Great Juvenile Spooky Reads

Selection of favorite spooky, paranormal books to send a shiver down your spine!

Updated June 10, 2025
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Took : a ghost story
Hahn, Mary Downing
Paper Book
Daniel doesn't believe the woods behind his new home are haunted by an evil witch and her terrifying beast. But then his little sister disappears . . . and it's up to him to find her. Mary Downing Hahn's popular page-turner will thrill readers who love spooky stories. They say that a ghost...
Ghosts beneath our feet
Wright, Betty Ren.
Paper Book
Katie believed that spending the summer in a quiet little town would be really cool. There'd be new kids to meet and lots of places to explore. But Katie's dream summer quickly turns into a nightmare. The quite little town is practically deserted, and the local kids don't seem too friendly.
Small spaces
Arden, Katherine
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. Now in paperback. After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in...
Wait till Helen comes : a ghost story
Hahn, Mary Downing.
Paper Book
Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a...
The ghost's grave
Kehret, Peg.
Paper Book
What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him--only then will he...
Scary stories to tell in the dark
Schwartz, Alvin
Paper Book
This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright. There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her...
Doll bones
Black, Holly.
Paper Book
Discover the Newbery Honor winner Doll Bones, from Holly Black, the cocreator of the Spiderwick Chronicles. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book. A School Library Journal Best Book. A Booklist Editor's Choice Books for Youth. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book. A...

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