Happy Halloween!
For this edition of Child(ish) Reads, we’re going into the ghost stories from our past. From my last trip to the used book store, I grabbed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, In a Dark, Dark Room, and a handful of Goosebumps. Both of my girls like Halloween and spooky characters in picture books, but they have been particularly reluctant when it comes to scary reading and movies. So I wanted to try these on for size and see if they could turn the corner.
In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
This book is clearly labeled for ages 4-8, and qualifies as an I Can Read Level 2. It’s a collection of short stories, using vocabulary that is easy to sound out and string together. It has illustrations throughout and you can read it completely in about 20 minutes.
I remember reading In a Dark, Dark Room in elementary school during reading aloud. The Girl with a Green Ribbon is a classic and somehow has a lot more lasting power than the others. Overall, this is a really quick read and the illustrations aren’t as graphic. There are elements of surprise, but also dark humor. The stories (obviously) play on things you can’t see in the dark and that can make kids a bit uneasy, but nothing is directly threatening.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell.
According to the publisher, this story collection is aimed at ages 7-11. This title ups the ante by explaining that these stories are meant to be retold, setting the stage for spooky campfires and The Midnight Society. We appreciate that it has voice and action cues as you read.
The stories are also grouped together by content, so you have a section of JUMP stories, ghost stories, cursed objects, urban legends, and scary but funny stories. Each story is 1-3 pages long and the type is normal-sized but not dense. A kid could read a section in one sitting.
TBH, these stories are actually scary. Maybe not slasher scary, but you have darker illustrations (not cartoon-y), contorted body horror, the undead, the occult, etc. There is also a lot foreshadowing, suspense and tension, and realism. So it’s a departure from fantasy/magic and into more realistic horror scenarios.
Be a little more cautious with this collection. If your kid is into scary, then they would know this difference between fiction and reality. If your kid is prone to nightmares, wait until they are a bit older.
Goosebumps, Series by R.L. Stine
I stayed firmly in Goosebumps and not on Fear Street, but that’s just me. Goosebumps titles are chapter books meant for kids ages 7-12, Fear Street is firmly teen horror, aimed for middle school grades.
I loved getting the newest Goosebumps book as a kid, then getting so sad because I finished it in a day and would have to wait another three months for a new one. I’d collect them, watch the TV series, grab the special edition Choose Your Adventures; the list goes on. Then I graduated to middle school where they became a little too easy, and dare I say uncool…
These are great if your kid is a voracious reader. There are over 60 titles and they are not nightmare-inducing. Goosebumps walks the line of stories being scary but not gruesome. Cursed cameras, talking dummies, a camp where kids disappear; they are all pretty playful and the characters are actually kids themselves. This makes a huge difference in relatability, language, and point-of-view.
I think this pretty much covers my personal evolution into reading horror and thrillers as a elementary-age kid. There are some great titles that really do bridge age groups and let kids grow within the genre. We’ve also made a quick list of more new and old titles by age that we think are worth a place in your library.
Early Reader 5-7
The Eerie Elementary Series by Jack Chabert
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Schar
The Haunted Library Series by Dori Hillestad Butler
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Middle grade 8-12
Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
You’re Invited to a Creepover Series by P.J. Night
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (Not gonna lie, I’d forgotten about this book and then got so excited when it popped up in my search)
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Admittedly, I don’t read a lot of Young Adult titles (ages 13-16), but his genre has blown up in the last five years right alongside dark fairy fantasy. There are a ton of new YA horror titles, but of course I’m going to throw out some Millennial options. Most classic gothic literature should be fine to start at this age as well.
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Frankenstein, for you AP students
I also liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was just kinda okay…
Have a great time trick-or-treating tonight, and we hope you keep these scary titles in your rotation all year round.
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