Strangely Enough

As so many other Amazon reviewers noted, I read this book in the late 1960's when I was in grade school (the SBS edition had an eye on the cover against a desert, kind of green in color). I bought my copy from the wonderful Scholastic Book Services catalogs that we got in class then (I was buying books at a rate of 9 per order in those days--that would be fall of 1968, when I was in 3rd grade). I found all the little vignettes creepy, even the humorous ones. My most beloved were the stories about eerie paintings, lost treasures, the haunted sentrybox of San Cristobal...you get the drift. Perhaps one story above all others haunted my dreams, and that was the woman in the lonely farmhouse who heard a persistent whistle and let her dog check it out...even the drawing that went with the story sticks in my mind, because somehow in its very simplicity, it seemed to capture that spooky alone-ness that I associate not only with the book, but with all truly Twilight-Zone-ish things in life (although, if I were to compare this book with a TV show, it would more accurately be "One Step Beyond"). Anyway, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone (but I suspect the only people who will read my review are those who are already fans...and to THOSE people, I recommend the Fortean Times magazine!) I'm going to buy a copy for my 18-month-old daughter as soon as she is old enough to appreciate it (3rd grade?).