"Who Stole Halloween?" Gory and Twisted?

One of my most popular books, thanks in part to the astute librarians of Texas who chose it for the Bluebonnet master list, is "Who Stole Halloween?"

But a mom writing on Amazon calls it "too twisted and gory" for her young child. Shoot -- maybe she's right?

First, I have to salute this mom. It's great that she has so much faith in the power of words.

On reflection, though, I don't think she needs to worry. Personally, I would rather endure an anesthesia-free root canal than sit through "Nightmare on Elm Street."

But as a child I loved scary ghost stories (remember the one about the man with the hook and the kids in the parked car?), Edgar Allen Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft. I think the difference between screen and story is that a story is empowering: It lets the listener/reader make so many choices about how a scene should be experienced, that he (or she) also gets to choose how scared to be. (New meaning to "Choose Your Own Nightmare.")

Likewise, has this mom ever taken a look at Snow White, as written down by the Brothers Grimm? With its stag entrails and wicked queen dancing to her death in fiery shoes? Somehow all those generations of kids survived.

Indeed, "Who Stole Halloween?" is pretty mild by comparison. The ghost story is told to kid sleuths Alex and Yasmeen over cocoa by their neighbor Mr. Stone. While the kids later learn new details, they never experience violence directly. It's always offstage and in the distant past.

But what do you think? How do scary stories affect readers and listeners? What about scary movies? Click on the "Notes" tab to let me know your thoughts.