In anticipation of Halloween, we’ve rounded up a number of new and festive books for young readers, including atmospheric picture books, chilling middle grade tales, ghostly graphic novels, and more.
Picture Books
Matthew Forsythe. S&S/Wiseman, $19.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-5344-7820-6. Ages 4–8. Young Aggie is thrilled to move into her own forest home. But the new digs come with an unexpected resident: a one-eyed ghost who isn’t scary—just supremely present. The book received a starred review from PW.
Andrea Zuill. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5938-1496-3. Ages 4–8. Something going “THUD!” in the night has turned the once-ordinary snail protagonist of this picture book into a vampire, and now he no longer fits into the snail community. The book received a starred review from PW.
Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat
Julien Chung. Beach Lane, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66595-478-5. Ages 4–8. The latest installment in the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom series teaches readers the alphabet with a spooky twist.
Holly Swain. Boxer, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4547-1251-0. Ages 3–6. Moving into a fabulously freaky moat-surrounded castle, black-shrouded protagonist Colin is “one very happy vampire.” But his undead bliss is short-lived when he discovers that a green duck also claims the castle as its own—or at least wants Colin for a roomie.
Creepy Sheepy
Lucy Ruth Cummins, illus. by Pete Oswald. Flamingo, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-69389-6. Ages 3–7. The titular sheep hopes to find the best costume for Halloween but struggles when they discover everyone else chooses the same costume as him.
Beth Ferry, illus. by Charles Santoso. Roaring Brook, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-80421-1. Ages 3–6. A “mystery pet” provides a plucky, green-haired sorceress with an embodied experience of patience in this polished picture book. The book received a starred review from PW.
The Fib
Pedro Iniguez, illus. by Nathan Kwan. Gloo, $19.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-962351-30-0. Young Pepe tells a small lie about a creature he can bring for show and tell, but his fib transforms into a bigger problem than expected.
Dan Gemeinhart, illus. by Hugo L. Cuellar. Holt, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-2508-9225-6. Ages 4–7. Kid mad scientist Frank N. Stine craves a gingerbread person, but he’s all out of mix. Improvising with unlikely ingredients, he creates the eponymous confection—a hot mess of a cookie with a life of its own.
Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts
Annie Sullivan, illus. by Paula J. Becker. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70960-3. Ages 4–8. In the middle of a game of “hide-and-shriek,” Ghouldilocks follows a series of eerie sounds to an abandoned house in which a familiar chain of events unfolds.
Goodnight, Broom: A Spine-Tingling Spoof
Deb Adamson, illus. by Ma Pe. Grosset & Dunlap, $8.99 (20p) ISBN 978-0-593-75364-4. Ages 1–3. Goodnight Moon takes on a haunted hue in Adamson’s board book send-up, which echoes the source text’s rhythmic intonation for an amusingly spell-binding effect.
Mamiko Shiotani, trans. from the Japanese by Polly Lawson. Floris, $18.99 (36p) ISBN 978-1-78250-926-4. Ages 3–6. A brave and curious child’s persistence helps a solitary spirit find connection in Shiotani’s softly told story about overcoming fear.
Hap-Pea Halloween
Keith Baker. Beach Lane, $9.99 (24p) ISBN 978-1-66594-026-9. Ages 4–8. The latest installment of The Pea series traces the pod of pals on their Halloween evening.
Leonard Builds a Haunted House
Mike Ciccotello. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-374-39244-4. Ages 4–8. Ciccotello amusingly draws on haunted house tropes in this crisp, construction-oriented picture book about a crew of ghosts who seek to build a dream home after developers buy their condemned residence.
Maddie Frost. Clarion, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-326783-1. Ages 4–8. A spectral narrator chronicles the ups and downs of older siblinghood in this relatable tale spotlighting family dynamics. The book received a starred review from PW.
Helen Kemp Zax, illus. by Kiersten Eve Eagan. Abrams Appleseed, $14.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7895-7. Ages 3–5. Sorcery joyously infuses a child’s day in Zax’s pleasant rhyming take on one witch’s accounting of tasks.
Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party
Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza, illus. by Hannah Peck. Viking, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-69301-8. Ages 3–7. Aspiring bruja Luna agrees to help with Halloween party-planning in exchange for witchcraft lessons.
Millie Fleur Saves the Night
Christy Mandin. Orchard, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-339-02337-3. Ages 4–8. Titular gardener Millie hopes to attract the night creatures that once resided in her garden, but must convince fellow residents to turn out the lights. See our q&a with Mandin on this sequel to her hit picture book, Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden.
Dan Poblocki, illus. by James Rey Sanchez. Penguin Workshop, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-75106-0. Ages 3–7. When two siblings visit Gramma and Grampa’s new house, the elders joke that there’s a resident phantom, and the children attempt to become ghostbusters to banish it.
Pascal Lemaître. Viking, $10.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-5936-9520-3. Ages 3–5. On All Hallow’s Eve, witch-costumed child Ellis casts “Abracadabra”s around a napping Dad, who pranks the child by placing a pumpkin in his spot when Ellis isn’t looking.
Scary Shark: A Jaw-Some Halloween
Mike Lowery. Orchard, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5461-1078-1. Ages 4–8. In this follow-up to Santa Shark and Pizza Shark, Edgar is frightened by the costumes on Halloween, but learns that the festivities are meant only to replicate scary creatures, not become them.
Zoey Abbott. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66595-602-4. Ages 4–8. Done with “adorable” Halloween costumes, a child makes what feels like a monumental proclamation: “This year, a witch!” The book received a starred review from PW.
Rachel Michelle Wilson. Orchard, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-339-03195-8. Ages 4–8. Wilson’s winsome book coaches readers in ghost-catching with practical guidelines that demonstrate psychological acuity.
Justin Colón, illus. by Kaly Quarles. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-6659-2250-0. Ages 4–8. The much-feared titular ghouls of this picture book are green, decaying flying insects that rise from the graveyard. But when humans come to attack them, the Zombees swear they’re just misunderstood.
Novels and Graphic Novels
Paul Tremblay, illus. by Sam Wolfe Connelly. Quill Tree, $19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-0633-9635-7. Ages 8–12. A withdrawn tween must stop an enigmatic newcomer from usurping his family and his life in this unnerving horror novel.
Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery
Kacy Ritter. Storytide, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-06-334857-8. Ages 8–12. When the sacred Monarch of Fright crown is stolen ahead of Halloween, 13-year-old Elvira Vance aims to prove that an accused chupacabra is innocent. The book received a starred review from PW.
An Encantadora’s Guide to Monstros and Magic
Sarah J. Mendonca. Quill Tree, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-33501-288-3. Ages 8–12. Tween Rosa Coelho practices her skills as a keeper (a magical locksmith) in secret, and when her family falls into debt, she utilizes her powers to join an infamous group of thieves. The book received a starred review from PW.
Kennedy Tarrell. Feiwel and Friends, $25.99 hardcover (208p) ISBN 978-1-250-83996-1; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-83995-4. Ages 14 and up. In the upbeat fantasy realm of Idlewood, nonbinary teen Hawthorne accidentally becomes the leader of the infamous Brigade of Shade, a formerly destructive political organization, and must navigate adversaries gunning for their position.
Whitney Gardner. Simon & Schuster, $23.99 hardcover (256p) ISBN 978-1-6659-3813-6; ISBN 978-1-6659-3812-9. Ages 10 and up. A fast-talking ghost mentor, an endearing tween, and a possibly cursed musical instrument combine in this emphatically rock-’n’-roll graphic novel that riffs on themes of identity, legacy, and learning to own one’s sound. See our q&a with Gardner.
Gillian Cross, illus. by Sarah Horne. Union Square, $8.99 (72) ISBN 978-1-4549-6035-5. Ages 8–12. Ryan and his best friend Dot make a nighttime visit to the Ghost Tower, a purportedly haunted building, and discover that the tower is scheduled to be demolished.
Jessixa Bagley. S&S, $14.99 (232p) ISBN 978-1-6659-2232-6. Ages 8–12. In this series starter, young witch Jazzy struggles with having confidence in her magical abilities and rather than learn how to navigate her broom, takes to other methods of transportation. The book received a starred review from PW.
Nia Davenport. Bloomsbury, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-5476-1296-3. Ages 13 and up. Cayden is humiliated when she discovers that her new crush Mekhi is part of the royal witch court that excommunicated her family, and plots revenge against him.
Brian Nathanson and Margaret Rae, illus. by Beck Kubrick. Andrews McMeel, $22.99 hardcover (240p) ISBN 978-1-5248-8646-2; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-1-5248-8645-5. Ages 10 and up. Young, green-skinned monster Poe and her found family of fellow creatures are forced to evacuate their safe place from humans, but encounter human Vaughn who promises to help them to safety.
Stitch: Reimagining Frankenstein
Pádraig Kenny. Walker US, $17.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-5362-4198-3. Ages 8–12. For more than 300 days, Stitch has awaited the reemergence of the professor, his creator, but upon discovering the professor has died, he attempts to take over his duties.
