It’s spooky season! As leaves float down from the trees, frolic with us through this book list that includes
something for the whole family — whether you prefer eerie tales or heartwarming autumnal vibes, the only truly ghoulish thing is missing out on these fantastic reads.
Board Books
“Booook!: A Spooky High-Contrast Book” with art by Jannie Ho
Get in the spooky season with your littlest one while developing their early literacy skills. “Booook!” uses white images of friendly Halloween characters (like bats, skeletons, pumpkins and zombies) that pop off of the black page, which is the perfect format for your youngest one’s eye development. It’s a book you and your child will want to read again and again this October.
Picture Books
“The Goblin Twins” by Frances Cha,illustrated by Jaime Kim
Inspired by the Korean mythology of dokkaebi, “The Goblin Twins” follows two magical Korean goblin twins, Doki and Kebi, who find themselves in New York City. Though Doki and Kebi are twins, they definitely have different priorities — Kebi loves to scare people and Doki prefers to read and give people gifts of gold. In their new home of New York, Halloween is around the corner. How will Doki and Kebi adjust to this new holiday?
Early Elementary
“The Haunted Mustache” by Joe McGee, illustrated by Ted Skaffa
Maybe you’ve heard of ghosts, even ghosts who haunt a town because they have unfinished business — something they need to resolve before they move on. But have you heard of a ghost mustache with unfinished business? In the town of Wolver Hollow, people say the haunted mustache returns year after year, marking the anniversary of Bockius Beauregard’s mysterious disappearance. When it appears, the mustache seeks a lip to claim as its own. Follow fifth graders Parker and Lucas as they seek to solve the mystery of the ghostly mustache.
“Eerie Tales From the School of Screams” by Graham Annable
Davis and Emily are terrified of school. Is it because of Friday’s big test, the scary vice principal or the mysterious food from the cafeteria? Nope. For Davis and Emily, they’re scared because their teacher
has asked the students to tell each other the scariest, most chilling stories they can. In this book, you’ll find five spooky stories, perfect to read out loud on a dark and stormy night.
Middle Grade
“The Ojja-Wojja” by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Jenn St-Onge
Bolingbroke is one of those boring, run-of-the-mill towns. At least Val and Lanie think so. That is until
Val and Lanie embark on a school project studying Bolingbroke’s supernatural history. Their research results in discovering a real ghost and summoning a demonic presence, Ojja-Wojja, responsible for several mysterious tragedies over time in Bolingbroke. Now that they’ve summoned the demonic presence, Val, Lanie and their team of friends need to solve the mystery of the Ojja-Wojja and help make Bolingbroke “normal” again.
Teens
“Night of the Living Queers” edited by Shelly Page and Alex Brown
This book of short stories, each by a different author, explores how Halloween is not only a night of horror, mischief and ghosts, but also a holiday that symbolizes transformation and possibilities. In “Night of the Living Queers,” each story is told through the lens of a different BIPOC teen, each of whom experiences significant change on a Halloween night. Funny, spooky and fresh, this book highlights diverse voices and experiences with a new angle on a beloved holiday.
“She Is a Haunting” by Trang Thanh Tran
Perhaps the most classic horror story is that of a haunted house. In “She Is a Haunting,” the haunted house story gets new life and depth. When Jade visits her father in Vietnam, she knows she is in for several weeks of hiding much of who she is to fit in so she can head back home with the money she needs for college. To make matters even more complicated, strange things begin happening in the house — Jade wakes up paralyzed, bug body parts are left scattered, mysterious sounds come from the walls and Jade begins to see a ghost.
