Halloween is a time for witches, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night! This means, there’s always lots of fun to look forward to. But the fun doesn’t have to be over once the midnight hour strikes on Halloween night. After all, children of all ages love a spooky story and there are plenty of Halloween books for kids. In this article, we’ll share with you some of the best Halloween books to read this spooky season.
Halloween Books for the Little Monsters
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Creepy-Crawly Halloween
Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar stands as one of the most famous children’s books, delighting children for decades! The original tale follows a caterpillar from when it hatches, and it munches its way through the book into a beautiful butterfly.
In The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Creepy-Crawly Halloween, the caterpillar encounters crawling creatures that provide the perfect amount of spook without overly scaring the little ones. It’s a great way to teach your children about the animals that creep under rocks and other terrain, ultimately lessening the fear around them!
Grumpy Monkey Don’t Be Scared
Trick-or-treating can be scary, but your neighborhood isn’t the creepiest place on Halloween. In Grumpy Monkey Don’t Be Scared, a monkey living in the jungle sets out to collect treats, braving the jungle to get what he wants.
The book prevents an excellent lesson on how sometimes, the most worthwhile rewards come from a slightly scary journey. Even still, it won’t spook the littlest kids too badly!
How to Catch Your Monster
These are some really great options when it comes to Halloween books for kids, and they don’t come better than How To Catch Your Monster. This cute and fun rhyming book follows a child as he visits his closet to confront the monster inside, only to discover that the monster isn’t so scary after all. Not only is it a great story, but the book can also be personalized in order to give your child the starring role!
A Halloween Scare At My House
Another perfectly personalized offering, A Halloween Scare At My House is a fun story for kids filled with monsters and creepy creatures and a wicked twist at the end. It’s a great Halloween present to get kids in the spirit of the big day.
Room on the Broom
This book is a delightful tale of three helpful animals who join forces to rescue a witch and her cat from the jaws of a dragon. It’s cute, easy to follow, and has plenty of spooky Halloween charm.
Halloween Party! (Blue’s Clues & You)
Blue’s Clues has been a favorite of kids and parents for decades now. So, if your little one loves following Blue on adventures, why not join in on the Halloween fun? With this book from the Blue’s Clues team, you and your young one now can do so!
Boo! Bluey’s Halloween: A Magnet Book
Bluey became famous for her spirited and adventurous attitude. And now, she and her friends are preparing to brave their creepiest adventure yet in Boo! Bluey’s Halloween: A Magnet Book. The book comes with cute magnets that fans of the Bluey show are sure to adore!
5-Minute Halloween Stories
Pressed for time? That doesn’t mean your child can’t enjoy a story! 5-Minute Halloween Stories gives you a bumper pack of spooky but kid-friendly short stories that you can finish in just a few minutes.
Elementary School Children
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
In this tale of witchcraft, evil birds, and a girl with the heart of a tiger, The Girl Who Drank the Moon will transport kids into a world of enchantment in a book that will be read over and over again.
Coraline
An oldie but a goodie, Coraline is one of the most enchantingly spooky tales a kid could wish for. Your child will be gripped as Coraline makes her way through a parallel universe. She journeys with just one goal – to find her way home!
In a Dark, Dark Room
If you have a little one who is just learning to read, In a Dark, Dark Room provides the perfect combination of reading assistance and an age-appropriate scare. As part of the I Can Read It! series, the book helps your child learn to read while delighting and scaring at the same time.
Each story in this book centers on a folktale, so kids will learn about popular stories while they become better readers.
For Tweens and Young Teens
Sally’s Lament: A Twisted Tale
For fans of Nightmare Before Christmas, this book poses an intriguing question: What would have happened if Sally, not Jack, had found Christmas Town?
In this fun turn of events, Sally leaves Halloween Town to check out Christmas Town. However, the more time she spends there, the more she begins to suspect something else is going on. Filled with lots of Tim Burton-like shenanigans, Sally’s Lament: A Twisted Tale will delight people who love zany twists!
Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories
Much-loved British author Roald Dahl presents this incredible collection of chilling chapters by greats such as E.F Benson and Rosemary Timperley. Fun fact: Mr. Dahl plowed his way through a staggering 749 supernatural tales at the British Library in order to choose just 14 for this incredible Halloween book for teens and tweens.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
This book is the perfect read for teenage girls who want to read about someone like themselves with a witchy twist!
The Witch of Blackbird Pond has the perfect combination of teenage troubles and terrifying witch hunts. This is a great Halloween gift for a teenage girl.
The Halloween Tree
A boy’s adventure tale with a difference, The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury follows eight boys as they run to meet their friend, Pipkin, at a haunted house. Instead, they encounter the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud, and their evening takes a darker turn.
For Older Teens and Adults
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
The whole town knows Sal Singh killed Andie Bell, his attractive and popular girlfriend. Or did he?
Armed with her own suspicions, high school senior Pip sets off to throw contradictory evidence into the light. But while she just wanted to question the murder’s only plausible narrative, she quickly finds herself over her head, haunted by someone who definitely doesn’t want her to find the truth.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder made such a splash in the literary world that it made it to the #1 spot on The New York Times Bestseller List and spawned a Netflix show.
Don’t Let the Forest In
Get a creepy first look at this young adult thriller that releases later this month! An eerie ode to deep human connections, Don’t Let the Forest In focuses on Andrew and Thomas, a student and an artist who lean on each other for care and support. But it becomes increasingly clear that something’s wrong with Thomas, and Andrew finds him fighting with one of the monsters he created. As Thomas’s drawings continue to come to life, Andrew worries the only way to keep everyone safe is to kill the person who loves the most.
Stalking Jack the Ripper
No historical murder spree has raised as many hackles as the one created by Jack the Ripper. The real-life 1800s British serial killer systematically murdered and dismembered at least 5 women, and may have killed many more. Still, despite his infamy, Jack the Ripper was never caught, leaving the public to speculate as to his identity for over a century.
One of the more popular theories revolves around Jack the Ripper being a highly-trained medical professional. The cuts he made to the women’s bodies implied he had a thorough understanding of human anatomy. With this in mind, Stalking Jack the Ripper plays a skillful game of what-if, focusing on a fictional young woman who investigates the serial murders, only to turn her attention to a doctor a little closer to home.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Another thriller inspired by history, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children came about when Ransom Riggs procured a series of odd, vintage photos of children in the 1800s doing supernatural things. The story stars 16 year-old Jacob, who discovers and explores an abandoned orphanage and discovers its former occupants might have been dangerous. Even worse, they might still be alive.
The book uses both storytelling and old photographs to weave together a seamless, more believable tale that is sure to keep you checking dark corners for strange children.
Happy Haunted Reading!
It’s never too early to introduce your child to the joy of books, especially with such a great range of spooky Halloween books. Grab your child and some hot chocolate and cozy up with one of the great Halloween books from our list. While you’re in the Halloween spirit, put out some Creative Halloween House Decorations or even carve some pumpkins using stencils.
