Halloween At Home: Spooky stories

We asked the Hawaii State Library for some Halloween recommendations for kids. Here is a roundup of a few spooky and silly books to help little ones and young adults get excited for the holiday.

Children

“The Wheels on the Bus at Halloween”

By Sarah Kieley

Children who know the song “The Wheels on the Bus” will have no trouble chiming in with this Halloween version, which features a spooky bus full of ghosts, witches, cats, pumpkins, candy and bats. Ages 2-6

“Gustavo, the Shy Ghost”

By Flavia Z. Drago

Gustavo is a shy ghost who can’t seem to make friends, but when he plays his violin, the beautiful music brings new pals around. Authentic details from Mexican culture and Day of the Dead celebrations can be found in the artwork. Enjoy this ghost story year-round. Ages 4-8

“The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky”

By Jory John

Halloween is the Bad Seed’s favorite holiday, but what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Ages 4-8

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“Trick or Treat, Crankenstein”

By Samantha Berger

A boy who turns into Crankenstein whenever he gets cranky receives more tricks than treats this Halloween. The illustrations are sure to generate lots of laughs. Ages 4-8

“The Okay Witch”

By Emma Steinkellner

It’s Halloween when middle-schooler Moth discovers she’s descended from a line of witches going back to 17th-­century Europe. Soon she meets a talking cat and falls into an enchanted diary. Ages 9-12

Young adults

“The Hazel Wood”

By Melissa Albert

When the scary, magical world in her grandmother’s book of dark feminist fairy tales becomes real, 17-year-old Alice, partnered with Ellery, an obsessed fan of the fairy tales, must enter the world to rescue Alice’s kidnapped mother. For grades 9+

“Anna Dressed in Blood”

By Kendare Blake

For three years, 17-year-old Cas Lowood has carried on his dad’s work of dispatching the murderous dead, traveling with his kitchen-witch mom and their spirit-sniffing cat, but everything changes when he meets Anna, a girl unlike any ghost he has faced before. For grades 8+

“I Hunt Killers”

By Barry Lyga

Seventeen-year-old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his notorious Dear Old Dad, but believes he has a conscience that will help fight his own urges and right some of his father’s wrongs, so he secretly helps the police apprehend the town’s newest murderer, The Impressionist. For grades 9+

“One of Us Is Lying”

By Karen M. McManus

When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of four high-profile students, all of them become suspects. For grades 9+

“The Screaming Staircase”

By Jonathan Stroud

Three teen members of a Psychic Detection Agency battle an epidemic of ghosts in London. For grades 5+

“Slasher Girls and Monster Boys”

By April Genevieve Tucholke

Inspired by classic tales and films, this collection of 14 short stories comes courtesy of acclaimed YA authors of every genre. Stories range from bloody horror to psychological thrillers, supernatural creatures, and unsettling, all-too-possible realism. For grades 8+