Scary Book List for Kids – Monster Librarian

To my knowledge there are no children's librarians or school media specialists out there who have not been asked the question "Where are the scary stories?" This list is for the 12 and younger crowd. It will be split into subcategories as time goes on.

Of note for teachers, librarians, and parents:

Anyone interested in the value of scary books for children ought to check out this article, recently published in the journal of the American Association of School Librarians:

Crawford, Philip Charles. "Hatching Their Wolfish Schemes: Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Wolves in the Walls." Knowledge Quest, Jan/Feb2006, Vol. 34 Issue 3, p39-41.

11/2/06: Reading Rockets has a great video interview with horror author R.L. Stine, a major influence on horror writing for children and teens. To get up close and personal, take a look here.

For Halloween please visit our Halloween Book List for Kids page as reviews will be added throughout the month of October each year.

1/11/11: Thanks to Taylor from Ms. B's class for pointing out an excellent resource for R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series.

All Hallows ABC by Jenni Kaye*New Review

Daring Ink Press, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-9884914-1-0

Available: Paperback and ebook edition

There are lots of Halloween alphabet books, but a majority tend toward the cute or use branded characters(or both). While theres absolutely nothing wrong with cute, the contemporary look of All Hallows ABC is a breath of fresh air. Bright and contrasting colors with solid shapes and figures are winners when it comes to getting the attention of young children, and the streamlined, All Hallows ABC will really appeal to parents looking for an attractive, cheerfully menacing, approach to the Halloween season. Jenni Kaye takes an original approach to choosing words to match each letter, as well. D is for Dark, I is for Imagining, U is for Unearthly. Each page gets its own letter and artwork, with the rhyming text and illustrations paired in some rather unusual combinations: P is for Princess has a black skeleton with a crown and a tower, for instancenot the image of a princess most of us normally conjure up; and T is for Tutu shows a smiling ghost wearing a purple tutu, rather than a ballerina. All Hallows ABC, with its clean lines and genuine enthusiasm for the Halloween season is a great choice for parents and kids who celebrate Halloween all through the month of October, tombstones and all. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno*New Review

Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-0307976819

Available: Hardcover

I received this book as an unfinished ARC from NetGalley. I have enjoyed Cynthia Voigts contemporary young adult novels in the past, and this middle grade mystery/adventure with its historical setting is a real departure from those, so I was very interested to see what she would do. Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things focuses on twelve year old Max Starling, the son of theatrical parents who withdraw him from school and then disappear on a journey, leaving him behind. Max, who has always been told he is independent, now has to test that by living at home on his own and making money to eat and pay for lessons. With a thorough knowledge of the theatrical characters his parents had played and their costuming, he is able to successfully navigate the adult world using disguises, without giving away that he is living alone.

This is the frame for the story, which consists of three mysteries that Max is asked to solve. While the mysteries are individual, they are also interconnected, with engaging (if not always likable) characters, and while events occasionally feel contrived, the solutions are not immediately clear. Following all the threads of the plot to see where they will go is enjoyable, even when theyre predictable. All of these, however, distract from the original problem of the disappearance of Maxs parents.

Voigt creates a setting rich in detail, beautifully complemented by illustrations by Iacopo Bruno, and her character development is solid. However, while some exposition and dialogue are necessary to establish these, it happens at the expense of the plot. Pages and pages of dialogue are devoted to the introduction of the second mystery, but nothing actually happens. Max also spends a great deal of time brooding over his independence and separation from his parents without actually taking action. There are many childrens books out there about children whose parents mysteriously disappear on a journey (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, for example), but, while there are occasional moments of action and suspense, there is a lot more sitting and brooding, and I kept waiting impatiently for Max to take a more active part in his own story. I think the target audience for the book will be impatient with this, as well. Although there are a few frightening moments, readers who are seeking out thrills and chills or a fast-paced plot will need to look elsewhere. The humor, intrigue, well-developed characters, and cliffhanger ending, however, will leave readers who like historical fiction and mysteries demanding more.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

A Good Night for Ghosts (Magic Tree House #42: A Merlin Mission) by Mary Pope Osborne

Random House Books for Young Readers, 2011 (reprint)

ISBN-13: 978-0375856495

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook (CD, Audible audio)

The premise of the Magic Tree House series is that siblings Jack and Annie have discovered a magical tree house that houses a library. Opening any book will transport them to the time and place the book is about. Their mentor is Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from Camelot, and through her and her assistants, Merlin the magician sends them on missions through mythical and historical times and places. While the books can be read as stand-alone titles, its best to read them in order. In A Good Night for Ghosts, Jack and Annie use the tree house to travel to New Orleans in 1915, on a mission to convince the teenaged Louis Armstrong, who grew up to be the King of Jazz, not to give up on his music. They find Louis, or Dipper, working multiple jobs, turning his back on music in order to support his family. Jack and Annie attach themselves to Dipper and insist on helping him with his jobs, although theyre unprepared for the hard physical labor (its pretty funny). Its clear that Dipper misses playing music, and most of the people who know him miss it as well.

When Jack, Annie, and Dipper are caught in a storm, they take shelter in Lafittes Blacksmith Shop, which has the reputation of being haunted. Three of Dippers friends, street musicians, decide to trick them, but after revealing themselves and bragging that theyre not afraid of ghosts, the real scare starts. The ghost of Jean Lafitte, and his ghostly pirate crew, arrives to terrorize all the kids, in what is actually a pretty terrifying scene for a seven year old reader. Luckily, a reluctant Dipper is able to distract the ghosts with his music. The scene in the haunted blacksmith shop scared and thrilled my kids when I read it aloud to them, and is good enough that theyve checked it out of the library more than once.

The logical thing would be for Dipper to recognize the value of his talent at this point, and take up his friends offer to join them for their upcoming jazz gig. The story is only slightly over 100 pages, and heavily illustrated, so theres not a lot of room for complexity. What happened instead was very frustrating for me. Jack and Annie are supposed to convince Dipper to get started on making music without revealing the future. He is so stubborn that in order to convince him they break their own rules and show him the history book that brought them to New Orleans, to show him that he would become a famous jazz musician.

Although they do succeed, the end of their adventure was sad for me, as when they asked Dipper to join them on a streetcar out of the city, he couldnt, because blacks and whites had to sit separately. Annie and Jacks surprise that anyone would treat blacks and whites differently is hard to believe, but this is the only overt reference to segregation or racism in the book. I havent read all the books, but I hope Osborne returns to address this issue in a later book.

While parts of the book are silly or simplistic, Osborne does a wonderful job of recreating time and place using very few words, and develops Dippers character nicely in a limited number of pages. Every book in this series is heavily researched, and this one is no different; she includes facts about Louis Armstrong in the back. A Good Night for Ghosts also has a nonfiction companion, Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #20: Ghosts. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

The Orphan of Awkward Falls by Keith Graves Chronicle Books, 2011 ISBN-13:978-0-8118-7814-2 Available: New

The Orphan of Awkward Falls tells the story of Josephine Cravitz, an inquisitive twelve-year-old who moves to the northern Canadian town of Awkward Falls with her eccentric parents. Awkward Falls is a strange town, known for its sauerkraut and its Asylum for the Dangerously Insane. Josephine explores her new neighborhood and stumbles upon a run-down mansion house, which is home to a strange little boy called Thaddeus Hibble. Thaddeuss only companions are a robot butler and a strange patchwork cat (that can speak). Josephine learns about the boys odd existence, and about the unorthodox work of his scientist grandfather. But the kids are in danger: the most dangerous inmate of the Asylum, Fetid Stenchley, has escaped and is heading their way

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Neil Gaimans Coraline, and its dark and unusual plot really had me gripped. As an adult, I found it a quirky and bizarre book. However, Im not sure how well it fits with its intended readership. The humor in the book, and its two young protagonists, seem designed to appeal to a middle grade audience. According to the publishers suggested reading level, it is aimed at readers aged thirteen and up, and the dark content (including cannibalism and a graphic description of electro-convulsive therapy) are perhaps more suitable for older readers. The story is accompanied by black-and-white pencil sketches, and some of these are really quite creepy. That said, it is an original tale with some unexpected twists definitely a good read for fans of slightly darker fiction. Recommended for middle grade and tween audiences.

Contains: references to cannibalism, murder, violence and medical experimentation

Reviewed by: Hannah Kate

Infestation by Timothy J. Bradley

Scholastic, 2013

ISBN-13:978-0545459044

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

When Andy Greenwood finds himself on the wrong end of the law and he is sent to the Reclamation School for Boys, located in the middle of the New Mexico desert. He runs into the usual bullies and strange administrators pretty quickly, but when meets his new roommate, Pyro, he learns that the facilities were once more than just a reform school. Then, a tremor releases an insect horror as giant killer ants attack the school en masse.

Bradley has created a wonderful homage to the creature feature and killer animal movies of the 50s and 60s, in a very readable and engaging manner that will work well for young adults. Refreshingly, Infestation has no underlying romance angle; its simply a scary book with terrifying giant killer ants.

Infestation definitely ought to be paired with the giant ant movie Them!, but there are a lot of other great connections to a wide variety of reading and media related to the book. Its reform school in the desert setting connects it to Louis Sachars Holes; the ant invasion connects it to Leinengen Versus The Ants(a terrifying short story of an invasion of carnivorous ants that I remember reading from my middle school English textbooksave it for that age group) and the recent Lovecraft Middle School books; giant insects and tremors connect this to more recent films like Tremors and Eight Legged Freaks. And, keeping in mind that Bradley previously authored nonfiction on bugs, Infestation also provides an opportunity to connect kids with science and the natural world.

When it comes to killer animal books, there is a gaping hole in books for tweens and teens that Bradleys book fills. This book is a must-add for both school media centers and public libraries. Highly recommended for ages 8 and up.

Contains: references to domestic violence and violence.

Review by The Monster Librarian

Professor Gargoyle: Tales from Lovecraft Middle School by Charles Gilman

Quirk Books, 2012

ISBN: 9781594745911

Available: New

Robert Arthur becomes a victim of redistricting, stuck with having to go to the new school, Lovecraft Middle School, where he is separated from all his friends and familiar faces (with the exception of Glen Torkells, a bully form his old school). Robert soon finds that not everything is normal at Lovecraft Middle School, where rats swarm through the hallway and the library is an amazing place that houses it own secrets. Even the teachers are strange; the mysterious Professor Garfield Goyle is like no other teacher Robert has run into before.

Charles Gilman has written an engaging book for young readers. The plot moves along at a decent pace, leaving enough questions that the reader will be enticed to turn to the next page looking for answers. The illustrations are a great complement to the story, and help visualize what is happening. While the writings of H.P Lovecraft are definitely not for children, Charles Gilman has written an entertaining and very kid friendly book that is age appropriate in form and content.

Review by the Monster Librarian

Scary School #2: Monsters on the March by Derek the Ghost

HarperCollins, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-0061960956

Available: New

(Please note that this review contains spoilers from the first book of the Scary School series.)

Monsters on the March is the 2nd book of the Scary School series and takes place shortly after the first book. Having been over a year since I read the first book in this series, I was excited to visit Scary School again. I wasn't sure if this book would hold up to the fun adventures Derek took us through with the first book, but he didn't disappoint.

The students of Scary School have won a trip to Albania to meet the Monster King. The students are very excited about this, but the trip becomes a bit more dangerous than expected, especially for Charles Nukid, who gets lost from the group and ends up having the Monster King's daughter, Princess Zogette, fall in love with him. You'd think having a Princess fall in love with you is a wonderful thing, right? But what if said Princess looks like a toad? "Ewww" you might say? If so, you have the same reaction that most of the students at Scary School have.

Derek the Ghost not only makes the adventures exciting, but he also introduces us to numerous new characters, including Princess Zogette and the Monster King, a new teacher named Morris Grump, who isn't quite all there, and many other creatures in the forest of Albania. Some of them might be a bit scary, so be prepared!

There are other fun things to read and do on the Scary School website (www.scaryschool.com) once you finish the book, including a couple of additional sections to read, like the secret chapter about the goblin's production of Little Red Riding Hood. You definitely don't want to miss out on that fun! So, get your thinking cap on and head out to Scary School for another fun adventure. In order to find out if Charles Nukid is able to rid himself of Princess Zogette or end up marrying her, be sure to read Derek the Ghost's second book about Scary School.

I recommend this fun little read to everyone!

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Scary Book List for Kids - Monster Librarian