Halloween Books for Kids and Teens
It’s finally spooky season! And just in time, we have a collection of Halloween books for kids and teens. Some are cute, some are creepy, some are silly, and some are sweet, so there is something for everyone! We have board books, picture books, and graphic novels, as well as middle grade and YA.
Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Halloween Books for Kids and Teens
Don’t miss these new Halloween books for kids and teens!
This adorable board book is perfect for little hands to explore! Even older kids will find it hard to resist all of the tabs to pull and slide. Little ones will love playing “peekabo” with all of the Halloween items, like bats, ghosts, and potions.
Buy Peekaboo Pumpkin on Amazon or Bookshop
This joy-filled book for young readers celebrates all of the wonderful things about Halloween, like costumes, carving pumpkins, and telling scary stories. I especially love how diverse the characters in the book are, such as the Sikh teacher at the narrator’s school. A fun read to get kids excited about Halloween, as well as a great conversation starter as children share what *their* favorite thing about Halloween is.
Buy 10 Things I Love About Halloween on Amazon or Bookshop
We Planted a Pumpkin is a charming fall read for little ones, showing the long process it takes for a seed to become a pumpkin. The two (diverse) children who plant the seed cheer it on throughout its various stages of development, the illustrations clearly showing the pair’s barely contained excitement. A cute book with just a touch of suspense, as the children wonder if their pumpkin will be ready in time for Halloween!
Buy We Planted a Pumpkin on Amazon or Bookshop
Sophie is excited for her First Night of Howlergarten, but she’s also worried that she won’t fit in with the other werewolf pups. What if she doesn’t transform when the full moon rises but instead stays a human forever? As she struggles to complete her tasks at school, she worries it is a sign that her fears will come true and she is not a true werewolf. This book addresses the idea of identity and fitting in on several levels, as Sophie is biracial (in the human sense). A great book about discovering what is most important in finding your pack – hint, it’s not being exactly alike!
Buy First Night of Howlergarten on Amazon or Bookshop
This sweet wordless picture book is on the surface an adventure story of a jack-o’-lantern trying to recover his favorite toy. But on a deeper level it shows young readers how challenges can bring out your inner strengths. The timid jack-o’-lantern discovers that he has a light within that can illuminate the dark places he must enter to rescue his beloved toy. Moreover, he discovers that some of the creatures he feared were also missing someone and needed help. A charming story of bravery and self-discovery.
Buy The Light Inside on Amazon or Bookshop
See the Ghost is a collection of short stories for early readers, from the award-winning team behind See the Cat and See the Dog (read my review). This new collection is perfect for Halloween, as it is all about things you cannot see, like a ghost, the wind, and a fairy. I love how “meta” these stories are, helping kids to think about how stories are constructed. For example, when the wind blows all the characters and words off the page, the narrator doesn’t know what to do next! This book is the perfect example of how stories don’t have to be complicated or use a lot of big words to be intriguing and funny. Even children whose vocabulary is still rather limited can enjoy the gentle humor of this wonderful book.
Buy See the Ghost on Amazon or Bookshop
Vlad is a fabulous vampire, but he’s afraid to show everyone his shocking secret. Though he dresses in elegant black like the others, his rosy pink cheeks show that underneath it all, he doesn’t really fit in. He lives in fear that he will be discovered, but he finds out that his best friend has a shocking secret of her own, together they realize that it’s better to embrace what makes you unique. I love that this book teaches kids it’s okay to be different, and when it’s scary to show others our true selves, we can rely on our friends to support us. Vlad also learns that sometimes you have to leave your own small community to experience other ways of being. Drago’s amazing artistic talent is on full display here, incorporating elements of traditional Mexican motifs. Fans of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost and Leila, the Perfect Witch will be delighted to see these two on these pages as well as wonderful new characters.
Buy Vlad, the Fabulous Vampire on Amazon or Bookshop
The young witch Merlina and her friend Igor the dragon are excited to harvest the pumpkins at harvest time. When Igor steps on a thorn, he begs Merlina to use magic to remove it. Unfortunately, her spells sometimes go a bit wrong. Luckily, Igor accidentally discovers a very surprising cure when he eats a chili pepper! A sweet and funny story of two friends facing challenges together. The stunning artwork gives a dreamy quality to this gorgeous book.
Buy Merlina and the Magical Mishap on Amazon or Bookshop
This lively graphic novel for younger readers stars a skeleton who just wants to play music. Yet whenever Skeleanor plays, the townspeople run away screaming. Can she find a way to play the music she loves without scaring everyone? Will the local music teacher be able to see past their differences to recognize Skeleanor’s talent? A fun read for music lovers and anyone who has ever felt discouraged from doing what they love.
Buy Skeleanor, the Decomposer on Amazon or Bookshop
This is a wonderfully creepy early chapter book about the friendship between a young girl and a skull. New York Times best-selling author Jon Klassen based the story on a traditional Tyrolean tale about a girl who takes refuge in an abandoned house after she runs away from home. Only the house isn’t abandoned. It is occupied by a skull, who turns out to be a gracious host. What develops between the two is the sincerest form of friendship, where too many questions aren’t asked, and one waits until the proper time to ask them. That friendship is put to the test when the skull’s secret is revealed, and the girl must decide whether (and how) to help her new friend.
Buy The Skull on Amazon or Bookshop
This series is perfect for any kids who wonder what it would be like to go to a school for witches – without actually being a witch! Bea has just moved to Little Spellshire, and her absent-minded father accidentally signs her up for witch school instead of the perfectly *normal* school in town. As Bea does her best to fit in, she relies on her trusty diary to keep her company and help her sort out her thoughts. Early chapter book readers will gobble up Bea’s diary entries of her many misadventures at witch school, including her attempts to levitate objects, which inevitably leads to her setting something on fire.
In the second book in the series, Bea prepares for the Halloween Ball, at the same time as she continues to try to persuade her father to enroll her in a normal school. Yet the secretive policies of witch school mean that Bea can’t tell him about her school’s true nature. Can she improve her witchy skills without revealing the secret to her father? And why is her former bully suddenly helping her with her assignments? Bea’s narrative voice comes through so clearly, and her witty take on her daily adventures at witch school make this series a must read.
Buy Diary of an Accidental Witch: New Girl on Amazon
Buy Diary of an Accidental Witch: Halloween Ball on Amazon
Fans of Crimson Twill will be glad to see her return in a new adventure, as she prepares to welcome her city friends to her country home. Crimson can’t wait to share her favorite country activities with her friends, like helping the rotten apples ripen, but somehow everything goes horribly wrong. But in the end, she discovers that when you are with friends, everything is a terrific adventure, even when it doesn’t go to plan. A fun read and great reminder that things don’t have to be perfect to be perfectly wonderful.
Buy Crimson Twill: Witch in the Country on Amazon or Bookshop
My daughter adores the Olivia Wolf graphic novel series, even though I am forcing her to read it in the original Spanish. Olivia is just a regular kid werewolf, hanging out with her friends in a town where monsters and humans live together in harmony. Yet when strange things start to happen, Olivia and her friends spring into action. In book one, they must solve the case of the missing teacher, which is somehow (maybe?) connected to a missing, moldy sandwich. Then in book two, they must battle creatures of the night to discover why the darkness is stretching on long past when the morning light should have dawned. Your kids will love this gang of incredible monster & human friends and their spooky adventures!
Buy Olivia Wolf and the Moldy Sandwich on Amazon or Bookshop
Buy Olivia Wolf y el sándwich con extra de moho on Amazon or Bookshop
Buy Olivia Wolf and the Night of the Giant Monsters on Amazon or Bookshop
Buy Olivia Wolf y la noche de los monstruos gigantes on Amazon or Bookshop
The Stitch Head series of popular spooky chapter books is now available in paperback! Readers will fall in love again with the hapless Stitch Head, a discarded creation of the enigmatic Professor Erasmus. In this series, Stitch Head must face dangers within and without his beloved, creepy Castle Grotteskew, summoning his courage to fight ghosts and other villains that threaten his almost life. The gothic-inspired illustrations add to the dark mood of this satisfyingly spine-chilling series.
Buy Stich Head on Amazon
Buy Stich Head: The Pirate’s Eye on Amazon
Buy Stich Head: The Ghost of Grotteskew on Amazon
Candy snatching is a harmless crime. Or so 12 year old Jonas thinks. Each year, he and his friends compete to see who can steal the most candy from young trick-or-treaters. No one gets hurt, until one of the trick-or-treaters fights back. When Jonas starts to receive anonymous threatening notes in his locker, he worries that someone knows what happened that night. As his friend challenges him to confront his guilt and fear, Jonas must face all the messiness that comes from growing up. Debut author Phoebe Sinclair captures perfectly tween relationships and struggles over identity, and her narrator Jonas has a fresh, unique voice that readers will find relatable and compelling.
Buy Confessions of a Candy Snatcher on Amazon or Bookshop
Friends dare each other to take an amusement park ride through a haunted mansion. When the ride suddenly breaks down, they find themselves trapped inside the old building over night. Soon they discover that they might not be alone in the mansion. Can they survive the night and make it out alive?
Buy Monsterious: Escape from Grimstone Manor on Amazon or Bookshop
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