Page 35 - Ziptales Program Manual - US

Scary Stories (Extending
Literacy 3-6)

I’m not Afraid: Johnny agrees to spend the night in a castle which is said to contain a terrible
monster. But Johnny is not afraid. Sure enough, the monster appears. (643 words) (Zip Stage 4)
(Flesch 2.5) (Lexile 150)

The Bogeyman: Tom is a bad boy. One night, the Bogeyman turns up and puts him in a bag.
Tom is about to be eaten, but manages to escape. This should teach him a lesson, but Tom
goes back to his bad ways. The monster captures him a second time. (738 words) (Zip Stage 4)
(Flesch 2.5) (Lexile 240)

A Monster at the Window: Kate is left on her own when her parents go out for the night. She
reads her little brother Tim a scary story about a monster. But the story puts Kate in a susceptible
mood. Soon she believes there is a monster at the window. What is it really? (370 words)
(Zip Stage 5) (Flesch 3.9) (Lexile 610)

A Ghost Story: Dolph accepts money to stay the night in a haunted house. Sure enough,
a ghost appears. However, it seems harmless and is eager to show him something important.
This is a wonderful story, with daring, treasure and a love story as well. (1362 words)
(Zip Stage 5) (Flesch 2.8) (Lexile 310)

In your Sleep: A scary yarn about spiders – who take their revenge! Beth is about to kill a spider
when her father stops her. He explains by telling her the chilling story of what happened when he
was a kid and the spiders taught him and his family a terrible lesson. (653 words) (Zip Stage 5)
(Flesch 3.0) (Lexile 370)

There’s a Train Coming!: A retelling of a true life train disaster. Two men were crossing a
railroad track when their truck became lodged. A train was approaching and the driver didn’t know
about the obstacle ahead. (900 words) (Zip Stage 5) (Flesch 3.4) (Lexile 370)

The Old House: Suzy is intrigued by an old house which is said to be haunted. She stays away,
until one day when her cat goes inside. Not wanting to seem frightened, she and her sister Linda
venture inside. Then Linda disappears! (546 words) (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch 4.0) (Lexile 480)

The Ghost Train: Katie and Jason go on the ghost train. There are various scary apparitions,
but then a strange boy joins them in the car. Who is he and why does he suddenly disappear?
(574 words) (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch 4.1) (Lexile 490)

Mad Tom: Ellie, Jess and Midge are staying the night in an old cowboy cabins. They begin to
tell ghost stories. One is about the resident ghost of the property, ‘Mad Tom’. Then the ghost
appears, in person! (1469 words) (Zip Stage 6) (Flesch 3.7) (Lexile 440)

The Graveyard Ghost: Three boys, Pete, Mike and Joey, take a short cut through the graveyard.
To their horror, they realise they are being followed. They run for their lives. What is it? (829
words) (Zip Stage 8) (Flesch 4.2) (Lexile 760)

The Hitchhiker: Jessica and her family pick up a strange girl. She says nothing – and then,
incredibly, disappears. Later the shocking truth is revealed. (502 words) (Zip Stage 8)
(Flesch 5.6) (Lexile 660)

The Toy Dragon: Bobby is a horrible child. One day, in a toy store, he insists on having a
toy dragon. The toy turns out to have an amazing secret, and Bobby gets his just deserts.
(1362 words) (Zip Stage 8) (Flesch 6.1) (Lexile 790)

At the end of every story are two interactive 33
comprehension tests, for immediate feedback.

Worksheets are available for every story.