We asked Librarians to recommend some scary Halloween stories. You are warned!
It’s that time again to get reading and get scared! And courtesy of the Librarians at the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library.
The last few years, Alive! has reached out to Librarians at our favorite library, Los Angeles Public Library, for their recommendations for awesomely scary Halloween reads and watches. We’re excited for another go-round in 2024. Here are fresh recommendations for you and your family this Halloween, traditionally the first event of the holiday season.
Thanks to the Librarians for their suggestions, and for their service and dedication to the City.
(Some recommendations are available via digital download; some are physical books available for checkout. Search at lapl.org)
Recommendations by: The Librarians of Teen’Scape, Central Library; The Librarians of the Literature and Fiction Dept., Central Library; The Librarians of the Children’s Literature Dept., Central Library; Compiled by Susan Lendroth, Los Angeles Public Library
For Adults:
The September House
Carissa Orlando
When Margaret and Hal bought the large, gorgeous Victorian house of their dreams for a steal, they couldn’t believe their luck. But then September came around. That’s when they discovered the ghosts, the bleeding walls and the terrifying presence in the basement. That would be enough to send anyone running. But Margaret is not one to let a single bad month out of the year ruin her dream. But when Hal goes missing and their adult daughter insists on a visit, in September of all months, Margaret will need to confront these horrific hauntings if she wants to save her family.
What Moves the Dead
T.K. Kingfisher
When soldier Alex Easton visits the home of their dear friends, Madeline and Roderick, in the rural countryside of Ruravia, they are shocked by the overgrown and decrepit nature of the estate. Mysterious fungi, seemingly possessed wildlife and a foreboding lake haunt the area, while excessive nerves and troubling night walks possess the homeowners. With the help of a nearby mycologist and an American doctor, Easton must try to solve the mystery of what ails this house in this eerie retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
Incidents Around the House
Josh Malerman
Young Bela lives at home with her mother, father and grandmother. But there’s also another family member who only Bela can see: Other Mommy, a scary presence who pleads with Bela, “Can I go inside your heart?” The longer Bela holds out, the stronger and scarier Other Mommy gets. As things around the house get worse and worse, Bela knows she will need to give Other Mommy an answer soon.
Just Like Home
Sarah Gailey
Despite their terrible past and the long years of silence between them, Vera returns home when her mother asks. But her mother isn’t the only one there. There is the alarming artist, intent on using their family trauma for his work, and the strange presence in her room that keeps her awake at night. Vera thought her family’s dangerous secrets were all exposed when her serial killer father went to jail, but it turns out there are more to be uncovered.
The Bad Seed
William March
The Bad Seed is William March’s greatest novel in a career noted for fine works. The 1956 film based on the book is a cult classic today, due in large part to the Academy Award-nominated performances of three of its four featured actresses: Nancy Kelly (Best Actress) and both Patty McCormack (who portrayed eight-year-old psychopath Rhoda Penmark) and future Oscar winner Eileen Heckart for Best Supporting Actress. March developed his characters and the backdrop of his story so well that despite its unusual subject matter (a cold-blooded child serial killer), this 1954 book became an immediate bestseller and remains a must-read for fans of socio/psychological horror.
For Teen/Young Adult Reader:
Malicia
Steven dos Santos
On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.
It Came from the Trees
Ally Russell
The legend of Bigfoot gets a bone-chilling update in this scary story about a young girl and her scout troop who are willing to brave the woods to find her missing friend when no one else will.
Grave Things Like Love
Sara Bennett Wealer
This narrative, a modern young adult romance with a paranormal twist, centers on Elaine, who learns that her family’s funeral parlor may be haunted. Elaine must face the secrets of her home and the kindred spirit that might occupy it as she navigates her feelings for two boys: Miles, her childhood friend, and Xander, a newbie ghost hunter.
The Mary Shelley Club
Goldy Moldavsky
A group of terrified high school kids creates a covert organization known as the Mary Shelley Club. When one of their own is the target of a ghostly figure, their horror-themed practical jokes take a sinister turn. The narrative honors vintage horror clichés while delving into issues of terror, friendship and the effects of trauma.
The Dead and the Dark
Courtney Gould
After their father disappears, the adolescent sisters in this eerie story decide to return to their homeland. They learn dark mysteries connected to the town’s ghostly past as they investigate the mystery surrounding his disappearance. The story combines supernatural thriller with aspects of LGBTQ+ representation and family issues.
She Is a Haunting
Trang Thanh Tran
Upon arriving at the house, Jade quickly realizes that it is not just old and creepy; it is haunted. Night after night, she experiences sleep paralysis and encounters unsettling phenomena, including strange sounds and ghostly apparitions. One particular ghost, a beautiful bride, warns her cryptically not to eat. Despite her alarming experiences, neither Ba nor her younger sister Lily believes her claims about the haunting.
Gallant
V.E. Schwab
Olivia Prior, the protagonist of this Gothic story, was raised in an orphanage and has no other means of ties to her past save her mother’s journal. She learns that her family’s mansion, Gallant, is haunted by ghouls and shadow people when she gets an invitation there.
What Big Teeth
Rose Szabo
After spending years away, Eleanor Zarrin goes home to face her evil family and its sinister past. In this book, horror and fantasy coexist as Eleanor deals with her family’s eerie presence and learns to accept their strange powers.
Within These Wicked Walls
Lauren Blackwood
An exorcist named Andromeda is hired to purge a haunted home, but she quickly becomes caught in its sinister mysteries. As Andromeda discovers the house’s secrets and navigates its terrible manifestations, this narrative seamlessly blends romance and horror.
Grimoire Noir
Vera Greentea
In the town of Blackwell, all the girls and women are witches. Bucky, the son of the town sheriff, secretly investigates the disappearance of his little sister with the on-and-foo help of Cham, the girl who used to be his best friend before she became a witch.
The Weight of Blood
Tiffany Jackson
This clever, modern homage to Stephen King’s Carrie also opens in the aftermath of a horrific prom night, with witnesses in social media messages, found footage, and podcast interviews all stating the same thing: “Maddy did it.” Forced to pass as white by her white-supremacist father, shy, bullied, biracial Maddy Washington is both the heroine and the monster of this chilling tale of a Southern high school’s first desegregated prom gone horrifically wrong.
For Young Readers:
Trick-or-Treating in the City
Tiffany D. Jackson; illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
What’s the best way to celebrate Halloween in the city? With some help from her friends, Janelle finds a way to create a new tradition in her neighborhood.
¡Vamos! Let’s Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos: a Halloween and Day of the Dead Celebration
Raúl the Third
In the border town of the ¡Vamos! picture books, neighbors and friends celebrate two holidays in two languages. On Halloween night, they go trick-or-treating in their scariest costumes. The next day, they put together a community altar to remember their loved ones on Día de los Muertos.
Zooloween
Alan Katz
A cat appears in Benjy’s front yard on Halloween and he is certain it is meant to be his, but his parents say no pets. Turns out the cat belongs to his next door neighbor’s granddaughter, Erika, who stays with her grandma during the week to attend a local school for the deaf. Erika and Benjy strike up a friendship and together they take care of her cat Fluffy.
Deja Ross Speaks to Freaks
Lisa Naffziger
On a road trip, seventh grader Deja Ross (dedicated cryptozoologist) meets El Chupacabra, who connects her to other legendary cryptids. When the owner of a local cryptid attraction and teen monster hunters put her new friends in danger, Deja has to figure out how to protect them.
