We love a seasonally-themed book. It’s fun to pull out the Christmas books in December and the Halloween books in October. While we’ve shared a fantastic collection of Halloween books for kids in the past, and we’ve shared a collection of mystery chapter books for kids, but this collection is filled with Halloween books for tweens. A little more spooky, creepy, thrilling and a little dose of silly.
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The Best Halloween Books for Tweens
The Okay Witch and The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner – These are the first two books in the adventures of Moth Hush…a girl who discovers she is half-witch. If your kids are fans of colourful, graphic novels they will love these books. Moth has a lot to deal with – all the usual challenges of being an awkward kid at school and figuring out her newfound magical powers too!
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew The Halloween Hoax by Carolyn Keene – Kicking off this list with a Nancy Drew story – easy and not too scary for younger tweens. Nancy and her friends are looking forward to dressing up and heading out trick or treating, but they have to investigate some strange happenings before they can get to the Halloween night festivities.
The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink – Are you ever too old to go trick or treating? Esther Gold doesn’t think so. She’s a Halloween-loving middle schooler who heads out for one final Halloween and discovers things in her town are not quite right. There’s a strange mood and a weird moon…what’s going on? She’ll find out.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman – Young Coraline finds her way into a seemingly wonderful alternate world…complete with loving parents. Unfortunately, things take a very creepy turn and Coraline must fight to find her way home to her real family. This one is heavy on creepiness.
Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega – A magical spell, a witch and Halloween all come together in this fun and slightly spooky Halloween story. Lucely and her band of friends come together for a ghostly curse fighting adventure.
A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander – Rosa is upset when her family decides to move to the most unhaunted place in America. With no ghosts, what will Rosa do for entertainment? But, is Ingot really as unhaunted as they think? Rosa and her new friend, Jasper, get wrapped up in a ghostly caper.
The Ghoul Next Door by Cullen Bunn – It starts with Grey discovering little items left for him in the graveyard, near his house. As the items become more interesting, Grey finds himself starting up an unlikely friendship with Lavinia, a ghoul. They embark on an unbelievable adventure. The artistry in this graphic novel brings the story to life – delicate watercolour images add something a little extra spooky touch.
The Thickety: The Path Begins by The Thickety series follows the tale of Kara Westfall, a young girl whose mother was a convicted witch. When Kara decides to explore the mysterious Thickety, Kara discovers a book, magic, a possible connection to her mother and a path that will lead her into the unknown.
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden – “Avoid large places. Keep to small.” This is the advice given to Ollie and her friends, by their creepy school bus driver. Ollie’s school bus has just broken down and she is heading into the mysterious field and forest. Her head is filled with the ghost story she recently read and the strange “smiling man”. What is awaits Ollie and her classmates in the forest?
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand – Victoria and Lawrence are friends and yet they are very different. Victoria is doesn’t like nonsense and Lawrence is a bit of a mess. When Lawrence disappears, Victoria investigates the mysterious Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls – the kinds of classic creepy place where kids are changed forever…but are they changed for the better? A creepy page-turner.
Zombie Halloween (Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition) by R.L. Stine – Halloween is no time to go investigating a weird neighbour’s house! Especially in a town where everyone is obsessed with zombies! Especially in an RL Stine book. The Goosebumps series is full of silly and spooky stories that kids love.
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier – A creepy, thrilling story of a young brother and sister left homeless following the Irish potato famine. They travel to England and take servant jobs in a spooky manor, with a family that everyone warns them against. As they work there, the girl cleaning and cooking, and her brother tending the horses and gardens more mystery and danger is revealed. Who is the strange figure that comes at night to care for the trees?
The Ghost Road by Charis Cotter – A beautiful story of ghosts, new beginnings, friendship and family. When Ruth moves to Newfoundland from Toronto she discovers a town where everyone is friendly and approachable. She also discovers they believe in ghosts. Ruth’s big-city attitude is put to the test as she investigates some interesting findings in the local cemetery, with her new friend Ruby. What does the Ghost Road have to do with Ruth and her family?
Ghosts by Raine Telgemeier- Yet again, Telgemeier explores a difficult story with ease and in a way that captivates young readers. Ghosts follows the adventures of two sisters, one with cystic fibrosis, and their moving to a new city. The sisters must learn about the traditions and culture of their new home city…including the festival Dìa de lost Muertos. Do all ghost stories have to be scary?
Miss Peregrins’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – This thrilling mystery is not for the faint of heart. A mysterious island with a creepy orphanage and a pile of super creepy photographs are just a few pieces of this spooky tale. Who are the kids living in the abandoned home? Are they dangerous? What happens when curious Jacob discovers their world?
Shadow School: Archimancy by J.A.White – Cordelia is not happy that her family has forced her to move from sunny Califonia to gloomy New Hampshire. She is especially unimpressed with attending a private school, Manor. At the school, she notices the unusual appearance of ghosts haunting the manor. Fortunately, her friend Benji can see the ghosts too. As they investigate the mystery of the ghosts they embark on a thrilling adventure, filled with twists and turns.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill – The story of a caring witch, Xan, who saves a baby that the villagers left out as an offer to the witch, every year. The witch feeds each baby starlight and gives them to new families on the other side of the forest. However, one year she accidentally feeds the baby moonlight, which makes her magic. The witch must keep the magical baby, Luna and raise her. Sadly, the witch doesn’t know is that the babies were actually taken from loving parents to be sacrificed each year. As Luna grows and her magic begins to emerge, will the truth unfold and what is the fate of her life with Xan?
Doll Bones by Holly – Oh boy, if you find dolls just a little bit creepy then this book is going to reinforce your belief. Three imaginative best friends spend their time creating stories of pirates, thieves, warriors and a Queen china doll. As they grow older, they stop playing in their imaginative world and one of the friends, Poppy, announces that they must bury the Queen china doll in the grave of a young girl. Let’s just say that this is when the adventure begins and takes a creepy turn. What happens when the friends set out to bury the doll bones?
Did your favourite spooky story make the list? Share your favourites spine-chilling books for tweens in the comments below. Be sure to check out our epic top books for kids post – filled with all of our amazing book recommendations.
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