I love scary books.
I love things that go bump in the night, old houses that creak, and mysterious doors to nowhere. I adore witches, from the historical (like the kind in The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff) to the fictional (A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman get me every time). So of course, I love, love, love October, when it feels like the whole world is right there with me; where spookiness lurks around every corner.
Here are some of my favorite books to (re)read this month:
- The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
- The Diviners by Libba Bray
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
- Amity by Micol Ostow
- The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
- The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
I've been reading themed books to my toddler this month, too, like Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton and Where is Baby's Pumpkin? by Karen Katz. I don't think she quite gets all the fuss (she's not even two years old, after all) but if you're a parent, you know just how important it is for the adults in the room to mix up your kid's reading repertoire!
I asked the other bloggers for their favorite scary books:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz: For obvious reasons, several people jumped at the chance to recommend this book! It was "a big hit to terrify your friends at a sleepover," Mike noted.
Goosebumps by R.L. Stine: We can't talk about Halloween without talking about the master of fright himself! "I think the Goosebumps are my favorite scary books because I read them with my older brother, which always made them a little less frightening for me," Alex explained.
The entire Stephen King oeuvre: Forget spooky. If you want horror, this is the guy. "Terrifying," Brittany said.
Whatever your October reading turns out to be, I hope it gets you in the Halloween spirit! Check out some of Scholastic's newest Halloween-themed books for all ages.
