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10 Spooky Halloween Reads To Share
Scary stories make great Halloween reads.
Author Neil Gaiman has a modest proposal for Halloween. It doesn’t involve eating anyone. Instead, the award-winning author suggests a new holiday tradition: giving each other spooky books on Halloween. He’s calling it All Hallow’s Read.
Stephen King, his son Joe Hill, and other horror luminaries have jumped on the bandwagon (not surprisingly).
Any tradition that involves sharing books sounds good to me. I give books as holiday gifts to my family at Christmas every year.
Kids love a good ghost story as much as grown-ups. Here are 10 spooky tales you can share with your kids this All Hallow’s Read.
- The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman – We’ll start with Neil’s young adult novel about a small boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Recommended for grades 5-8, chilly fun for all ages. Read it with a warm blanket and a cup of hot tea.
- Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories, Roald Dahl – Haunting and funny at the same time. A classic of the genre.
- Monster Mama, Liz Rosenberg – For younger kids, this picture book combines a heartwarming tale of a mom protecting her son from bullies with gorgeous, creepy illustrations of a monster mama in a monster world.
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving – This is The Classic spooky tale for Halloween night, illustrated in this version by fantastically funky illustrator Gris Grimly.
- Amphigory, Edward Gorey – An ABC primer for baby Goths, Amphigory wanders through a range of horrors that might befall ill-fated youngsters.
- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket – Speaking of unfortunate events befalling children, older kids will laugh and howl at the horrors that fill the pages of the Lemony Snicket books.
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Charles M. Schulz – For a less chilling Halloween read, pick up this Charlie Brown classic about overcoming your fears, being a good friend, celebrating life.
- The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, Linda Williams – A children’s classic about a late night walk, a little old lady, and things that go bump in the night. Don’t miss this one.
- The Last Wild Witch, Starhawk – If you’re interested in sharing a story of the Pagan celebration Halloween is rooted in, modern Pagan author Starhawk has written one for children.
- The Dangerous Alphabet, Neil Gaiman – I’ll end with another delightful book from Gaiman, since the All Hallow’s Read tradition sprang from his brain. This ABC book, illustrated by the same artist who did Sleep Hollow, will delight kids of all ages.
What are your favorite Halloween reads to share with kids?
Photo: saeru
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9 Comments
[...] Gearing up for Halloween? Try All Hallow’s Read on for size, a list of ten spooky books to gift this hautning season. Here [...]
Friday Mash-Up « Young Writers @ The Loft commented on Oct 29 10 at 9:22 amAmy commented on Oct 27 10 at 11:13 amMy three-year old and I have read “It’s the Great Pumpkin. . ” every night for the last 4 nights. I wonder what THE Christmas book will be this year for her? Great list!
BlackOrchid commented on Oct 27 10 at 11:36 amif you can find it, “Little Witch” by Anna Elizabeth Bennett is a wonderful book.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE “Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich” by Adam Rex – he has lots of other excellent children’s books too.
smirkhouse commented on Oct 27 10 at 12:17 pmFrankenstein Makes a Sandwich has made quite an impact at our house!Mr. Gaiman’s idea is rather self-serving, but he is such a wonderful writer that I refuse to think less of him.
mbaker commented on Oct 27 10 at 1:43 pmI can’t believe you left out the chapter book Bunnicula. It’s a classic told from the perspective of the family pets (dog and cat) when on a dark and stormy night the pets’ owners bring home a bunny. The cat becomes convinced that the bunny is a vampire because vegetables keep turning up in a rather strange condition. I love the book as a kid and every elementary school kid I’ve introduced it to since then has loved it too.
Fobgirl commented on Oct 27 10 at 3:14 pmI don’t think the idea is very self serving. If you read his post, he doesnt say buy my books. The list here is compiled by the author of the list, just giving him credit where credit is due.
rebekkab commented on Oct 27 10 at 5:35 pmMy favorite is Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. I read it to my class every year around this time. Leaves you with a creepy feeling.
Hollie commented on Oct 27 10 at 6:42 pmFor middle school aged kids, R. L. Stine’s anthology “Beware!” and the Alvin Schwartz “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” collections are a BIG hit. I teach 7th grade language arts, and I’ve had kids screaming, falling out of chairs, and then begging for more after read-alouds. Perfect for sharing.
Samantha commented on Oct 27 10 at 7:13 pmI love The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. I used to read it to my preschoolers and knew it by heart by the end of the season.
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