Campfire Stories, Vol. 1: Things That Go Bunp in the Night

Should you need to pick between the available Scout campfire story books instead of buying them all, don't leave Dr. William Forgey's "CAMPFIRE STORIES: Things that Go Bump in the Night" off of your list. "Stories to be good have to be credible" is the advice Forgey gives, and it's the credibility factor that sets this collection apart. These tales sound so real your audience may not see them as fiction. Youths 11 to 15 years old, (the suggested age group) will believe them up to a point, and they will like them. Properly told, even an adult audience should find some meat this anthology. Although the book is marketed to Scout leaders in particular, these are not "Scout" stories for the most part. Your non-Scout youth group will like them. Besides the original stories created by the author, CAMPFIRE STORIES includes Forgey's masterful adaptations of uncommon vintage ghost stories penned by others, and even offers a true tale, "Death of an Old Lion" as told by Ernest Thompson Seton. Even a story by Mark Twain comes included. All of these stories are highly memorable, with entertaining, suspenseful plots. In "The Valley of the Blue Mist," Forgey shares his version of this old story, which is found elsewhere under other names, but his is the best version I've yet seen. Only two of the stories out of the twenty were a disappointment: "La Cucaracha Mine," a pointless, plotless hole, and "The Indian Chief's Wait," which you will soon figure out is that familiar joke story, "Falling Rocks" in a poorly disguised form. The 5 stars are for the other eighteen "must-have" stories. At least the storytelling advice given in this book is practical and useful. Forgey includes a sequentially-numbered plot outline at the conclusion of each story, which I don't find necessary, but I'm certain many will find these most helpful. This book is a bargain! -Byron C. Justice, author of Haunted Camps and Violent Night

A few years ago I read the first book by Dr. Forgey entitled Campfire Tales and just recently I read the second book of tales. Frankly, I absolutely loved both and I promise that if you enjoy a little good clean fun as much as I do you will feel the same way about this book as I do. There is something engaging, almost enchanting in a campfire that just naturally seems to make it the perfect setting for a scary story. The night air, sounds of animals, and aura of a good fire just invites one to reflect. Howver, I did have a problem in that as much as I love a good story I simply couldn't tell one to save my life, actually I still can't. Nonetheless, for those of you like myself this book is perfect! In the first part of this book one can find an EXCEEDINGLY helpful list of tips in giving a story that will be sure to entertain. One concern may be the inclusion of graphic violence found in some stories. First of all, I can assure you that these stories are quite tame compared to what is prevalent on television today and furthermore (and this should be emphasized) each story has an outline at the end providing the necessary details. In other words you can include or exclude material that you may view as offensive and thus give a great story while still being comfortable with the material. In conclusion, if you enjoy the outdoors and the atmosphere of a great campsite or just enjoy a good story you will love this book. This book will provide you with stories but more importantly it will help you have fun, which is what a camping trip is all about in the first place.

I consider myself kind of an old fashion person, I enjoy camping hiking and just enjoying the simple pleasures the world has to offer me and I believe nothing is better than sitting around a camp fire at night telling stories to your buddies, family, children, whoever and enjoying your surroundings...... or fear them, haha. well this book was the perfect tool for me to take advantage of, it is full of classic tales that can create fear, and make you laugh at the same time. It is the perfect side dish to smores and marshmallows, there is nothing that compares to good treats and good tales.... another review claimed this book to be filled with murder and unheard of acts and violence, I would like to point out that anyone who is over three years old and isn't afraid of winnie the pooh, would enjoy this book and consider it a valuable investment when planning their next trip to the deep dark woods.

This is an easy book to tell stories from. There is a good section at the begining of the book, giving tips on how to tell stories At the end of each story, there is a review of the story in point form so you don't have to read them to your audience. You can actually "tell" them the story. The stories are adaptable to many settings and I have used many of them around different campfires for youth aged 5 to 18. The stories also have endings that will not have younger youth having nightmares and having "accidents" in their sleeping bags. I highly recommend it for any story teller, scouter, guide leader etc.