“Kids love getting scared,” said Anna Bloom, senior editor at Scholastic, in a recent interview with PW about the rise of horror fiction for young readers. “[It’s] one of those evergreen categories because it feels exciting and even a little bit dangerous to directly confront the things that scare us,” she added. As Halloween approaches, we’ve gathered a selection of eerie titles for kids and teens of all ages, including cute yet creepy picture books, haunting middle-grade mysteries, YA tales of terror, and much more.
Picture Books and Board Books
Alphabeasts: A Monstrously Fun Book
Hazel Quintanilla. Flowerpot, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4867-2781-0. Ages 4–7. The Monsterlovers—a crew of smiling kids who carry folders, cameras, and walkie-talkies—introduce brief profiles of 26 mythical creatures, as compiled by the “international organization in charge of researching and protecting monsters from around the world.” Each critter’s lighthearted dossier includes a physical description and location, an interesting fact, and a danger level, as well as distinguishing traits.
Judith Valdés B., illus. by Carlos Vélez Aguilera. Little Bee, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-499-81387-6. Ages 4–8. When beloved dog Perro dies suddenly, the event hits young Benito hard. But Mamá and Papá encourage him to take part in the rituals of the upcoming Día de Muertos, including collecting marigolds for the family ofrenda. In celebrating the holiday, Benito begins to find peace.
Jeffrey Burton, illus. by Lydia Jean. Little Simon, $7.99 (22p) ISBN 978-1-66593-632-3. All ages. Thick-lined cartoon apples and pumpkins debate which best represents autumn in Burton and Jean’s seasonal tour. Further campaigning takes similar forms, with the opponents comparing their roles as comestibles, sweet sayings, and resemblance to changing leaf colors.
Benita and the Night Creatures
Mariana Llanos, illus. by Cocoretto. Barefoot, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 979-8-88859-002-7; $9.99 paper ISBN 979-8-88859-003-4. Ages 4–9. Figures of Peruvian folklore cannot tear Benita, a pigtailed, bespectacled child, away from a book in this humorous tale. Illustrating duo Cocoretto put their bold stamp on creatures of lore, while play-by-play text from Llanos establishes the child’s single-minded pursuit of reading and the beasts’ comic surprise.
Vicky Fang, illus. by Saoirse Lou. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $12.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-72826-456-1. Ages 3–8. There’s something strange in the neighborhood on Halloween, and readers know who they’re gonna call in Fang’s rhyming interactive romp. Touching an illustrated button that reads “Quick, PRESS HERE,” the audience helps to summon the Boo Crew—ghost Luna, skeleton Bones, and vampire Fang—which solicits assistance to put things right.
Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow
Ryan T. Higgins. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-368-05958-9. Ages 3–5. In this holiday-themed addition to the Mother Bruce series, the grumpy bear’s family of mice and geese decides the only way to get Bruce excited about Halloween is to tell a scary story.
Dori Elys, illus. by Alicia Màs. Little Simon, $8.99 (14p) ISBN 978-1-665-93942-3. All ages. Latinx-cued characters invite readers to celebrate Día de Muertos in Elys’s lift-the-flap board book, educating readers on what the holiday means and how to celebrate it.
Día de Muertos: Números: A Day of the Dead Counting Book
Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams Appleseed, $15.99 (24p) ISBN 978-1-419-76446-2. Ages 3–5. An array of figures, portrayed with various abilities and skin tones, make additions that culminate in a bountiful altar full of food and drink, marigolds, and sugar skulls, among other items for a Día de Muertos ofrenda.
Frances Cha, illus. by Jaime Kim. Crown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5934-8021-2. Ages 3–7. At 601 years old, goblin twins Doki and Kebi couldn’t be more different. Learning that the abandoned house they live in will soon be demolished, the twins head for a place where people visit haunted houses desiring to be frightened—and land in New York City.
The Great Zombie Pumpkin Parade!
Robert Burleigh, illus. by Wendell Minor. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-33197-5. Ages 4–8. Collaborators Burleigh and Minor present a parade of comically ugly, jack-o’-lantern-headed zombies. As the characters march across the autumn countryside, the text asks readers to weigh in: “Who’s the scariest?/ Creep and crawl!/ Who’s the strangest/ of them all?”
Halloween Cuties (Piggyback Pals #1)
Joyce Wan. Cartwheel, $8.99 (10p) ISBN 978-1-338-89189-8. Ages up to 3. Several creatures, from a pumpkin to a bat to a spider, search for their friends to enjoy Halloween festivities.
Katie Vernon. Little Simon, $7.99 (30p) ISBN 978-1-66593-060-4. Ages 1–5. A Halloween-loving hot dog dons a number of costumes ranging from “hairless” earthworm to “hairy” Sasquatch in search of the perfect outfit.
If Animals Trick-Or-Treated
Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by David Walker. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $8.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-374-39009-9. Ages up to 3. The popular Animals Kissed Good Night series, with more than two million copies in print, continues with this Halloween board book.
Kate Hoefler, illus. by Corinna Luyken. Knopf, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-37283-8. Ages 3–7. In this perspective-oriented picture book that’s printed to flip vertically, the creators explore a community divided between a group dwelling in the woods and those who suspect they are witches.
It’s Fall! (Celebrate the Seasons #1)
Renée Kurilla. Little, Brown, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-36399-0. Ages 4–8. A teacher’s prompt provides the narrative frame (“In class, our teacher asks to hear/ what things we love this time of year”), in response to which children of varying abilities and skin tones cite a range of emblematic pleasures. These include “fuzzy socks and/ cozy clothes.// A scarf around/ my chilly nose,” a pumpkin patch and a corn maze, candy buckets for trick-or-treating, “honking geese,” and watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV.
Dan Misdea. Penguin Workshop, $8.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5935-2162-5. Ages 3–7. In paneled vignettes, a little humanoid figure with a round jack-o’-lantern head depends on a beloved purple stuffed mouse to ward off the frightening dreamlike figures that seem suspended over the bed after lights-out. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lila and the Jack-o’-Lantern: Halloween Comes to America
Nancy Churnin, illus. by Anneli Bray. Albert Whitman, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8075-6663-3. Ages 4–8. Lila and her siblings emigrate to the U.S. to escape the Potato Famine. Upon arrival, homesickness sets in, but Ma reassures: “Soon it will be Halloween.” Lila encounters a new friend at the market, as well as pumpkins, and a gourd proves to be an ideal replacement for the turnips carved back home to scare off spirit Jack on Halloween.
Franz Hohler, illus. by Werner Maurer. NorthSouth, $19.95 (48p) ISBN 978-0-7358-4509-1. Ages 4–8. Father Ghost and Mother Ghost, though tired of haunting a castle in Scotland, do their best to school Little Ghost in frightening the castle’s human hosts. But when Little Ghost’s attempts elicit affection rather than fear, her parents send her to take lessons from the “weirdest, scariest ghost in all Scotland.”
Melvina Whitmoore (More or Less a Horror Story)
Faith Capalia. HarperCollins, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-324782-6. Ages 4–8. Melvina hopes to find refuge from all things scary in a spiffy new house. But the first night of settling in doesn’t go as planned: Melvina discovers that the monstrous figures who chase her through the hallways—some wearing party hats—merely want to welcome her.
Diane Muldrow, illus. by Tiffany Chen. Astra, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66260-200-9. Ages 3–7. The kitties form a quiet-footed fleet that’s out to scare trick-or-treaters “with /a / yowl!” Meanwhile a kitten that is frightened by the commotion awaits its mother before a fuzzy reunion.
The Monster Mac and Cheese Party
Todd Parr. Little, Brown, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-37642-6. Ages 4–8. The menu (cheesy mac) and guest list (“NO HUMANS! OR ELSE!”) are set for a monsters-only bash, and Parr introduces a cheery, Halloween-flavored cast of revelers for the occasion.
Marie-Hélène Versini, illus. by Vincent Boudgourd. Boxer, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-914912-73-3. Ages 3–6. Adding to the titular pronouncement, Versini supplies a quirky catalog of human behaviors, listing a number of things that monsters don’t do.
Betina Birkjær, trans. from the Danish by Katrine Øgaard Jensen and Orien Longo, illus. by Zarah Juul. Transit, $18.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-945492-74-7. Ages 3–8. A child in a horned cap narrates, describing how the hat’s “long ears” help them detect a monster’s quiet sounds. Despite their mother not believing them, the child remains alert, and begins scheming to vanquish the creature.
Ben Franchi, illus. by Cheyenne Bigham. Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-61254-565-3. Ages 5–10. When shy green-eyed cat Obscura’s owners head to their office on the top floor, the “ancient new house” that Obscura now calls home reveals the presence of “ghouls, freaks, and creeps of all kinds.”
Susan Meissner, illus. by Pablo Pino. Tommy Nelson, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4002-4338-9. Ages 4–8. Voracious animals chow down throughout this account of an autumnal highlight: a zoo’s post-Halloween pumpkin day.
Xelena González, illus. by Adriana M. Garcia. Simon & Schuster, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-534-49963-8. Ages 4–8. Following the death of family dog Simon, a Latinx-cued child readies for Día de Muertos to celebrate the beloved pet’s life. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rhode Montijo. Little, Brown, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-46493-2. Ages 4–8. Set in a Día de Muertos–inspired world and using only two words—Sí and No—this playful book from Montijo uses the concept of opposites to explore social dynamics.
Barbara Joosse, illus. by Kevin M. Barry. Sleeping Bear, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5341-1272-8. Ages 6–7. Tucked into bed on a wintry night, a child hears frightening noises outside. Once the child grabs “Papa,/ goggles,/ shield,/ and sword,” the duo look out the window. The eerie noises emanating from what first appear to be fantastically fearsome creatures actually come from “helping monsters” that keep the city safely humming.
A Super Scary Narwhalloween
Ben Clanton. Tundra, $12.99 (76p) ISBN 978-0-7352-6674-2. Ages 6–9. In the eighth installment in the Narwhal and Jelly series, anxious Jelly just wants to hide on Halloween. But when a monster swallows up his best friend Narwhal, he learns to be brave.
Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire
Flavia Z. Drago. Candlewick, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3332-2. Ages 3–7. The latest in The World of Gustavo series follows Vlad, a posy-cheeked vampire, who learns to love his cheeks that make him stand out among his vampire peers.
Rob Ramsden. Scallywag, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-912650-38-5. Ages 2–5. Starting with a packet of seeds, a child usually sporting overalls and a child generally clad in stripes attend a resultant plant across spring, summer, and fall. The children cheer while pollinators, raindrops, and rays of sun work their unhurried magic on the would-be squash.
The Wheels on the Costume
Cindy Jin, illus. by Lauren Lowen. Little Simon, $8.99 (12p). Ages 1–5. A child is excited for all the ways she can transform her wheelchair into a costume for Halloween.
Why Did the Monster Cross the Road?
R.L. Stine, illus. by Marc Brown. Orchard, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-3388-1525-2. Ages 4–8. Monster Hunny is feeling “sad and grumpy,” so a bigger monster, Funny, launches into a barrage of jokes, each one enacted in a vignette. See our In Conversation with collaborators Stine and Brown.
Ashley Belote. Random House, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5935-6963-4. Ages 3–7. When the pet shop runs out of black cats, Wilma, a pigtailed young witch, is stuck with a wombat, which causes her to stick out like a sore thumb among her witchy peers.
You’re My Little Baby Boo
Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin, $9.99 (18p) ISBN 978-1-66720-326-3. The latest in the You’re My Little series follows Halloween-themed characters sharing their love for a parent.
Novels and Graphic Novels
Alex Wise vs. the End of the World
Terry J. Benton-Walker. Labyrinth Road, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-593-56429-5. Ages 8–12. Twelve-year-old Alex Wise’s summer is off to a rough start when he takes a cruise with his family, including his estranged father. To make matters worse, his sister is kidnapped and possessed by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and it’s up to Alex to save her. See our Flying Starts interview with Benton-Walker.
Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters
Emi Pinto. HarperCollins, $19.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-327572-0. Ages 8–12. In this “Hansel and Gretel”–inspired ghost story, while vacationing with her family, 12-year-old Binita Bakshi discovers a magical house across the lake where she can be “the version of yourself you want to be.” But as her vacation becomes plagued by unsettling happenings, Bee endeavors to unravel the mystery behind the rumored Gingerbread Witch who lives near the lake.
Celia Krampien. Atheneum, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-66591-250-1. Ages 8–12. On Halloween in 1982, sixth grader Abigail Snook vanished from the Bellwoods while playing a game with a bully. As October 31 approaches in present-day Fall Hollow, the sixth graders of Beckett Elementary, including horror fan Bailee Heron, are preoccupied with that legend, which annually lures a group of classmates into the forest to play the Bellwoods Game.
Confessions of a Candy Snatcher
Phoebe Sinclair, illus. by Theodore Taylor III. Candlewick, $18.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1368-3. Ages 10–14. Jonas and his friends have a holiday tradition of hustling younger kids out of their candy. But after something goes wrong on Halloween, Jonas begins receiving cryptic anonymous notes and searches for the perpetrator, while his everyday life unravels around him.
The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby
G.Z. Schmidt. Holiday House, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5073-2. Ages 8–12. In the remote European town of Nevermore, a child disappears each year around All Hallows’ Eve—most notably the mayor’s daughter, who vanished 13 years ago. In the present day, six unexpected invitations to the alleged perpetrator’s mansion bid guests to return for an October 31 gathering, and when the manor doors lock until midnight, the caper becomes a mystery meant to root out those responsible for the event. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Curse of the Eelgrass Bog
Mary Averling. Razorbill, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-62490-6. Ages 8–12. Kess Pedrock’s new friend Lilou needs her help unraveling a mystery that takes them to the creepiest part of their town, the Eelgrass Bog, known for being filled with creepy creatures with sinister intentions.
Angela Cervantes. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-338-81401-9. Ages 8–12. Mexican American 11-year-old Rafael Fuentes is warned by his neighbor about telling scary stories during the blood moon lest he awaken a restless spirit, but ignores her advice. After regaling his friends with his most terrifying yarn yet, about a specter that lures kids to their deaths in the local pond, strange things start happening.
Ethan M. Aldridge. Quill Tree, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-0632-8316-9. Ages 8–12. Nonbinary amateur inventor Guinevere “Nev” Tallow takes their curious invitation to Deephaven Academy as a chance to start over. Upon arrival at the secluded New England school, they quickly realize that the institution is hiding something—and so are some of its students.
Kate Alice Marshall. Viking, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-593-52645-3. Ages 8–12. Though her adoptive siblings are a ghost, a boy with telekinesis, and a Deaf werewolf, 12-year-old Charlie Greer—the biological daughter of renowned paranormal investigators—exhibits no unique abilities of her own. Charlie is uneasy around the Weaver family, a smiley couple and their son who move to the neighborhood, but when no one shares her distrust of the newcomers, Charlie begins to suspect that mind-control may be at play and engages in increasingly risky espionage.
Ciera Burch. McElderry, $17.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-665930-54-3. Ages 8–12. When Micah discovers her grandfather’s connection to a mysterious house in their neighborhood, and he disappears, Micah pays a visit and becomes trapped in an ever-shifting realm with ties to the past.
Greg Van Eekhout. HarperCollins, $19.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-06-325333-9. Ages 8–12. The ghosts of four middle schoolers killed in a science lab explosion are haunting their school’s theater and engaging in heists of supernatural goods. When a ghost hunter comes looking for them, they learn that a wealthy necromancer is seeking ghosts, and possesses a device that can take—and restore—lives.
Goosebumps House of Shivers: Scariest. Book. Ever.
R.L. Stine. Scholastic, $7.99 (160p). Ages 8–12. The legendary horror writer introduces a new gaggle of villains and monsters in his new series.
Grumbones
Jenn Bennett. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-66593-031-4. Ages 8–12. Helena Novak’s search for her grandmother’s ghost brings her to a crypt in the cemetery that leads directly to the underworld. Helena is determined to find her grandmother without getting caught by the Nightmare, who will keep her trapped there forever.
Moss Lawton. Razorbill, $22.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-5935-2429-9; $13.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-52428-2. Ages 10–14. Teenage human witch-in-training Gwen—who lives in the mortal world and must hide her powers—receives a grimoire that she and her friends hope will allow for easier year-round travel between realms.
Miranda Sun. HarperTeen, $19.99 (386p) ISBN 978-0-06-325276-9. Ages 13 and up. Chinese American Cara Tang is a ghost speaker who discovers the ghost and body of her classmate Zach. When Zach becomes trapped between life and death, with only seven days to find an antidote to resurrect him, Cara agrees to help, sending the two on a mission to a liminal world.
International House of Dereliction
Jacqueline Davies. Clarion, $18.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-06-325807-5. Ages 8–12. Alice Cannoli-Potchnik and her parents move into a run-down house, and while visiting the abandoned house next door, Alice finds herself in the company of several ghosts, all with unfinished business preventing them from passing on. The book received a starred review from PW.
Lindsay Currie. Sourcebooks, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-72825-949-9. Ages 8–13. Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods follows her older brother Den out to the cemetery to watch a game of hide-and-seek with Den’s friends. But when one of Den’s friends disappears, Hazel enlists the help of her friends to find him.
Last Exit to Feral
Mark Fearing. Holiday House, $21.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4866-1. Ages 8–12. In the second installment of the Frights from Feral series, investigators Freya and Monica notice the increasingly strange happening in their town. When it seems someone (or something) has taken up residence in the abandoned Messner Mansion, the duo gather their bravery for an inspection.
More Tales to Keep You Up at Night
Dan Poblocki, illus. by Marie Bergeron. Penguin Workshop, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-38750-4. Ages 10 and up. In the sequel to Tales to Keep You Up at Night 13 interconnected short stories follow bespectacled Amelia Turner-Ingersoll in the aftermath of her grandmother’s disappearance.
Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror and Delight
Edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown. Wednesday, $24 (304p) ISBN 978-1-2508-9298-0; $12 paper ISBN 978-1-250-89296-6. Ages 13 and up. Thirteen authors, including Kalynn Bayron, Vanessa Montalban, and editors Brown and Page, center queer teens navigating harrowing experiences in this Halloween-set horror anthology.
The Nighthouse Keeper
Lora Senf. S&S/Atheneum, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-66593-463-3. Ages 10–12. Evie once again leaves her world behind to rescue Blight Harbor’s ghosts, in the second book in the Blight Harbor trilogy. See our q&a with Senf.
Justine Pucella Winans. Bloomsbury, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1254-3. Ages 8–12. River Rydell has so far managed to resist the call of the Otherwoods, a monster-ruled realm “where the darkness of magic runs free.” When the ever-pursuing Otherwoods snatches River’s new friend, they ignore their self-preservation instincts and launch a rescue mission. The book received a starred review from PW.
Rayleigh Mann in the Company of Monsters
Ciannon Smart. HarperCollins, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-308125-3. Ages 8–12. On his birthday, the same day as All Hallows’ Eve, Black British 12-year-old Rayleigh Mann learns that he’s a monsterling, and son of the infamous Bogey Mann—a legendary “Supreme Scarer”—who’s gone missing.
Scarewaves
Trevor Henderson. Scholastic Press, $12.99 (208) ISBN 978-1-338-82950-1. Ages 9–12. In horror illustrator Henderson’s middle grade debut, the children of a small town are the only ones aware of the eerie incidents happening in their community. With only a radiofor a guide, the group confronts the creatures quietly haunting their home.
Vincent Ralph. Wednesday, $24 (368p) ISBN 978-1-2508-8213-4; $12 paper ISBN 978-1-2508-8215-8. Ages 13 and up. An annual tradition where a group of friends whisper their secrets in an abandoned shack in the woods takes a turn when an anonymous text messager threatens to reveal all of their secrets.
Secret of the Reaping
Kalynn Bayron. Bloomsbury, $17.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1157-7. Ages 8–11. Boog and her best friends, Cedrick, Jules, and Aaron, must buckle down in their Vanquisher lessons when members of their community begin disappearing and the return of the vampires is being kept under wraps in the second book in The Vanquishers series. See our q&a with Bayron.
Spell of a Time
Sophie Escabasse. Random House Graphic, $13.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-593-56593-3. Ages 8–12. A trip to Coney Island turns into a magical adventure for best friends Effie and Garance when they learn of a missing mermaid in the fourth installment of the Witches of Brooklyn graphic novel series.
Stinetinglers 2: 10 More New Stories by the Master of Scary Tales
R.L. Stine. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-250-83631-1. Ages 8–11. In a sequel to Stinetinglers, Stine offers 10 new creepy short stories ranging in subject from children taking over the world to unexpected finds at a local zoo. Read more about the series and Stine’s forthcoming books.
The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales (Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel #1)
Tehlor Kay Mejia. Amulet, $14.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-4197-6357-1. Ages 10 and up. Based on Nickelodeon’s hit horror franchise Are You Afraid of the Dark?, this book features three mysterious stories pulling from Hispanic urban legends and cultural lore.
