Hi Kid Lit Friends!
Happy October! My kids always start planning their Halloween costumes the day after the previous Halloween, and October 1st is always the day I realize that I have done absolutely nothing to prepare their costumes. Since we typically make our costumes, this adds some stress to the month as we try to put something together in the middle of busy fall activities!
Perhaps one of the reasons October is so busy is because of all the Halloween and autumn-based books we want to read! Last week I gave you a list of some fun Halloween-themed picture books, and today I promised a list of the scariest middle grade books I could think of. This is seriously scary material, friends. Give them a read… if you dare. (I’m sorry, I had to do that!)
*Please note that all book descriptions come from the publisher.*
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Corinne La Mer claims she isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters made up by parents to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest, and shining yellow eyes follow her to the edge of the trees. They couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they? When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger at the market the very next day, she knows something extraordinary is about to happen. When this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, danger is in the air. Severine plans to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn’t know she possessed to stop Severine and to save her island home.
Next books in the series: Rise of the Jumbies and The Jumbie God’s Revenge
Guest by Mary Downing Hahn
When her adorable baby brother is replaced by an ugly, ill-tempered changeling, Mollie is determined to find the so-called Kinde Folke who took baby Thomas, return the changeling she calls Guest, and make them give Thomas back. Natural and magical obstacles and her own reckless temperament make her journey arduous and full of dangers, and a plot rich in surprises and twists makes this book a must-read for Mary Downing Hahn’s fans.
Hoodoo by Ronald H. Smith
Twelve-year-old Hoodoo Hatcher was born into a family with a rich tradition of practicing folk magic: hoodoo, as most people call it. But even though his name is Hoodoo, he can’t seem to cast a simple spell. Then a mysterious man called the Stranger comes to town, and Hoodoo starts dreaming of the dead rising from their graves. Even worse, he soon learns the Stranger is looking for a boy. Not just any boy. A boy named Hoodoo. The entire town is at risk from the Stranger’s black magic, and only Hoodoo can defeat him. He’ll just need to learn how to conjure first.
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Harper doesn’t trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can’t remember why. She knows that the memories she’s blocking will help make sense of her brother’s behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in this house, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time?
Next book in the series: Spirit Hunters 2: The Island of Monsters
Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell, a collection by illustratus
With tales about a finger against the inside of a mirror, a wooded area where the trees look back, and a basement door blocked by a brick wall so thick it stifles the screams from below, this book is sure to haunt anyone who can’t resist a spooky story.
• Filled with creepy poems and tales
• Features striking, bone-chilling illustrations from Disney-Pixar talent
• Book contains all original stories
This haunting book will consume your imagination and keep readers of every age up long past their bedtimes.
Doll Bones by Holly Black
Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends forever. And for almost as long, they’ve been playing one continuous, ever-changing game of pirates and thieves, mermaids and warriors. Ruling over all is the Great Queen, a bone-china doll cursing those who displease her. But they are in middle school now. Zach’s father pushes him to give up make-believe, and Zach quits the game. Their friendship might be over, until Poppy declares she’s been having dreams about the Queen—and the ghost of a girl who will not rest until the bone-china doll is buried in her empty grave.
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac
Molly’s father, who grew up on the Mohawk Reserve of Akwesasne, always had the best scary stories. One of her favorites was the legend of Skeleton Man, a gruesome tale about a man with such insatiable hunger he ate his own flesh before devouring those around him. But ever since her parents mysteriously vanished, those spooky tales have started to feel all too real.
Next books in series: The Legend of Skeleton Man and The Return of Skeleton Man
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell
These stories are some of the most terrifying tales of horror, revenge, and supernatural events of all time, collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz and featuring the classic artwork by Stephen Gammell.
Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker, illustrated by Junyi Wu
The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe. When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention.
The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie
Tessa Woodward isn’t exactly thrilled to move to rainy, cold Chicago from her home in sunny Florida. But homesickness turns to icy fear when unexplainable things start happening in her new house. Things like flickering lights, mysterious drawings appearing out of nowhere, and a crackling noise she can feel in her bones. When her little brother’s doll starts crying real tears, Tessa realizes that someone—or something—is trying to communicate with her. And it involves a secret that’s been shrouded in mystery for more than one hundred years.
The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner, illustrated by Matt Saunders
Irréelle fears she’s not quite real. Only the finest magical thread tethers her to life―and to Miss Vesper. But for all her efforts to please her cruel creator, the thread is unraveling. Irréelle is forgetful as she gathers bone dust. She is slow returning from the dark passages beneath the cemetery. Worst of all, she is unmindful of her crooked bones. When Irréelle makes one final, unforgivable mistake by destroying a frightful creature just brought to life, Miss Vesper threatens to imagine her away once and for all. Defying her creator for the very first time, Irréelle flees to the underside of the graveyard and embarks on an adventure to unearth the mysterious magic that breathes bones to life, even if it means she will return to dust and be no more.
Shadow School: Archimancy by J.A. White
Cordelia Liu knew Shadow School was going to be different. Still, she didn’t expect the school grounds to be filled with ghosts. Cordelia soon realizes she’s not the only one who can see the ghosts; her new friend Benji can too. Together with super-smart Agnes, the trio are determined to find out why the ghosts are there, and whether there’s a way to set them free. But the school was created with more sinister intentions, and someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that the ghosts remain trapped forever.
MonsterStreet: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf by J.H. Reynolds
Max Bloodnight can’t decide what’s more terrifying about his weekend in Wolf County—the fact that he has to stay with grandparents he’s never met before or being stuck on a farm without cell service. If only that was all he had to fear. Determined to solve the mystery of his father’s death, which occurred years before at the claws of a legendary werewolf, Max must hunt to uncover the truth before the full moon rises . . . and the werewolf strikes again.
Next books in series: The Halloweeners and Carnevil
Choose Your Own Adventure: Zombie Penpal by Ken McMurtry
Zombies are a part of everyday life in New Orleans. You learn all about it from your penpal Sam. But then Katrina comes and Sam stops writing. Did she disappear during the terrible floods following the hurricane? You are sure you will never know until a new girl shows up at your school in Point Hill, Maine who reminds you of your penpal. Her name is Rose but is she really Sam? You’ll have to tread carefully to find out. Because if Rose is really a zombie, there is danger for everyone involved…
What are you reading these days? I want to know! Find me on Twitter at @KarinaYanGlaser, on Instagram at @KarinaIsReadingAndWriting, or email me at karina@bookriot.com.
Until next time!
Karina
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Carmilla 
The Perfect Nanny
