The leaves are changing, the air is getting cooler, pumpkins are everywhere … it’s the perfect time to settle in with some spooky books for girls! (Don’t worry — there are some great Halloween reads below even if spooky isn’t your cup of tea!)
Dead Voices
New best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are settling in for a relaxing winter break at a ski resort when a snowstorm strands them and Ollie starts having nightmares about frostbitten girls. Her watch flashes the warning BEWARE when they meet a ghost hunter investigating hauntings at the ski lodge. Enjoy more thrills and (literal) chills in this follow-up to Katherine Arden’s spine-tingling Small Spaces.
Jaclyn Hyde
Whether she’s baking cookies or planning her science fair project, the one thing Jaclyn insists on is that it be PERFECT. So when she finds a formula for “perfection potion” in a creepy abandoned house, she can’t resist taking it home. The potion turns her into “Jackie,” a monstrous version of herself who gets ahead by tearing other people down. This fun and thoughtful book by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White retells “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” while exploring the price of perfection.
Far Away
CJ travels the country with her Aunt Nic, a psychic medium who helps people speak with their departed loved ones in “Far Away.” CJ depends on Nic to keep her connected to her mother, who died shortly after CJ was born. When CJ can’t reach her mother through Nic, she goes on a road trip to track down an object she believes will tie her mother’s spirit back to earth. But what she finds instead has her questioning everything she has ever believed about her family.
Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball
For something a little lighter, visit the world of Nocturnia, where unicorns and glitter are the stuff of nightmares. When Prince Tangine captures Amelia Fang’s pet pumpkin, Squashy, she must plan a daring rescue. Along the way, she discovers Nocturnia is not quite what it seems in this series opener. If you like it, make sure to check out Amelia Fang and the Unicorns of Glitteropolis, Amelia Fang and the Memory Thief, and Amelia Fang and the Rainbow Rangers.
Absolutely Alfie and the Princess Wars
Have you ever disagreed with a friend over Halloween costumes? In the fourth book in the Absolutely Alfie series by Sally Warner and Shearry Malone, Alfie has promised to dress up as a bunny with her friend Bella. But when other girls in her class start calling dibs on princess costumes, Alfie realizes SHE wants to dress as a princess, too. Can she follow her heart and stay true to her friend at the same time?
More Spooky Books for Girls
If you’re looking for some Halloween fun that won’t give you a tummy ache (except from laughing) or sugar crash, check out the new novel-style Mad Libs books. Starting the series are the creepily hilarious Nightmare at Camp Smelly Lake and The Case of the Missing Dumpling.
Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell will get your spine tingling with its short stories perfect for reading aloud. And the illustrations just might keep you up at night.
If you’re looking for some real-life horror, read Michael Burgan’s overview of the “mass hysteria and many lives lost” in the Salem Witch Trials or Megan Cooley Peterson’s true ghost story, The Bell Witch.
Tired of the same old zombies and vampires? Check out The Atlas of Monsters by Sandra Lawrence and Stuart Hill, an illustrated guide to monsters around the world.