Children's titles for Halloween 2023
by Sophie Green
Check out these spooooky children's titles for Halloween!
Find more recommendations for children.
Benita and the Night Creatures, by Mariana Llanos and Cocoretto
Benita loves to read but keeps getting interrupted by a whistling Tunche, a scary Supay and other spooky creatures from Peruvian lore. To the creatures' disbelief, Benita is so absorbed by her book that she's not the least bit scared of them.
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The Pumpkin Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Michelle Robinson and Mike Byrne
Boo the pumpkin does NOT like Halloween. And she does NOT like trick-or-treating. Why? Because she's afraid of the dark. So, when Halloween comes around Boo is especially worried. But when she meets a little boy who also shares his fears, Boo realises that perhaps Halloween - and the dark - aren't quite as scary as she thought.
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We're Going on a Ghost Hunt, by Martha Mumford and Cherie Zamazing
We're going to a ghost hunt! Come and join the fun! Get ready to celebrate Halloween as four bunnies set off on a spooky lift-the-flap adventure to find five little ghosts hidden under the flaps. There are all sorts of exciting things to see along the way, from screechy bats and black cats to white owls and pumpkins! Can you help the bunnies with their trick-or-treating and get them back home in time for bed?
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Would You Rather: Halloween, by Donna David and Eamonn O'Neill
A super silly this-or-that choosing book - the perfect Halloween treat for little monsters everywhere! Would you rather have eight legs to scurry through the night? Or would you rather spread your wings and take a midnight flight? Spider or bat? Skeleton or monster? Cute cat or wily werewolf? In this laugh-out-loud rhyming picture book, preschool readers are given a fun choice on each page, with bouncy read-aloud text, bright, colourful illustrations and loads to spot along the way. It's packed full of spooky fun, plus an amazing fold-out game at the end and reading tips for grown-ups.
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The Skull, by Jon Klassen
In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both?
A Super Scary Narwhalloween, by Ben Clanton
In the hilarious eighth book of this blockbuster graphic novel series, Narwhal and Jelly celebrate the spookiest time of the year - Halloween - with a super twist!
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The Legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart, by Loretta Schauer
For Lil, life at the Squawking Mackerel inn couldn't be more miserable. She's tasked with the sloppiest, grottiest jobs and picked on at every turn. Her only friend is Augustus Scratchy, a cantankerous crow with a habit of stealing. When the dread villain Rotten Bob Hatchet and his gang of cut-throat highwaymen begin attacking travellers on the road, things get really dire.
Joining forces with a new servant boy, Ned, and armed with the contents of the inn's lost property cupboard, a pocket full of revolting dumplings and some knicker elastic, Lil comes up with a plot to scare off Rotten Bob. And so the legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart the Demon Highwayman is born! Dangerous highwaymen, furious crows, ludicrous underwear, and a turnip apocalypse - stand and deliver!
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The Clackity, by Lora Senf
Evie Von Rathe lives in Blight Harbor - the seventh-most haunted town in America - with her Aunt Desdemona, the local paranormal expert. Des doesn't have many rules except one: Stay out of the abandoned slaughterhouse at the edge of town. But when her aunt disappears into the building, Evie goes searching for her. There she meets The Clackity, a creature who lives in the shadows and seams of the slaughterhouse. The Clackity makes a deal with Evie to help get Des back in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffrey Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor a hundred years earlier.
Evie reluctantly embarks on a journey into a strange otherworld filled with hungry witches, penny-eyed ghosts, and a memory-thief, all while being pursued by a dead man whose only goal is to add Evie to his collection of lost souls. Will she ever find Des, or is The Clackity planning something far more sinister?
House of Shivers, by R.L. Stine
This series features an ALL NEW line-up of incredible villains, with iconic monsters as you've never seen them before, whose antics are destined to make them every bit as beloved as Slappy.
Deadly Deep, by Jennifer Killick
It's summer term and time for a school trip with a difference! Year 8 are on a boat off the coast of France, learning about ocean life. But things are about to get weird. Who is the creepy man on board the ship? And what is the vast, shadowy creature seen lurking at the bottom of the ocean? When the ship is sunk Club Loser realise that they are the only ones who can save the day, and their classmates. Can they outwit and defeat a giant, deadly sea monster from the depths? It's a fight for survival and if they fail, Club Loser will find themselves in a watery grave.
Lonely Planet Kids: Spooky Stories of the World, by Wendy Shearer
This spine-tingling collection of spooky stories features over 20 eerie tales from across the globe. Discover bewitching retellings of ghost- and monster-filled myths regaled with ghoulish relish and journey continent-by-continent through this haunting book. With shocks and twists like you wouldn't believe - are you brave enough to read them all?