Who doesn't like a scare from time to time? Halloween is the perfect time of year to explore your creepy side; light a few candles, listen to the wind and rain pounding against your windows, and curl up with one of these frightening stories!
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This book combines a suspenseful story with a collection of bizarre real photographs collected by the author. In fact, Ransom Riggs actually started with the vintage photographs, which feature children in supposedly supernatural settings, and built a story around them. The story is peppered with imaginative characters and revolves around a boy's journey to discover the truth about his family and himself. Read our movie review!
The real vintage photographs in this book might keep you up at night!Courtesy of Quirk Books
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
In this collection of scary stories, told in comic book form, Emily Carroll creates haunting, Gothic-style tales reminiscent of old school fairy tales. Critics have praised the beauty of the illustrations as well as the truly creepy nature of the stories told. This is pretty scary stuff, so make sure you're ready for it. If you don't like feeling afraid, this particular collection might not be right for you!
Through the Woods won the British Fantasy Award in 2015! Courtesy of Emily Carroll/Margaret K. McElderry Books
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie
This novel, which features a teenage girl who finds out she has a gift for helping spirits cross over to the other side. Unfortunately, this gift can have dark consequences, as Sunshine soon discovers. The story is full of creepy imagery, ghosts, and demons, not to mention personal issues like family and friend relationships. As a character, Sunshine is relatable and appealing, and you won't be able to stop reading until you figure out what's really going on in her haunted house!
Bonus: the author has developed a web series to go along with the book!Courtesy of Weinstein Books
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
You may have heard of Neil Gaiman - he is well known for writing fantastical, supernatural tales, some for children and some for adults. This particular story is certainly scary; it includes murder, ghosts, and witches. The novel follows a young boy growing up in a graveyard, with ghosts for foster parents, teachers, and even friends. It's not a book for the faint of heart, but critics have praised its originality and the enchanting quality of the writing, so if you're too scared, it's definitely worth a read!
Check out this story of a boy being raised by ghosts!Courtesy of Middle Grade
A word of advice: some of the above books really are quite scary, so you might want to make sure you're not home alone during a power outage on Halloween night while you're reading them. We wouldn't want you to have nightmares! Happy Halloween reading!
Have Your Say!
Do you have any scary story recommendations for us? Share with our Kidzworld readers!
