Middle Grade Spooks and Scares
Amelia Bedelia scared silly
Parish, Herman, author
2021
"Amelia Bedelia loves everything about Halloween, but she worries that it will be a big disappointment to her new friend Candy, now that the hair-raising haunted hayride has been canceled. Candy loves thrills and chills. Can Amelia Bedelia and her friends come up with a plan to scare her silly?"-- Provided by publisher.
The Bellwoods Game
Krampien, Celia, 1988- author, illustrator.
2023
A group of sixth graders participating in an annual Halloween tradition to pacify the ghost of Abigail Snook quickly realize that the Bellwoods contains an even bigger threat to their town.
Brick dust and bones
Fournet, M. R., author.
2023
Twelve-year-old Marius Grey has a job as a Cemetery Boy, looking after the ghosts in his family's graveyard, but he also hunts monsters and, along with his flesh-eating mermaid friend, must race against the clock to save the ghost of his dead mother.
Chilling with ghosts
Fitzpatrick, Insha.
2023
This terrifically terrifying field guide to ghosts dares readers to step into the unknown where they will hear scary ghost stories, meet a couple of Shakespearean ghosts, learn about weird science and take a globe-trotting tour of haunted spots.
Confessions of a candy snatcher
Sinclair, Phoebe, author
2023
For the past few years, twelve-year-old Jonas and his friends have competed to see how many bags of candy they can grab from unsuspecting trick-or-treaters. No one's supposed to get hurt, just lose their treats. So Jonas is taken by surprise when one of his smaller targets fights back against his snatching attempt. He's even more surprised when he starts to receive anonymous notes from someone who knows what happened that night. Jonas already has enough on his plate, between his parents' ill-defined separation and his own guilt--guilt his friend Concepción challenges him to confront in a zine she's creating around the prompt "What's the worst thing you ever did?" It's a complicated question, one that touches on issues of identity, maturity, physical boundaries, and safety. Featuring zines crafted by award-winning illustrator Theodore Taylor III, Phoebe Sinclair's debut novel relates an emotive, reflective story about the wonder--and mess--of growing up.
Ellie's spooky surprise
Barkley, Callie, author
2023
When Ellie and her friends plan a Halloween party for the Critter club, they realize a bat has gotten trapped inside the barn, so with the help of a wildlife vet the girls help return the bat to its home
The glass witch
Puckett, Lindsay, author
2022
Twelve-year-old Adelaide Goode, the weakest witch born to the Goode family in centuries, accidentally unleashes a curse that threatens to erase her and magic if she fails to break the spell before midnight on Halloween.
The Halloween moon
Fink, Joseph, author
2021
Esther Gold loves Halloween more than anything in the world. So she is determined to go trick-or-treating again this year despite the fact that her parents think she is officially too old. Esther has it all planned out, from her costume to her candy-collecting strategy. But when the night rolls around, something feels... off. No one is answering their door. The moon is an unnatural shade of orange. Strange children wander the streets, wearing creepy costumes that might not be costumes at all. And it seems like the only people besides Esther who are awake to see it all are her best friend, her school bully, and her grown-up next-door neighbor. Together, this unlikely crew must find a way to lift the curse that has been placed upon their small town before it's too late. Because someone is out to make sure Halloween never comes to an end. And even Esther doesn't want to be trapped in this night forever.
Haru, Zombie Dog Hero
Oh, Ellen, author.
2023
After his dog Haru is taken away from him by his cruel landlord and sent to a multibillionaire's lab, eleven-year-old Korean American Luke is stunned when Haru returns as a zombie dog, and helps the town face a terrible threat.
Lights
Thummler, Brenna, author, artist.
2023
"Marjorie Glatt's life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family's laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie's best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal. Wendell died far too young and now must wander the Land of Humans with nothing more than a sheet for a body. He knows how he died--a tragic drowning accident--but lately he's grown curious about his past life. He wants to know more about why he died, not just how he died. It's not easy, though, since Wendell's memory of his human life has grown increasingly blurry. With Marjorie and Eliza's help, they set out on a journey to find out more. When they hear a rumor about Wendell's death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Eliza's friendship is tested when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza. In the third and final installment of the Sheets trilogy, Wendell will finally uncover the truth of his human life. Marjorie and Eliza will learn that some people really can change. Most of all, they start to see that everything can cast shadows, but if you look hard enough, you can find the light."-- Provided by publisher.
Monster Support Group. 1, The werewolf's tale
Suárez, Laura, 1994- author, illustrator
2023
When twelve-year-old Lowell moves to a new village, he struggles to fit in at school - he is a bit different, and the bullies don't seem to like different. Then the changes start. At first, Lowell thinks these are just the ordinary, growing-up kind of changes: he gets hairier, his voice gets growlier and his moods are all over the place. But then one fullmoon night, after a VERY bad day at school, he transforms into a werewolf in front of his twin sister, Lys. Join Lowell as he joins the Monster Support Group in an attempt to return to 'normal'
The pug who wanted to be a pumpkin
Swift, Bella, author
2022
Peggy the pug's family are getting ready for Halloween, but Peggy's friend Chloe is too scared of monsters to look forward to trick-or-treating. Peggy can't let her best friend miss out on all the Halloween fun. She'll just have to conquer her own fears and go trick-or-treating with Chloe, to keep her safe. But first she needs the perfect costume. Peggy's bravery helps Chloe realise that monsters aren't real in this heartwarming Halloween story about overcoming fears and anxiety.
Ravenfall
Josephson, Kalyn, author
2022
When thirteen-year-old Annabella Ballinkay arrives at the magical Ravenfall Inn, she is eager to help fourteen-year-old Colin Pierce in his search for his missing older brother and a supernatural creature who killed their parents. As the two team up in search for answers, they soon discover that Colin has powers beyond his imagination, and must stop the supernatural creature from opening a portal to the Otherworld by Halloween night.
Riley's ghost
Anderson, John David, 1975- author
2022
Locked in the science closet after hours by the cool girls who have rejected her, Riley escapes to discover that all the school doors are locked, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working, and as she roams through the building seeking a way out, she starts to suspect that she isn't alone.
Spooky stories of the world
Shearer, Wendy.
2023
This spine-tingling collection of spooky stories features over 20 eerie tales from across the globe. Discover bewitching retellings of ghost- and monster-filled myths regaled with ghoulish relish and journey continent-by-continent through this haunting book. With shocks and twists like you wouldn't believe - are you brave enough to read them all? Packed with mind-boggling mysteries, real unexplained enigmas and traditional stories that are sure to send shivers down your spine, Spooky Stories of the World is the ultimate feast for Halloween-loving kids and readers in search of a fright. Meet vampires, werewolves and fearsome monsters that hide in the shadows in this one-of-a-kind round-the-world collection of hair-raising tales. Inside Spooky Stories of the World: - More than 20 fang-tastic stories from around the world featuring both traditional tales and unexplained mysteries from modern times - Arranged continent by continent with spooky illustrations, original artwork and additional creepy characters for readers to look out for on their travels - Chilling tales include: The Vampire Skeleton (Canada and USA), The Luz Mala (Argentina), The Basilisk of Vilnius (Lithuania), The Bite of the Queen Rat (UK), The Fox Sister (South Korea), The Ghost on Pinjarra Bridge (Australia), The Devouring Gourd (East Africa) Spooky Stories of the World is the much-anticipated follow-up to Myths and Legends of the World. Written by British-Guyanese author and professional storyteller Wendy Shearer, and beautifully illustrated by Teo Georgiey, this is the perfect book for curious kids in search of a creepy kick to their reading list and is probably best read with the lights left on...
A super scary Narwhalloween
Clanton, Ben, 1988-, author, artist
2023
Dive into new stories that are sure to fright and delight! Narwhal loves Halloween--it's a great excuse to dress up in a spooky and silly costume, like a ghost, a mermaid, a banana, or maybe even Marlow the Mustachioed Moose. It's a skeleTON of fun! Jelly isn't dressing up, though--he's a little scared of this time of year, and would prefer to hunker down in a hidey-hole until Halloween is over. But when a scary sea monster makes an appearance and swallows Narwhal (gulp!), can Jelly, with the help of some super friends, pluck up the courage to save his best bud?
The supernatural society
Ogle, Rex, author
2022
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 the 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, and he's the only person who can see them. When all the town pets (including Fitz) 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 monsters, magic, myths, and mad science... right?
Things in the basement
Hatke, Ben, author, illustrator.
2023
"It was supposed to just be a normal basement--some storage boxes, dust, you know, the usual basement stuff. But when Milo is sent by his mother to fetch a sock from the basement of the historic home they've moved into, Milo finds a door in the back that he's never seen before. Turns out that the basement of his house is enormous. In fact, there is a whole world down there. As Milo travels ever deeper into the Basement World, he meets the many Things that live in the shadows and gloom ... and he learns that to face his fears he must approach even the strangest creatures with kindness"-- Provided by publisher.
Truly, madly, sheeply
Frederick, Heather Vogel, author
2023
"It's autumn in New England and Truly and her fellow Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes are gearing up for the annual Halloween Festival. Aunt True and her new husband, Rusty, have bought Ethel and Elmer Farnsworth's dilapidated old farm on the edge of town, where they're going to raise sheep. Truly and her grandparents have volunteered to farm- and sheep-sit while the newlyweds are on their honeymoon. But as always, the small town of Pumpkin Falls is soon confronted with a mystery--the highly decorated pumpkins outside the shops in town have gone missing! In broad daylight! And soon after, someone or something, is trying to get Aunt True and Rusty to leave their new property with some seriously spooky hauntings. With the arrival of a new heartthrob student from Italy, Emilio, and sweet Calhoun still in the picture, Truly has her hands full and will need all of her Private Eyes to help her uncover the shenanigans this fall season"-- Provided by publisher.
Witchlings
Ortega, Claribel A., author
2022
Every year Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches. Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare. Seven invokes her only option. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they'll gain their full powers. If they fail--Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads.
The world's worst monsters
Walliams, David, 1971-
2023
Dare you enter the world of monsters? The beloved World's Worst series has captivated millions of readers. You've met the world's worst children, the world's worst parents, the world's worst teachers and the world's worst pets, but are you ready for the world's worst monsters? If you don't like ghosts, ogres, zombies, vampires, aliens, werewolves or mummies, do not read this book.