Bone-chilling Kid Reads

We're continuing our series of scary reads for Halloween with a spooky smattering for kids! Parents and caregivers, as with all books we recommend, it is recommended that you evaluate both the reading difficulty and the necessary maturity level of the book whenever possible. It's excellent for kids to read something that's interesting to them, but if they're not prepared for the intensity of a scare, it might be best to read the book with a buddy or even to wait until they feel more comfortable.*

From left to right, top to bottom...

1. The Dark by Lemony Snicket // Best for PreK-grade 2

2. The Ghost-eye Tree by Bill Martin Jr. // Best for PreK-grade 2

3. The Teeny-tiny Woman: A Ghost Story by Paul Galdone // Best for PreK-grade 2

4. The Banshee Train by Odds Bodkin // Best for PreK-grade 3

5. The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe by Tony Johnston // Best for grades K-4

6. The Seer of Shadows by Avi (720 Lexile) // Best for grades 2-7

7. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (640 Lexile) // Best for grades 4-6, though there is an Easy Reader version, In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories also by Alvin Schwartz (430 Lexile) for PreK-grade 3

8. Night of the Living Dummy by R. L. Stine (590 Lexile) // Best for grades 4-6

6. Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac (730 Lexile) // Best for grades 4-6

10. Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn (750 Lexile) // Best for grades 4-6

*The first five books on our list are adult-directed text, intended to be read to a child, therefore no Lexile level is included.

Blood-curdling Teen Reads

To cap off Teen Read Week, we've created a short list of terrifying teen reads — it is, after all, October and Halloween is on the horizon! 'Tis the season to be a little freaked out about being alone in a dark house, right? These books range in terror index from "the uncomfortable feeling someone is watching you" to "hiding in the shower while being stalked by a deranged murderer with a sharp knife." How much horror can YOU handle?

From left to right, top to bottom...
1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake // In which a teenage boy carries on his father's work, killing the dead.
2. The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey // Apprentice teen monster hunter must stop monsters which feed through horrible teeth in chest.
3. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry // In which a teen boy must seek gainful employment as a zombie bounty hunter.
4. The Diviners by Libba Bray // A teen girl and her museum-curator uncle investigate creepy occult murders.
5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman // In which a young boy is raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his entire family is murdered.
6. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore // An otherwise ordinary teen girl from a witchy family finds herself suddenly plagued by a nasty ghost.
7. Lord Loss by Darren Shan // In which a teen boy witnesses the brutal murder of his entire family and dodges demons left and right.
8. I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan // Four teens try to hide their involvement in a hit-and-run, but find themselves stalked by a mysterious revenge seeker.