Books to Get You in a Spooky Mood

The trees are getting bare outside, the wind is picking up, jack’o’lanterns are making an appearance on front steps. It’s clearly time for a list of spooky books! Below are some of our favorite ghostly titles for school-age kids.

• Home Sweet Horror by James Preller; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. After the death of his mother, eight-year-old Liam and his father and sister move to a new house for a fresh start, but Liam soon discovers that the old house is haunted.
• The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. Classic kids’ series with spooky mysteries.
• Dial-a-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson; illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians.
• Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (1^st in the Ghosthunters series) by Cornelia Funke. A timid boy named Tom reluctantly agrees to help professional ghostbuster Hetty Hyssop dispel an IRG (Incredibly Revolting Ghost) from an old house.
• Zero to Hero (1^st in the Ghost Buddy series) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. When Billy Broccoli moves into his new house, he discovers Hoover Porterhouse, a teenage ghost, is haunting his room, and he helps Billy get in style, stand up to bullies, and conquer his new school.
• In a Creepy, Creepy Place and Other Scary Stories by Judith Gorog; illustrated by Kimberly Bulken Root. A collection of scary stories with unpredictable events and bizarre characters.
• A Newbery Halloween: A dozen scary stories by Newbery award-winning authors. A collection of short stories with a Halloween theme, by such Newbery Award-winning authors as E.L. Konigsburg, Beverly Cleary, Virginia Hamilton, and Paul Fleischman.