Every
child has their own level of spooky and scary they can handle, so
I’ve tried to pick a range of books here for the Halloween and October
season.
3 Flavors of Scary:
Very Mild
Slightly Spookier
Spookier Still!
**all ratings from GoodReads
Very Mild:
By Ed Emberly
4.18 avg rating — 7,415 ratings
A
masterful book for toddlers and pre-k kids that allows them to
construct, then deconstruct a monster’s face. They get to be in control
and assert they’re not afraid!
The
Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams—For
the very young, this is a nice repetitive text as the woman encounters
various items of clothing along the road that follow her. Never becomes
too scary because, well, this little old lady is not afraid of anything.
Has a cute ending too. Ages 3-6.
Lexile: AD550Lin Spanish!
Fuera de aqui, horrible monstruo verde!
by Mo Willems
**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal
4.24 avg rating — 5,966 ratings
What
happens when a monster just can’t scare anyone? This adorable little
tale of what it takes to be a monster—and what it takes to be a friend,
isn’t likely to scare anyone, but it’s worth a few chuckles. Ages 3-8.
Reading Information:
Word Count: 263
Page Count: 48
Accelerated Reader: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 88782
Lexile: AD670L
by Lisa Wheeler
pictures by Mark Siegel
**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal
**Starred Review** ALA BookList
3.74 avg rating — 155 ratings
The
knights of the castle are awoken by the sounds of the madcap monster
ball going on in the castle. At first a bit alarmed, they finally join
in the fun. Ages 3-8.
Lexile: AD440L
by Margaret Read MacDonald
3.93 avg rating — 188 ratings
Not
so much spooky as hilarious as a squeaking door scares a little boy and
the grandmother keeps trying to remedy the situation with more and more
sleeping companions (a cat, dog, pig, etc.). Worth a read and great for
those who really don’t like books with monsters or other spooky stuff.
Word Count: 862
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 1.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 105562
Lexile: AD250L
by Ruth Brown
3.83 avg rating — 180 ratings
You’ve
probably heard a version or two of this tale before. It gets repetitive
and is best read allowed in a slightly eerie voice. The dark, dark,
wood leads to a dark, dark, house . . . and so forth. Everyone waits for
the surprise at the end, which in Ruth Brown’s tale is very tame and
adorable. Ages 3-6.
Lexile: 400L
by Robert San Souci
**Starred Review** Kirkus
3.93 avg rating — 624 ratings
A
rhyming version of the Cinderella story, but with skeletons! Not really
all that spooky, but I thought it deserved a mention here. Ages 5-8.
Word Count: 1,139
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 5.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 51023
Lexile: NP
by Mercer Mayer
4.20 avg rating — 7,913 ratings
A
young boy decides to confront the monster in his closet. Adorably
illustrated and told in classic Mercer Mayer style! Ages 3-6.
Word Count: 153
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 5545
Lexile: AD670L
Slightly Spookier
by Paul Galdone
3.84 avg rating — 182 ratings
Another
story that’s got plenty of retellings out there. A teeny-tiny woman
finds a teeny-tiny bone and winds up with more than a teeny-tiny
haunting for her trouble. The last line is a great one for some
chuckles. Ages 6-8.
Lexile: NC880L
The Funny Little Womanretold by Arlene Mosel
Blair Lent (Illustrator)
**1973 Caldecott Winner**
3.92 avg rating — 1,268 ratings
The
folk tale of a woman who chases her dumpling that falls into a crack in
the floor and winds up facing a family of Oni demons. Now she must
escape the Oni and return home! Ages 6-9yrs.
Word Count: 845
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 7568
Lexile: 570L
by Paul Galdone
4.10 avg rating — 21 ratings
An
old irish tale that Galdone retells here of a gravedigger who has a
chilling encounter with cats. Spooky and atmospheric without every being
truly frightening, it’s a great one for reading aloud and storytelling
on a dark evening. Ages 6-12 yrs.
by Donna Washington
4.25 avg rating — 20 ratings
An
old ghost story revisited where progressively larger and larger cats
ask the visitor to the house “are you gonna be here when John gets
here?” This great retelling leaves the ending a bit open, so your
readers can decide who “John” is. Deliciously spooky. Ages 8-12.
The Dancing Skeletonby Cynthia C. DeFelice
illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker
3.83 avg rating — 24 ratings
An
ornery man who dies refuses to stay in his coffin when a fiddler comes
to pay respects to his widow. A fun and creepy tale to tell aloud. 6-12.
Word Count: 837
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 110866
Spookier Still!
--an Irish ghost story
AND HERE
by Jim Murphy
illustrated by John Manders—
3.83 avg rating — 35 ratings
Fergus,
the laziest boy in town encounters a demon one night who declares his
time has come. But our clever lad figures a way out of certain doom—and
learns his lesson! Ages 8-12.
Word Count: 1,460
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 110644
by Joanna and Paul Galdone
4.19 avg rating — 150 ratings
A
bit scarier than King of the Cats! In this story a man cuts off the
tail of a strange beast and eats it for dinner, only to have the beast
come back, looking for it’s tail! Nicely Chilling. Ages 8-12.
Word Count: 922
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 6500
Lexile: AD880L
by Jack Prelutsky
4.21 avg rating — 102 ratings
Master
children’s poet Jack Prelutsky penned this creepy poetry collection
back at the beginning of his career—and also pennedThe Headless Horseman
Rides Tonight. These poems are ghastly, grim and gross—delightful fare
for the Halloween season! Ages 8-12
Lexile: NP
Reading Counts!: 6.3 / points:2.0
by Angela Shelf Medearis
illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers
4.17 avg rating — 29 ratings
A
cook desperate for the money reward offered takes up the challenge to
stay at a haunted house overnight. Sifty-Sifty Sam comes calling and our
hero finds a way to satisfy a hungry ghost. Ages 8-12.
Word Count: 1156
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 18676
based on the poem
AND HERE
by Mary Howitt
illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi
4.19 avg rating — 4,711 ratings
You
might be familiar with this creepy poem, but DiTerlizzi’s illustrations
are brilliant in helping convey the mood and providing for an eerie
counterpart. Fun to read with older kids! Ages 9-12.
Word Count: 692
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 64285
Lexile: NP
See also,
More Spooky Books for Middle-Schoolers
compiled by Shan
updated by Pam - October 2013