Get your kids into the Halloween spirit with our top 10 list of scary, creepy, and always fun reads for teens and little ones. From classic reads to new favourites, these books are perfect reading material for the month of October.
Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: Following a horrific family tragedy, 16-year-old Jacob Portman follows a series of mysterious photographic clues that lead him to an abandoned orphanage in Wales. What makes this teen read so unique (and so creepy) are the black-and-white photographs sprinkled throughout the novel — real photos that the author collected from various sources.
Roald Dahl, The Witches: This classic kids’ novel tells the scary and funny story of a 7-year-old boy who encounters some real-life witches! These aren’t fairytale witches who ride on broomsticks and wear silly black hats, but ordinary women who dress in ordinary clothes and work ordinary jobs — which is why they’re so hard to catch! Roald Dahl is a perennial favourite with kids, so if you haven’t introduced his work to your little ones yet, this is a great place to start.
Mélanie Watt, Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: Get your little ones in the Halloween spirit with this fun picture book in the popular Scaredy Squirrel series. From costume ideas to trick-or-treating strategies, the ever-worrying squirrel will help you and your kids plan for the big day.
Neil Gaiman, Coraline: In this beloved children’s horror/fantasy novel, young Coraline discovers a house oddly similar to her own, only better. But there’s a problem: there’s another mother and father there, and they want Coraline to stay there with them. Forever. Coraline’s strange adventure is as charming as it is creepy.
Evan Munday, The Dead Kid Detective Agency: In this teen mystery novel, October Schwartz is the new kid in town who has trouble making friends…well, at least ones that are still alive! When she starts hanging out in the cemetery that borders on her backyard, she runs into five dead teenagers, each from a different era of the past. Using October’s smarts and the dead kids’ abilities to sneak around undetected, they form The Dead Kid Detective Agency to solve mysteries in their eerie hometown. If you like this book, be sure to check out the funny and spooky sequel, Dial M for Morna!
Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events — The Bad Beginning: Not so much scary as it is creepy and weird, this first book in the children’s series follows the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after they’re placed in the custody of their distant cousin Count Olaf, following their parents’ death in a mysterious house fire. The series’ title is astonishingly accurate, as one bad thing after another befalls these kids in these gothic-inspired novels.
Robert Munsch, Boo!: This Halloween, young Lance decides to paint his face and make it the scariest ever! He ends up making his face so scary that when adults answer the door, they fall over in fright! How does Lance take advantage of this situation? Find out in this entertaining picture book.
Lesley Livingston and Jonathan Llyr, How to Curse in Hieroglyphics: BFFs Cheryl and Tweed are obsessed with B movies and playing monster games, so when a mysterious travelling carnival rolls into their small town, they’re intrigued…yet suspicious. With real-life mummies and ancient curses, this adventure-filled novel is perfect for middle-graders looking for a fun and exciting read.
Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: This first anthology in a series of three children’s books collects pieces of folklore and urban legends, collected and adapted by the author. These classic stories are perfect for reading-aloud to your kids on All Hallows’ Eve!
Julia Donaldson, Room on the Broom: When a stormy wind blows away a witch’s hat, bow and wand, the witch gives broomstick rides to a dog, a bird, and a frog, in exchange for their help in retrieving her missing items. But what happens when the broom snaps in two and they tumble into a greedy dragon’s lair? This fun picture book is perfect for reading with your little ones.
Did we miss your favourite spooky read for kids? Let us know in the comments!