Stories For Nighttime And Some For The Day – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Stories For Nighttime And Some For The Day

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2011

92%

WISE Score

A collection of 40 surreal, bite-sized fables that feel like Grimm’s Fairy Tales dropped into a modern-day blender.

Stories For Nighttime And Some For The Day

book

2011

92%

WISE Score

A collection of 40 surreal, bite-sized fables that feel like Grimm’s Fairy Tales dropped into a modern-day blender.

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Screenwise Verdict

Ben Loory’s Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day is the antidote to the hyper-polished, predictable middle-grade fiction that dominates the shelves. It’s weird, it’s moody, and it’s brilliantly written. If you have a kid who feels 'over' traditional stories, this is the move.

Because the stories are so short, they are perfect for building the language comprehension side of literacy. You can read one in five minutes and spend ten minutes talking about what it actually meant. It’s a high-value, low-friction addition to a family bookshelf.

Age Fit

Best for ages 10 and up if reading solo, but it's a phenomenal read-aloud for kids as young as 8 who can handle a bit of 'weird and dark' energy. Adults will genuinely enjoy it too.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

These are fables in the truest sense—they deal with the heavy stuff like fear and desire, but through a lens of wonder rather than cynicism. It's emotionally honest without being gross.

Imaginative

This is a masterclass in 'what if.' Talking TVs, octopi in apartments, and logic-defying journeys. It pushes the boundaries of narrative structure in a way that’s totally accessible.

Safe

It's a book of short stories, so zero tech or social risks. Some stories contain 'dark and perilous' themes like death or isolation, but it’s handled with the distance of a fairy tale.

Enriching

Perfect for the 'Reading Rope' strands of language comprehension and verbal reasoning. The stories are short but pack immense metaphorical weight that invites deep thinking.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Perfect for short attention spans because most stories are only a few pages long, making them ideal 'one more' bedtime reads.
High-level literary quality that has been featured on This American Life and The New Yorker, so you aren't stuck reading 'junk food' prose.
Ignites creative writing by showing kids that stories don't have to follow a standard hero's journey template.
Builds empathy by exploring complex human emotions like fear and longing through weird, metaphorical characters.

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What to Watch For

The 'dark' label isn't a joke; some stories involve death or existential dread that might rattle very sensitive younger kids.
The surreal logic can be frustrating for kids who prefer literal, plot-driven action (e.g., a man just 'falls into a well' and that's the story).

Conversation Starters

"If your TV could sing to you, what kind of songs do you think it would choose?"
"Why do you think the author chose to make the characters animals instead of people in that story?"
"Which story felt the most like a dream you've actually had?"
"If you had to write a fable about a modern object—like a smartphone or a microwave—what would the 'lesson' be?"

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