What's the best part of Halloween? For us, it's curling up with pumpkin- and ghost-filled books! We rounded up some spooky, sinister and supernatural tales that are guaranteed to get you and your young reader in the Halloween spirit!
For young readers:
Mary McScary by R.L. Stine, illustrated by Marc Brown
Meet Mary McScary. Mary likes to be scary. She scares her mom, her dad, her pets, and even a balloon! Butthere's just one person Mary can't scare—her cousin, Harry McScary. He's not afraid of the usual things like spiders, snakes, and other creepy crawlies. But Mary doesn't give up that easily, and one way or another she'll find a way to give Harry the scare of his life. . . Beware of Mary McScary!
- Clifford's Halloween by Norman Bridwell
Emily, Elizabeth, and Clifford are ready for the spookiest day of the year! They make the most of their Halloween: bobbing for apples, listening to ghost stories, and trick-or-treating. But when it’s time to dress up, there are too many costumes to choose from! Zebra, witch, knight—what should Clifford be?
- Superbat by Matt Carr
Pat is an ordinary bat who wants nothing more than to be special. But when he proclaims himself a superbat, the other bats laugh and say that anything he can do, like fly and navigate through the dark, they can do too. Disheartened that his friends have the same superpowers as him, Pat is ready to rip off his cape and throw it away when suddenly his supersonic hearing picks up a terrified cry. A cat has trapped a poor mouse! Without a second thought, Pat quickly flies across the city using his echolocation and saves the mouse from the big, bad cat. His friends, who followed to watch, realize that Pat does have an amazing superpower: courage!
- Five Little Pumpkins: A Finger and Toes Nursery Rhyme Book by Natalie Marshall
Fall is in the air with this delightful twist on a pumpkin nursery rhyme just right for our Fingers & Toes collection! With bold, bright colors, picture guides to help act out the songs, and tabs throughout, this novelty board book encourages parent-child interaction while helping with dexterity, counting, and other preschool-readiness skills. - There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro, illustrated by Jared Lee
What won't this old lady swallow? This time around, a bat, an owl, a cat, a ghost, a goblin, some bones, and a wizard are all on the menu! This Halloween-themed twist on the classic "little old lady" books will delight and entertain all brave readers who dare to read it!
For middle grade readers:
Goosebumps Slappyworld series by R.L. Stine
A brand-new Goosebumps arc narrated by the most iconic and evil character of the series, Slappy! The evil dummy comes to life to tell his own twisted tales and scary stories!
- The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol
Arianwyn has flunked her witch’s assessment: She’s doomed. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lully in disgrace, she may never become a real witch—much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.
But remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps through the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her. - Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales by Kiersten White
Once upon a time, a bunch of fairy tales got twisted around to be completely hilarious, a tiny bit icky, and delightfully spooky scarytales... in other words, exactly what fairy tales were meant to be. Grab some flaming torches, maybe don’t accept that bowl of pease porridge, and get ready for a wickedly fun ride with acclaimed author Kiersten White and fairy tales like you’ve never heard them before.
- Graveyard Shakes by Laura Terry
Katia and Victoria are sisters and scholarship students at a private boarding school. While Victoria tries to fit in, Katia is unapologetic about her quirks, even though their classmates tease her. After a big fight, Katia runs away from school. And when Victoria goes looking for her, she accidentally tumbles into the underworld of a nearby graveyard. It is inhabited by ghosts, ghouls, and a man named Nikola, who is preparing a sinister spell that’s missing one key ingredient.
- Shadow House Book 3: No Way Out by Dan Poblocki
The third installment in the exciting Shadow House series that invites you to step inside the ghost story!
Poppy, Dash, Azumi, and Dylan may have made it out of Shadow House—but the grounds are a whole new nightmare. Someone they thought was a friend is hunting them, and there’s no place that's safe now that they’ve woken the shadow creature. If they want to survive, they'll have to figure out once and for all what the house wants from them, and what-or who-they’ll need to leave behind in order to escape… or risk being trapped within Shadow House forever. - The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
In thirteen year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while all boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares to cross these lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted… and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it may be.
When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help—as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family… and be truly himself.
For young adults:
Five Nights at Freddy's Book 2: The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-WrisleyIt’s been a year since the horrific events at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, and Charlie is just trying to move on. Even with the excitement of a new school and a fresh start, she’s still haunted by nightmares of a masked murderer and four gruesome animatronic puppets. Charlie thinks her ordeal is over, but when a series of bodies are discovered near her school bearing wounds that are disturbingly familiar she finds herself drawn back into the world of her father’s frightening creations. Something twisted is hunting Charlie, and this time if it finds her, it’s not letting her go.
- The Wrong Train by Jeremy De Quidt
Light the candles and shut the door, The Wrong Train is a deliciously creepy and scarily good collection of scary stories, complete with terrifying illustrations from Dave Shelton. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, R.L. Stine, and Emily Carroll.
