10 Halloween books for children

Buckle up, folks! The spooky season has arrived. As the delicious candies and scary costumes take over the nights, thrilling books would be the perfect way to end the haunting night. With giggles, chatters, and horror stories, the festive special books would certainly add a touch of decadent mystery. So, here’s a look at the 10 Halloween books for children that would instantly hype up the night, as everyone curls up in the blankets.

Meet the new pages in town, Mallory Vayle and her talkative Skull are in for a ride. While Mallory is composing herself with the superpowers, Maggoty – the skull – sees a wig at a shop and would not stop talking about it. However, her aunt takes the matter into her hands and summons a demon to increase her supernatural powers – which only makes things worse. With a dash of dark humor and comedic scripts, ‘Mallory Vayle and Maggoty Skull in… The Beast from Beneath’ by Martin Howard and Pete Williamson, is the ideal book for the spooky season.

Evie visits an old, creaky chateau of her godmother while her mother is on honeymoon. However, she looks at the strange ghostly figure at the window – and it’s 1814. The 13-year-old girl is a housemaid, where the grumpy housekeeper is throwing orders. A perfect read for 9+ years, ‘Evie’s Ghost’ by Helen Peters is about the girl who needs to use all her cunning skills to get out of a terrible situation, so that the future doesn’t fall apart in pieces.

Inspired by the classic story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, ‘Following Frankenstein’ revolves around Maggie Walton. Her father spent the entirety of his life searching for the monster created by the scientist, leaving Maggie and her family alone. Now the father is on his last travel along with Maggie, only to find out that the monster has a son. Written by Catherine Burton, the tale is as gripping as the scary skeleton claws in the dark.

Speaking of skeletons, meet three of them: big, small, and the dog, walking down the dark street. The curious bones have ventured out from their dark cellar and indulge in a little voyage to explore their dark town. Well, they play in the park and even visit the skeleton zoo animals – while everyone’s asleep. ‘Funnybones’ by Janet and Allan Ahlberg might be a 40-year-old story, but it’s a Halloween classic as ever.

The book tells a tale of two rival cousins, who have been living in ‘Skulkmoor’ – the house which is literary divided in half by a wall. The history precedes the time when the question of murder and inheritance divided the family. Now, the two cousins have to solve the mystery or else risk losing their house altogether. ‘Skulkmoor’ by Hana Tooke gathers the intrigue and curiosity needed to finish up Halloween’s spooky day.

It’s just a story on the pages about The Smiling Man…or is it? That’s at least what Ollie thought, who rescued a book from a river and came across the story of the creepy man. However, a school trip leads him to a farm, with a grave with the character’s name. The bus breaks down, the scarecrows are watching, and the need to save the classmates keeps getting serious. ‘Small Spaces’ by Katherine Arden tells the readers not to panic, but can the rule be followed?

Taking the time machine back in the early 20th century, ‘The Whisperling Twins’ by Hayley Hoskins revolves around the sisters who have the power to speak to ghosts. While Britain is at war, one of the sisters feels the need to be a part and help with their power. The other? Not so much. However, the panic takes over them after the people from their community go missing. The twins should solve the mystery together of what’s happening before they are next.

One of the classics, ‘The Witches’ by Roald Dahl, takes the readers on a frightening journey. In this fictional world, witches dress like ordinary people, talk like them, have jobs like them, and look like them. However, they are hungry for children, and the leader has a plan to make every child disappear. “One child a week is fifty-two a year. Squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear.” The plan only succeeds if the child and his grandmother cannot find a solution!

‘The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything’ really revolves around the title – who doesn’t get scared, even if objects come alive. As the old lady walks through the forest, she meets a menacing pumpkin and clothes that have life. While she walks past them in the woods, they don’t hesitate to knock on her door – leading to the ultimate twist. Written by Linda Williams, the book is also one of the classics from the 1980s.

This time, the witch is kind. As the witch and her loyal cat fly on the broom through the wind, the belongings sway away towards the animals, leading her to increase her friend group. However, she meets a dragon, who threatens her, and the animals come to her rescue. With a kind tale of friendship and teamwork, ‘Room for the Broom’ by Julia Donaldson might just be the perfect book for the little readers.