Spooky Books for Kids

Updated October 17, 2023
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Leo : a ghost story
Barnett, Mac
Paper Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2015 You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can't even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo's efforts to welcome them are...
Poesy the monster slayer
Doctorow, Cory
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow and illustrator Matt Rockefeller present a sweetly scary picture book about a girl whose monster-catching activities delay her bedtime in Poesy the Monster Slayer. A monster slayer needs no bedtime!
Hardly haunted
Sima, Jessie
Paper Book
From the bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a delightfully spooky story about an old house who wants to be a home...even if her new family isn't what she expected. House has a problem. She's a little spooky. She's a little cobwebby. Oh, no! What if...
Poultrygeist
Geron, Eric
Paper Book
From a debut picture-book author and a #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator, a wry take on "Why did the chicken cross the road?" that gives a whole new meaning to "the Other Side." Cock-a-doodle-BOO! It's punny. It's spooky. It's a meta picture book that puts a fresh...
Bruce and the legend of Soggy Hollow
Higgins, Ryan T.
Paper Book
Bruce is a bear who does not like holidays, and he really doesn't like Halloween. His family of mice and geese decide the only way to get Bruce excited about Halloween is to tell a spooky story. But their campfire tale takes a turn when a ghostly visitor appears. Will Bruce get in the Halloween...
Scary stories for young foxes
Heidicker, Christian McKay
Paper Book
A 2020 Newbery Honor Recipient! "Heidicker has written the next Watership Down."--New York Times-bestselling author Jessica Day George "Into the finest tradition of storytelling steps Christian McKay Heidicker with these highly original, bone-chilling,...
There's a ghost in this house
Jeffers, Oliver
Paper Book
A captivating and utterly unique picture book with interactive, transparent pages about a girl who lives in a haunted house from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers. A young girl lives in a haunted house, but she has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are...
The monsters' monster
McDonnell, Patrick
Paper Book
A cheeky monster story with a Zen-themed twist about appreciating the small joys that life has to offer, from Caldecott Honor winner and MUTTS comic creator Patrick McDonnell. ★ "A frightfully amazing book to read." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review...
The dark
Snicket, Lemony.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller!   ★ "Snicket and Klassen present a picture book that tackles a basic childhood worry with suspense, a dash of humor, and a satisfying resolution."―School Library Journal, starred review ...
Every night at midnight
Cheong, Peter
Paper Book
A little lone werewolf prowls the nights on his own until he finds friendship in the most unexpected of places in this whimsical and tender picture book in the spirit of Julie Fogliano's My Best Friend. Every night at midnight, Felix turns into a wolf. His hands and feet...
The little old lady who was not afraid of anything
Williams, Linda
Paper Book
"A splendiferous Halloween story." --The Horn Book "A great purchase for Halloween or any time of year." --School Library Journal (starred review) Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the...
Creepy crayon!
Reynolds, Aaron
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times bestseller! From the team behind the New York Times bestselling Creepy Carrots! and Creepy Pair of Underwear! comes the third in this hilariously spooky series about a young rabbit and his peculiar encounters--featuring a...
Beneath the bed and other scary stories
Brallier, Max
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier's easy-to-read scary stories are perfect for beginning readers!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story format, and...
The doll in the hall and other scary stories
Brallier, Max
Paper Book
Beginning readers will love these spooky stories from New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read text, a short-story...
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...
More scary stories to tell in the dark
Schwartz, Alvin
Paper Book
All those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz's first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic.Is it possible to die -- and not know it? What if a person is buried too...
Scary stories 3 : more tales to chill your bones
Schwartz, Alvin
Paper Book
Storytellers know -- just as they have for hundreds and hundreds of years -- that everyone enjoys a good, scary story Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories 3 joins his other popular collections of scary folklore, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, to give...
Coraline
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring.... In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a...
The letter, the witch, and the ring
Bellairs, John.
Paper Book
John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude, and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday....
The ghost in the mirror
Bellairs, John.
Paper Book
In this spine-tingling chiller, Rose anticipates her summer trip with Mrs. Zimmermann will be a dangerous adventure, but suspects nothing when they drive through a tunnel into the snowbound winter of 1828. Mrs. Zimmermann has returned to the past to regain her magical powers, but she loses her...
John Bellairs's Lewis Barnavelt in The beast under the wizard's bridge
Strickland, Brad.
Paper Book
Lewis Barnavelt is back! And this time, our lovable underdog/hero has stumbled upon something more powerful than even his overactive imagination can dream up. A camping trip with his Scout troop leads Lewis straight to an old grave and a mysterious, magical whistle. When Lewis discovers that this...
Stay out of the basement
Stine, R. L.
Paper Book
This thriller series is especially designed to appeal to middle-grade readers. Margaret and Casey go down to their basement to peek at their father's new experiments, discover some very human-like plants, and realize that their father is starting to look more like a plant.
Bunnicula : a rabbit tale of mystery
Howe, Deborah.
Paper Book
THIS book is written by Harold. His full time occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. X (here called Monroe) and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell...
The dark-thirty : Southern tales of the supernatural
McKissack, Pat
Paper Book
With an extraordinary gift for suspense, McKissack brings us ten original, spine-tingling tales inspired by African American history and the mystery of that eerie half hour before nightfall-the dark-thirty.
Wait till Helen comes : a ghost story graphic novel
Hahn, Mary Downing
Paper Book
In this graphic novel adaptation of master horror storyteller Mary Downing Hahn's spookiest and most popular tale, two siblings must save their stepsister from the clutches of a vengeful ghost. When their mom remarries, Molly and her brother, Michael, try to make friends with...
A walk in the dark and other scary stories
Brallier, Max
Paper Book
Jump into these spine-chilling stories from New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier, perfect for beginning readers! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early reader line, Acorn, aimed at children who are learning to read. With easy-to-read...
More bones : scary stories from around the world
Olson, Arielle North.
Paper Book
Ready for scary?! Shhh! Have you heard about the man who marries . . . a corpse?! Or what about the magic school where one student in every class is never allowed to leave? Or the beautiful red-haired maiden whose hair is actually serpents? Many of these tales go back hundreds of years and...
Deep and dark and dangerous
Hahn, Mary Downing.
Paper Book
Just before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie. But who's the third person, the one who's been torn out of the picture? Ali figures she'll find out while she's vacationing in...
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. After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a...

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