustrations dispersed throughout each story were really beautiful and I adored the fact that it called out where each tale originated from!

This is just as lovely as it's predecessor, with deceptively simple, but character filled Christopher Corr illustrations. There feels to be more depth to them this time around.

The stories themselves are more eclectic, and as with any anthology, some feel too rushed and others too long, but they are pitched just right with a really good mix.

A solid Halloween / end of year selection.

This book is a fun and great way to introduce your kids to stories from around the world! The writing is great and the collection has something for everyone. My only complaint is these aren't really spooky stories, more just fairytales, legends and mythology

They said spooky and they weren't kidding! I knew a few of these stories, but not most of them. A couple were properly creepy. My favourite is Herne the Hunter, but there's plenty of others here for all tastes. The illustrations are more cartoony than creepy, but they add to the book and it's a very attractive package. I'm looking forward to selling this one this Hallowe'en!

A fantastic collection.

This book is beautiful, look at that cover! I love any book that allows children to enjoy spooky lore and this one has a very diverse list from different areas.

Fabulous collection of tales from all around the world. Perfect for campfires, Halloween, and is sure to be a hit for any young lover of spooky stories. The illustrations were wonderful! This would definitely have been on my shelf next to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

This book is so adorable! I love the art style and how colorful it is. The cover grabbed me because it features so many examples of the art inside. Overall, this is such a bright and fun book. The stories are definitely written for children and are made to be read in quick bursts. They are no more than a couple of pages long; most being even less than that. They are quick little stories from so many places around the world. I love the representation in this book and how easy it is to read and share with others.

I don’t typically review (or request) what I view to be “children’s” books. But with Halloween being one of my son and I’s favorite holidays, I figured we could read the stories together before bed every night. OPE! Not exactly super YOUNG child friendly, but my 9 year old has a bit of a macabre sense of humor, and he was thrilled with these stories. Most of them are old fairytales told in the original version- ie Red Riding Hood. We loved reading these stories together and will continue to read these on the app until the hard copy comes out and we can find it to purchase. EXCELLENT compilation. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A gorgeous book of creepy folktales from all over the world. I loved the illustrations and the selections. I’m a big folklore nerd but there were plenty of stories here I’d never heard which are now new favourites: ‘Grandfather’s Eyes’ from Czechoslovakia, ‘The Snake Prince’ from India, ‘The Enchanted Apple Tree’ from France and ‘The Girl Who Turned to Stone’ from Chile.

It also has versions of my old favourites like ‘Tam Lin’, ‘Baba Yaga’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ (the version where the wolf eats her and that’s the end, no woodcutter comes to save her - gory and glorious).

One small criticism: I disliked the version of ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ because the protagonist is “boastful girl” and is saved because her husband remembers an old song he’d heard Rumpelstiltskin sing. Personally I prefer the version where her father makes the promises about her spinning straw into gold, and the girl saves herself by walking in the woods and overhearing the song. There’s also a focus on women being more valuable if they’re young and beautiful, and on older women being evil - this certainly isn’t a feminist collection. But it is pretty and creepy, and perfect for reading aloud.

A World Full of Spooky stories a delightful collection of creepy tales from around the world. The illustrations are a delight, the stories brief enough to enjoy if you only have a few moments, and the collection is a delight. I really enjoyed this collection. It didn't just focus on one part of the world, meaning you've got an equal chance of tales from South America and Eastern Europe. This might not be the collection you want to get for a small child, but older young adults or teens (and adults who adore folklore) are in for a perfect treat especially for the Halloween season.

For children and adults alike this was a very enjoyable read. Great folklore stories from across the world which was very interesting and informative. Illustrations are beautifully drawn which adds to the escapism in the world of spooks.

This is a great book ready for Halloween, and perfect to read to the little ones before bed leading up to it. I think it’s great to include folk stories from all over the world gives you a feel for other cultures.

What a gorgeous book! A wonderful and unique compilation of fairytales from around the world; what I loved most was that the stories involved in this collection were not the same ones we've all heard 100 times. I'm not a huge fairytale fan personally, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. The illustrations are breathtaking!

A fun collection of spooky tales and folklore that are suitable for children. Each story is a good length, not too long and comes with beautiful illustrations that accompany each story perfectly.a really wonderful range of tales from around the world, meaning it’s entertaining and educational. Recommended.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is an entertaining and colorful collection of child-friendly spooky tales & folk lore from around the world. From familiar stories like Baba Yaga to ones completely new to me (The Girl Who Turned to Stone), I loved each and every story in this book!

The content and length of these stories are completely appropriate for middle grade students. Most of the tales are about two pages long and artwork accompanies each one. The illustrations are gorgeously bright and creative. The layout is easy to read and visually appealing. This would be a great book to coax reluctant readers to enjoy a book, or for supplemental reading in a classroom setting. Or....just "for fun'' reading for anyone who enjoys folk lore or slightly scary stories! The stories are not graphic or overly frightening.....just lightly creepy/strange.

Angela McAllister has written two other story collections - A Year Full of Stories: 52 Classic Stories from Around the World and A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories, plus several other children's books. I'm definitely going to read more by this author! Madalina Andronic's illustrations are fabulous! Her art really made the stories pop out of the page! I hope to see more children's books featuring her art!

I love spooky tales, so I enjoyed this story collection! I'm already reading anything even slightly scary to prepare myself for Halloween -- my favorite holiday! :) Very enjoyable book!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Quarto Publishing Via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. **

Anthologies of folk tales with such global sweeps as this should be things to love, and this comes with a hearty dose of illustration, variety and nous from the compiler. And while there is eventually much to love about this book – not the least its truly global enthusiasm – it does stutter here and there. I didn't find too much at fault with the first couple, but a tale from Egypt regarding a graverobber was a little too bland, and that was nothing compared to Little Red Riding Hood, which bluntly as possible got to the gran's being eaten and nothing else. It was almost as if the designer had said "right, you've got one page and one page only, what are you going to do?" "Er… I've got half a story that might fit." Tam Lin, and a Nepalese mountain ogre, are almost as poor in their abrupt endings.

Still, as time went on with this book I have to say that such early blips were ironed out. Fun tricks played on Old Nick for the sake of some dancing shoes (and a soul as well as some soles), and even English stories I'd not read before, proved this book's worth. You get a siren song from the Brazilian jungle, a Chinese Rapunzel, and more you won't have had in your similar books as a child but will immediately engage with. You have to hope for a more consistent style in these volumes, however, for one bum note could send a child elsewhere, or scupper the adult reading aloud. It's all a matter of principle – such as not making a dog-snouted bunyip look like a sabre-toothed something on one page, and an owl on the other, and never at all canine. But while the author does hiccup when thrusting a whole story into a couple of paragraphs for her one-page efforts, it is if anything front-loaded with weaknesses and generally of a very high quality, and overall I certainly do wish it success.

Get a taste of the spooky stories from around the world in this delightful little book! It was a great little read, and my boys enjoyed the stories from all over the world that have been giving little kids chills for decades.

We enjoyed the read!

A lovely book filled with spooky unusual stories perfect for the run-up to Halloween. I love the drawings, very in keeping with the hard edges of the stories.

You might wonder why your child’s home, school, or public library needs another book of fairy tales and fables, a fair sentiment given the number of volumes on the subject. However, A World Full of Spooky Stories stands out for a few reasons. For me, illustrator Madalina Andronic, who has worked with Angela McAllister on other books, transforms this into a bona fide work of art. Her drawings are colorful, detailed, and amazing and do such an excellent job reflecting the essence of the narrative.

The book’s collection of spooky tales also will thrill young readers who will be frightened in what I think is a fun instead of haunting manner. The tales reflect their original, darker plots and include battles, cemeteries, and death, but these are much tamer than that found in most of today’s entertainment. A final praiseworthy attribute of the collection is the diversity of source material. While there are some traditional fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood, most of the stories are rarer and come from countries around the world. In “The Enchanted Apple Tree,” a story from France,” an old woman named Misery cheats death. Russia’s “Vasilissa the Beautiful” pits the kind daughter of a merchant against the feared Baba Yaga in her house set on chicken legs. The collection includes tales from Egypt, Brazil, Japan, Tibet, Iran, Greece, and more. Most of the stories emphasize honesty, kindness, and cleverness, giving rewards to those who embody those virtues and punishments to those who do not.

This beautiful volume will be a treasured book that guardians can share with their children and read over and over again finding new delights with each pass.

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

My two kids and I absolutely adore this book. It's the perfect mix of creepy & intriguing. .. I may buy this one in person for us!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

*thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and Angela McAllister for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. What a wonderful collection of 50 different stories from around the world. I don't think I would have classed quite a few of them as 'Spooky' stories, feven for middle grade readers, but I enjoyed them so much that I didn't mind. This collection has a few tales that I knew of, such as Hansel and Gretel, which was a nice touch to have that be the first story. It was well chosen. For the most part though, I hadn't heard of them.

So many short story collections come with a bunch of stories that I tend to not enjoy but I was pleasantly surprised by this lot as I didn't actually not like any of them. Yes some where better than others but I enjoyed them all.

One other reason why this isn't 5 stars is because I didn't love the illustrations. Yeah they were alright. They weren't bad but they just didn't really make me care for them all that much. But, they were ok.

This would be a great book to have around that you can just pick up and read from any page as the stories were mainly only a page or two long. I would definitely recommend this.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fantastic collection of creepy tales. I really enjoyed it and I think kids will too.

I think I kept forgetting that this book is for kids. So if I was a kid, I would've loved this book. I was quite the reader then. Still am. But I digress. Fun book to have for kids who like to shiver a little before bedtime.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories!! It was SOOO amazing! So many stories, from so many places with unique artwork! Simply must own this!

Things I love about this book: spooky stories, kid friendly, enough depth to captivate adults too, arranged by geography with cultural context, charming illustration, a mix of familiar characters and deep cuts.

This was an enjoyable collection of myths from around the world. Pretty much all myths are fairly spooky (eerie, grisly, terrible) at heart, so not many are ruled out from this collection. But there were quite a few I'd never read, and I enjoy that. I found the groupings not *quite* intuitive, but that's ok. The artwork was a perfect companion to the stories and I enjoyed it greatly.

Spooky tales to read and learn about from other countries and their culture in the world. I found the tales to be fantastic! Some of the tales I have never heard of or read before. There are ghosts or demons in the stories. While the tales can be spooky, I don’t think it will give young children fear that will turn into nightmares. Fairy tales can often be much more scared and horrific in comparison. It’s an excellent representation of stories with lovely illustrations. If you are looking for books that can scare you so that you have to sleep with a light on, this book is not for you. This book a sweet, gentle type of spooky tales that are fantastic!

A World Full of Spooky Stories does exactly what it says on the tin! Full of traditional spooky tales from a wide range of countries and communities around the world you really do find stories from each continent that have a bit of a spooky slant! I enjoyed reading each of the tales and learning a little of the oral tradition of different parts of the world. There were even stories from the UK that were completely new to me.

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting collection of spooky stories from around the world complemented by some lovely illustrations.

I'm not really sure if I'd call the stories 'spooky' as such but there are plenty of gruesome and gory tales which if kids are anything like I was as a child...they will love.

There was a good range of stories drawn from folklore and fairy tales from around the world which showcase some of the most well known of these cultural stories.

A World Full of Spooky Stories by Angela McAllister is a collection of twenty-four creepy legends and folktales from around the world. It is divided into several sections by theme- Into the Woods, Down by the Water, Enchanted Places, Strangers at the Door, In Farm and Field, Home of the Spirits, Upon the Ocean/Under the Sea, In Castle Hall Sorta… There were some, like Treasure Thief, that didn't seem to fit the theme. Many were familiar and some were new to me. Favourites among my cubs and I include: Grandfather's Eyes (Czechoslovakia), The Cold Lady (Japan), The Snake Prince (India), The Dance of Death (Native American), The Talking Skull (West Africa), The Clever Goldsmith (Syria), The Sea Goblins (New Zealand), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (England), and The Girl with the Stone Face (Chilé). While sometimes brutal, or creepy, none felt spooky to my cubs and I. It's definitely worth a place in a folktale collection!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Filled with gorgeous illustrations and stories from around the world, full of tricksters, devil, ghost, and other malevolent beings, this is a perfect collection to read during fall!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for A World Full of Spooky Stories – 50 Tales to Make Your Spine Tingle by Angela McAllister. This is a great collection of spooky stories and folk legends from around the world including England, Russia, Egypt, Sweden, and more. The stories are sorted by where they take place, for example: under the sea or in a castle. And there are several stories for each location. The stories range from well-known to me (Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rumpelstiltskin) to ones I have never heard before. Some of my new favorite spooky stories include: The Treasure Thief, The Snake Prince, The Enchanted Apple Tree,Counting Out the Bodies, and Amin and the Ghoul.

The stories are short and quick to read, only about two pages each. They are spooky, but not too scary. This is a great collection that can be read all at once or just one or a few at a time. I really liked the diversity of the stories and think this would be great for older kids looking for something spooky to read around Halloween.

An amazing collection of spooky stories from across the globe. I found many lost favourites and many new ones! This is a great book to share with children and adults. Loved it!

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

What a delightful collection of fun, spooky fairy tales. A great gift!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Devilishly delightful! Together Angela McAllister and illustrator Madalina Andronic have composed a colourful collection of spine-tingling, spooky traditional tales from around the world.

I never saw that I was approved for this title. Unfortunately, I did not get to review it. Thank you for the opportunity.

This book contains a variety of folk, fairy tales and cultural traditions from around the world. Honestly they are not really spooky, but I am reading this as an adult.
I would love to give this to my child. They could learn about a variety of cultures and enjoy things that are just a little spooky.
The art is really cute as well.

Awesome sauce spooky read for Halloween. Beautifully illustrated spooky stories from all around the world. This book is mesmerizing you will fall in love with illustrations and the stories. The perfect read for this fall. A fun read for kids and teens out there.

A short and illustrated book that keeps you interested. Pick up the book!

E-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Thank you, Publisher!