Do you like books that give you a good scare, keep you up at night, and keep you on the edge of your seat? Try these spooky titles; you will find something for everyone, whether you are looking for chapter books, graphic novels, or picture books.
Picture Books Books
Poultrygeist by Eric Geron
After meeting his demise crossing the road, Chicken comes back as a noisy, troublemaking ghost, and knowing that scaring people is bad, decides to transform himself into a friendly ghost.
We’re Going on a Goon Hunt: A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex
A family treks through spooky landscapes looking for a monster, only to run back home when they actually find one.
The Spooky Box by Mark Gonyea
After viewing scary things that might slither, slice, or slide their way out of a creepy black box, the reader is asked to lift the top to reveal its contents.
If You’re Spooky and You Know It by Cathy MacLennan
A playful Halloween twist on the classic nursery rhyme, “If You’re Happy And You Know It,” features little monsters that show their spookiness by clapping hands, stomping feet, and snapping fingers.
Bone Soup: A Spooky, Tasty Tale by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
In this version of the classic tale, Stone soup, three witches are looking for a tasty treat on Halloween morning and they find only a small bone in their cupboard. So they decide to go from door to door in their village to find just the right ingredients for their bone soup.
Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters by Rachel Kolar
An illustrated collection of thirteen gently spooky adapted Mother Goose rhymes.
Boo! by Joe Fenton
A ghost tries to find a way to scare the other ghosts in his family.
Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago.
Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?
Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima
When a house believes she is haunted, she tries everything in her power to stop it in order to get people to move in–until she realizes that she is fine just the way she is.
My First Ghost by Margaret Miller & Michael Leviton
When a house believes she is haunted, she tries everything in her power to stop it in order to get people to move in–until she realizes that she is fine just the way she is.
Chapter Books
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
Doll Bones by Holly Black
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
Nightmares! by Jason Segel, Kirsten Miller
Twelve-year-old Charlie and his friends must stop nightmares from taking over their town before it’s too late.
Felice and The Wailing Woman by Diana López
The twelve-year-old daughter of La Llorona vows to free her mother and reverse the curses that have plagued the magical town of Tres Leches.
Frances and the Monster by Refe Tuma
Frances Stenzel was just trying to prove her scientific worth to her parents … instead, she reawakened her great-grandfather’s secret and most terrible invention. Before it can destroy the town, she sets off after it … and she’ll have to face … angry locals and an unexpected friendship … while the trail for the monster goes cold and time is running out before her science career, and the city itself, are doomed forever.
The Supernatural Society by Rex Ogle
Will Hunter thought his life couldn’t get any worse – his parents just got divorced ; his best (and only) friend now is his dog, Fitz ; and his Mom moved them from New York city to a middle-of-nowhere town called East Emerson. But Will was wrong – things are about to get way worse. Because East Emerson is filled with a whole lot of monsters that only he can see. To everyone else they look like normal people. When all the town pets (including Fritz), go missing, Will suspects there’s something sinister going on. So he joins forces with outcast Ivy and super smart Linus to uncover the ancient secrets of East Emerson. Besides, nothing bad could happen when three sixth graders team up against a town full of monsters – right?
The Thirteenth Cat by Mary Downing Hahn
Unnerved by the overgrown forest near her aunt’s house and the wild black cats that live there, Danni encounters a mean old woman who claims to be their owner and makes a discovery that places her life in danger.
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
In 1899, a twelve-year-old rat catcher on North Carolina’s Biltmore estate teams up with the estate owner’s young nephew to battle a great evil and, in the process, unlocks the puzzle of her past.
Tales to Keep You up at Night by Dan Poblocki
Ignoring a handwritten warning from her grandmother, Amelia reads an old book she finds in the attic, and as elements from the stories begin to come to life around her, she realizes that she may be in a spooky story of her own.
The Haunted House by R.A. Montgomery
In this interactive adventure, the reader’s dog, Homer, gets free while they are out walking together, and he runs into a spooky house. He is the reader’s best friend, and this house looks haunted! Readers choose how the story progresses.
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack
The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown
Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents’ lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she’s not. Bugs, bad cell reception, and the dark waters of the lake… no thanks. On top of that, she just failed her swim test and hates being in the water-it’s terrifying. But her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools. And soon strange things start happening-the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And Celete’s cousins start accusing her of pranking them when she’s been nowhere near them!
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Follows three young operatives of a Psychic Detection Agency as they battle an epidemic of ghosts in London.
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly strangers and other helpful folk. Based in part on the Grimms’ fairy tales Faithful Johannes, Hansel and Gretel, The seven ravens, Brother and sister, The robber bridegroom, and The devil and his three golden hairs.
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
When lights start flickering and temperatures suddenly drop, twelve-year-old Tessa Woodward, sensing her new house may be haunted, recruits some new friends to help her unravel the mystery of who or what is trying to communicate with her and why.
Graphic Novels
Bunnicula: the Graphic Novel by James Howe and Andrew Donkin
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. Presented in comic book format.
The Accursed Vampire: The Curse at Witch Camp by Madeline McGrane
It’s summertime and Drago, Eztli, and Quintus are heading to witch camp, where they’ll learn spells and magic alongside human kids. Drago is skeptical about this joint venture with the living, but as long as their vampire pals are with them, how bad could it be? Pretty bad, actually. Eztli and Quintus end up making friends with the campers while Drago stumbles onto an abandoned mini golf course housing a sinister supernatural entity with intentions of overtaking the camp. Drago may not like camp, but they can’t leave their buds in danger. What will they do?
The Ghoul Next Door by Cullen Bunn & Cat Farris
Eleven-year-old Grey lives in the legend-haunted New England town of Ander’s Landing, and he can’t help but feel like a pair of eyes is watching his every move. He discovers odd, gruesome bits and pieces from the graveyard that are left for him as gifts like art carved from bones or jewelry made from (hopefully not human) remains. Soon Grey is caught up in something bigger than he could ever have imagined. He finds himself drawn into a strange mystery involving a race of reclusive subterranean creatures–ghouls, the eaters of the dead! Turns out, his secret admirer is a ghoul named Lavinia.
Took: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn
They say that a ghost witch lives in the woods, up on Brewster’s Hill. They say her companion, Bloody Bones, has a pig skull for a face and stands taller than a man, his skeleton gleaming white in the moonlight. They say that the witch takes young girls, and no one ever sees them again. Daniel doesn’t believe the stories about the witch or her beast. He figures the kids on the bus are just trying to scare him, since he’s new. But when his sister, Erica, disappears into the woods one day and doesn’t come home, Daniel knows something is terribly wrong. Has Erica been ‘took’?
Up to No Ghoul by Cullen Bunn & Cat Farris
Ever wake up in the middle of the night to awful nightmares about vampires? When a mysterious blood bank rolls into town, Grey can’t help but get an eerie feeling. Could it be linked to his nightmares about vampires? After some investigating, Grey learns it’s something more sinister than he could ever imagine … and there’s only one creature who can help him–Lavinia. Despite the fact they are forbidden to talk to one another again, this spooky mystery is bigger than any promises between the ghouls and humans.
Wait till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story Graphic Novel by Mary Downing Hahn
When their mom remarries, Molly and her brother, Michael, try to make friends with their new stepsister, Heather. But Heather only wants to make trouble for them. She lies and tattles and misbehaves, and somehow they always get the blame. They know she’s trying to drive a wedge between her father and their mother so she can have her father all to herself–and it seems to be working. Then, Heather starts playing in the graveyard behind their new house. She claims she can talk to a ghost named Helen, and her behavior gets even stranger. Michael doesn’t believe in ghosts and thinks their new little sister is just looking for more attention. But Molly isn’t so certain, especially when Heather threatens that Helen is going to come for them and make them sorry. It seems as though things can’t get any worse–but they do. When Helen comes.
The Horror at Happy Landings by R.L. Stine
Family camping trips are supposed to be fun, but for Parker, Annie, and the Walden family, they’re an absolute nightmare! After a creepy, unidentified bird attacks their mom in the forest, Parker and Annie find themselves face to face with two strange creatures that suddenly enter the kids’ brains and take control of their bodies. Can Parker and Annie break loose of this horrific control and convince their family of what’s happening, or will the creatures take over their lives for good?
Skull Cat and the Curious Castle by Norman Shurtliff
It’s Scully the Cat’s first day as the new garden-keeper at a spooky castle…but when everyone goes missing, is he brave enough to become a hero? Draw your sword and let’s find out! Even though the castle is an eerie place, full of dark secrets, Scully is excited to start his new job and prove himself to be a great gardener. But wait a minute…what happened to all his co-workers? Were they devoured by bloodthirsty vampires? Spooked by a love-struck ghost? Pranked by a comic-reading goblin? Enchanted by a sleepy sorcerer? Will Scully have to become the hero and uncover the truth behind Le Dark Chateau? He never signed up for this!
Mamo by Sas Milledge
Orla O’Reilly, the youngest in a long line of hedge witches, is compelled to return home after the death of her grandmother, Mamo. In the wake of her Mamo’s passing, seas are impossible to fish, crops have soured, even Jo Manalo’s attic is taken over by a poltergeist! And to make matter worse it appears that the cause is Mamo, or her mislaid bones that is. Can Orla shoulder the responsibility of quieting her Mamo’s spirit, saving her hometown, and will she have to step up as the new witch of Haresden like Mamo always wanted?
Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
When Dani and Dorian missed the bus to magic school, they never thought they’d wind up declared traitors to their own kind! Now, thanks to a series of mishaps, they are being chased by powerful magic families seeking the prophesied King of Witches and royals searching for missing princes. But they aren’t alone. With a local troublemaker, a princess, and a teacher who can see the future on their side, they might just be able to clear their names…but can they heal their torn kingdom?
