We asked Librarians to recommend some scary Halloween stories. You are warned!
The last few years, Alive! has reached out to Librarians at our favorite library, Los Angeles Public Library, for their recommendations for awesomely scare Halloween reads and watches. We have done the same for 2022, and 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. Enjoy these spooky stories, everyone! (Some are available via digital download; some are physical books available for curbside pickup. Search at lapl.org)
For Adults:
Compiled by Librarian Sheryn Morris
Children on the Hill
Jennifer McMahon
Podcaster Lizzy Shelley travels to Vermont to find an abducted girl who might be staying at the home of a supposedly sweet grandmother. Chock full of suspense, this adult novel will give the most jaded among us some scary thrills.
One-Shot Harry, Gary Phillips
A unique take on a crime investigation when an African American news photographer knows something and is not quite right about the cause of death of his good friend and Army buddy. Gary Phillips gives readers a compelling historical murder mystery that peels back the Los Angeles of 1963.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted From the Journals of John D. Watson, M.D.
Nicholas Meyer
In the Sherlock Holmes series, Dr. John H. Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ good friend and occasional sidekick. This novel riffs on that relationship when a newly discovered document takes the duo, along with a beautiful woman, into Tsarist Russia. They need to discover the document’s validity, but there are others who are hot on the same path.
For Teen/Young Adult Reader:
Compiled by Amanda Charles, Librarian III, and Llyr Heller, Librarian II
FICTION TITLES.
White Smoke
Tiffany D.
Jackson
The Halloween Moon,
Joseph Fink
Burn Down, Rise Up,
Vincent Tirado
All These Bodies
Kendare Blake
GRAPHIC NOVELS/MANGA TITLES.
Pumpkinheads: A Graphic Novel
Rainbow Rowell
Spell on Wheels
Kate Leth
Sheets
Brenna Thummler
Mooncake
Suzanne Walker
Death Note Short Stories
Tsugumi Oba
Tokyo Ghoul
Sui Ishida
For Young Readers:
Compiled by Librarians of the Children’s Literature Department
PICTURE BOOKS.
10 Spooky Pumpkins
Gris Grimly
In this spooky and whimsical countdown, a little girl encounters an array of Halloween haunts from black cats and witches to goblins and ghosts.
Boo Stew, Donna L. Washington
On Halloween, Moth Hush finds out a shocking family secret — she’s descended from witches, who have a long history in her hometown of Founder’s Bluff, Mass.
Gustavo the Shy Ghost, Flavia Z. Drago
Lucely Luna lives in St. Augustine, Fla. with her dad, who runs a ghost tour. She has the ability to see the spirits of her deceased family members, who take the form of fireflies. When their spirits start to dim, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, have to figure out how to protect them, and their town, from a magical menace!
If Animals Trick or Treated, Ann Whitford Paul
An agreement keeps a pair of twins separated, with Lee working with his mother and Felix serving his father. This is the story of a group of tweens who, joined by an unlikely ally, try to solve a murder while on a mission to outwit Death and Memory.
CHAPTER BOOKS.
Nina Soni, Halloween Queen Kashmira Sheth
Nina, with the help of her little sister, has created an awesome haunted house, but still hasn’t come up with a great Halloween costume, and now her best friend Jay is acting weird! Book 4 in a great early chapter book series.
The Pug Who Wanted to be a Pumpkin Bella Swift
Peggy the pug understands human language, so she knows that her best human friend, Chloe, is nervous about Halloween. Can she help Chloe find the perfect costume so she can have fun trick or treating? Read the book to find out!
Amelia Bedelia, Scared Silly Herman Parish
Desmond Cole lives in a spooky town filled with ghosts and spirits. When kids are being haunted, they call Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol!
DVDS.
Ghoulia
A zombie girl uses Halloween as an opportunity to make some friends. A short animated film based on the book by Barbara Cantini
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Slappy, everyone’s favorite creepy puppet, escapes from a haunted book along with other Goosebumps charactersi
