Halloween Picks
There is something about fall that makes kids and parents alike want to curl up and read, but when Halloween approaches it's great to get a little scary or creepy with your tales.
So curl up together under a blanket, read something a little haunted. And maybe bring a flashlight. 👻
Middle Grade Novels
Ages: 8 - 12
From the publisher: Perfect for fans of Small Spaces and Nightbooks, Ally Malinenko’s middle-grade debut is an empowering and triumphant ghost story—with spooky twists sure to give readers a few good goosebumps!
Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.
It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.
When she tells her classmates, only her best friend, Elijah, believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.
But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.
To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.
Mine by Delilah S. Dawson
Ages: 8 - 12
From the publisher: A twisty, terrifying ghost story about twelve-year-old Lily, her creepy new home in Florida, and the territorial ghost of the young girl who lived there before her.
Ages: 10 - 14
A book for middle school students, 5th grade to 9th grade
A story with a strong female protagonist that explores bravery, friendship, and family
Mystery books for kids 9-12
Chilling ghost stories and ghost books for kids (perfect for Halloween!)
Poppy Sunshine isn’t like everyone else in Strange Hollow. She’s not afraid of the Grimwood, home to magical creatures like shape-shifters, fairies, witches, and even a three-headed dog.
Banned from the wood by her parents, Poppy longs to learn everything about it and imagines joining her mother and father as they hunt the forest’s cursed magical objects. So when her only family disappears on a routine expedition, she and her friends must break every rule to save them. But Poppy soon discovers that things in the Grimwood are rarely what they seem...
And the monsters who took her parents may not be monsters at all.
Thirteen-year-old Molly doesn't know how she got the short end of the stick—being raised by her neglectful father—while Dustin, the older brother she's never met, got their mother and the keys to the family estate. But now the siblings are both orphaned, she's come home for her inheritance, and if Dustin won't welcome her into the family business, then she'll happily take her half in cash.
There's just one problem: the family business is a mortuary for monsters, and Molly's not sure she's ready to deal with mysterious doors, talking wolves, a rogue devourer of magic, and a secret cemetery. It's going to take all of Dustin's stuffy supernatural knowledge and Molly's most heroic cosplay (plus a little help from non-human friends) for the siblings to figure it out and save the day…if only they can get along for five minutes.
Bestselling author Chuck Wendig's middle grade debut is equal parts spooky, funny, and heartfelt—perfect for Halloween and year-round reading!
Ages: 8 - 12
To the human residents of Rookhaven Village, the family is a threat. So long ago, a treaty was reached between them—in return for sundries and supplies, the monsters won’t eat the townspeople—and an invisible glamour was set around the perimeter of the Manor to keep strangers out.
But the glamour serves a second purpose: to keep Mirabelle and her family hidden from those who would do them harm. When two orphans—siblings Jem and Tom—stumble upon a tear in the magical field and open a door that was meant to stay locked, Mirabelle and her family are put in grave danger. A very real monster has locked onto their scent, and he has a hunger for their kind.
At turns chilling and thought-provoking, and stunningly illustrated by Edward Bettison, Pádraig Kenny’s The Monsters of Rookhaven explores difference and empathy through the eyes of characters you won’t soon forget.Early Chapter Books
From the publisher: From the author of Junior Monster Scouts comes new spooky and silly series perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. In this first book, things get hairy for two fifth graders who take on a haunted mustache!
Wolver Hollow is not a normal town. The adults are too busy shuffling off to work at the old coffin factory to notice or care, but the kids know all about monsters, ghosts, and strange lights in the sky. Strange things happen in Wolver Hollow. Creepy things.
But fifth graders Parker and Lucas are determined to debunk one of Wolver Hollow’s legends: Over a hundred years ago, Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an unfortunate accident and all that remained was his magnificent mustache. People say it returns every year, on the anniversary of Bockius’s death, seeking a lip to claim as its own! When the boys try to prove the story is fake, the find more than they bargained for.
Fangs for Having Us! by Nancy Krulik
(Ms. Frogbottom's Field Trips #3)
Ms. Frogbottom’s class is on a field trip to Romania where a visit to Dracula’s castle brings them face to fang with vampires, garlic, bats, and—yikes!—could it be the legendary count himself?Bestselling and beloved author Nancy Krulik ingeniously approaches geography in a new way, as the kids learn about the places they visit while fighting, fleeing, or in some cases rescuing monsters.
Sleepover at the Haunted Museum by Debbie Dadey
Illustrated by Tatevik Avakyan
(Mermaid Tales #21)
Ages: 6 - 9
It’s almost Shelly’s birthday! She can’t wait to have her friends over and eat her grandfather’s homemade pizza. But when Pearl gets involved in the party planning, the ideas get out of hand. Soon Shelly’s small sleepover turns into an overnight extravaganza at the People Museum, complete with a scavenger hunt and scary stories!
Shelly’s not so sure about spending the night in the museum with its dark spaces and creaking exhibits. But when the day arrives, everything goes swimmingly—that is, until strange, glowing lights start to appear. Could the People Museum be haunted? Or is something fishy going on?
Graphic Novels
Ages: 11 - 14
From the publisher: After sneaking out against her mother's wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf--then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything--including the story of Artie's late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends.
Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents' past, she'll find that wolves aren't the scariest thing in the woods--vampires are.
In this deliciously humorous, cozy, and bewitching graphic novel, sometimes the most of powerful magic comes from our connections to family and friends (but kicking bunny butt is great, too).
Dragoslava is a vampire kid. And that’s not even the worst part. A few centuries ago, Drago was cursed by a witch, and now they must complete every task the witch gives them, or they will be turned into worms.
When the witch tells Drago to bring her a spellbook from Baneberry Falls, they set off with their immortal friends, Eztli and Quintus. But mysteries await in this sleepy midwestern town. Are the keepers of the spellbook, Sara, a vampire, and Ayesha, a witch, as friendly as they seem? Or do they have a hidden agenda, like everyone else Drago has ever known?
One thing’s for sure: after this accursed mission, Drago’s immortal life will never be the same again!
In her debut graphic novel, Madeline McGrane tells a charming and compelling story about the worst vampires who finally have the chance to do something good.
Illustrated by Christopher J. Baldwin (Illustrator)
One dark and stormy night, Haley sees a stranger drowning in the river. Since her greatest passion is Gothic romance novels, she knows her moment has come. But when Haley leaps into the water to rescue the stranger, she awakens in Willowweep. It certainly looks like the setting of one of her favorite books: A stately manor. A sinister housekeeper. Three brooding brothers. There’s even a ghost.
Except Willowweep is not what it seems. Its romantic exterior hides the workings of a pocket universe—the only protection our world has against a great force of penultimate evil, and its defenses are crumbling. Could cruel fate make Haley the heroine that Willowweep needs?
Picture Books
Samantha Berger's beloved "crankster" character confronts all the wicked tricks and treats of Halloween in this bucket full of laughs, illustrated by bestselling, award-winning artist Dan Santat
No chickens were harmed in the making of this book.
Illustrated by Pete Oswald
Find out in this hilarious, charming, and thought-provoking continuation of Jory John and Pete Oswald’s bestselling series.
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