I bolted from the porch, ran around the house, across the snow-laden lawn, through the backyard, and the white trees, over a fence, through two more yards untouched by footprints, until I reached Bluff Drive, and with the bay sparkling below like ancient days, I stood there alone - alone and whole - and I waved wildly when I saw her car pass through the trees.
Because I like making lists and sharing info about stuff I like, I decided to share a small group of a few of my favorite books; specifically, ones that are SPOOKY somehow (some are about magic, some are about more sci-fi stuff, but all still a bit spooky). These are all books that I own, so this isn’t like a “top 50 best spooky books ever” kind of thing, just what I have on my shelf in no particular order. Also, these are all children and young adult books, I’ll save the grown-up horror books for a different list (these books vary in levels of spooky, from mild to hard-core, but are still generally safe for most people to read)
If you like to read and have some time to hunt these down, you might enjoy them. If you are into spooky stories, these might inspire you and provide ref for writing ideas-
BUNNICULA by Deborah and James Howe
NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE by Betty Brock
STONEWORDS A GHOST STORY by Pam Conrad
THE HALLOWEEN TREE by Ray Bradbury
MALICE by Chris Wooding (also, the sequel HAVOC)
CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO by Dale E Basye (seven books total in the series)
HOW TO DRIVE YOUR FAMILY CRAZY… ON HALLOWEEN by Dean Marney (originally titled “The Jack-O-Lantern that Ate my Brother)
SKULLDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy (nine books total)
THE HAUNTING OF DEREK STONE by Tony Abbot (four books total)
SCORPION SHARDS by Neal Shusterman (part of the star chronicle series)
WELL WITCHED by Frances Hardinge
(some descriptions of the books under the cut)
BUNNICULA by Deborah and James Howe
Told from the perspective of Harold the dog, we are introduced to a new family pet; a cute little bunny found in a box at the theater (that was showing Dracula). After the important task of naming the little fluff-ball Bunnicula is over, the family is content to have their new pet. Though, he is a little odd… he sleeps all day, and they never see him eat. The family cat Chester, Harold’s dear friend, is suspicious that this bunny isn’t all that he seems. Clues of what Bunnicula truly is begin to pile up, literally, when other members of the family discover vegetables that have been completely drained. Chester is convinced that when it comes to Bunnicula today it might only be vegtables, but tomorrow it could be the world! Harold isn’t quite so sure the “vampire rabbit” is dangerous, and Bunnicula might be the one who needs help.
NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE by Betty Brock
A mysterious child has come to live with a very rich woman, in her very big house, and brings with her a very tiny dog; Gloria, a talking dog and Annabel’s guardian, is looking after her. Annabel doesn’t think Gloria is strange. To her, this is a normal life, and she loves everything in the house… except the strange, tiny cat that appeared and started telling Annabel secrets. Annabel learns she is actually very strange, because she isn’t an ordinary little girl, she is half-fairy and can even fly! This isn’t all good news though. Annabel has to choose between different parts of who she is, and whatever she decides can change her life forever
STONEWORDS A GHOST STORY by Pam Conrad
Zoe’s mother brought her to live with her grandparents when she was very little, and on her first night at her new house, she could feel another little hand holding hers even though nobody else could see her “imaginary friend”. Zoe Louise and Zoe spend every day together, they play, they talk, they grow up together… well, Zoe grows, but Zoe Louise stays the same. Sometimes, Zoe Louise disappears up the door of the back stairs, and Zoe is afraid to follow her. As Zoe gets older, she finally takes a trip into her friend’s world, and realizes her friend needs her help, but she needed it a long time ago. When Zoe visits a cemetery and sees her name, her friend’s name, on a grave stone, she finally has the courage to go through the door and into the past, hopefully to change a terrible tragedy
THE HALLOWEEN TREE by Ray Bradbury
On Halloween night a group a friends meet to go trick-or-treating… but someone is missing. Pip, the best of them all, is supposed to be in the hospital for appendicitis, but his friends are sure they saw him run toward a creepy house, so they follow him. This is where they meet Mr. Moundshroud, and where they see a tree full of pumpkins on every branch, carved faces that range from looking almost human to ghoulish, candles glowing within them. Mr Moundshroud tells the kids that Pip has stolen a pumpkin from this tree, and has fled not just to another place but another time. In order to save their friend from a mysterious fate, the kids go on a journey to different eras around the world, where they learn meanings behind different traditions about life and death
MALICE by Chris Wooding (also, the sequel HAVOC)
Part illustration and part language, this book blends comics with the novel, as well as fantasy and reality. You see, there is a mysterious comic book, hard to find, and even if you get one the pages go blank after time passes… it depicts a strange and horrifying world called MALICE, full of monsters, and also children who have been transported there from the real world. An urban legend says if you gather the right ingredients and say the right words, Tall Jake will come and take you away. It turns out to be very real, and soon two kids begin a search and rescue mission to find their friend. The thing is, not everybody survives being the star of the comic, and you might only make it into one issue
CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
Coraline is an explorer; she has explored the garden, she has explored her room, she has explored the hallways, she has explored everywhere in her new house… except whatever room is behind the strange locked door. Once Coraline finds the key, she goes down a dark corridor and comes out in… the same room. The same, but different. This is the same house, but it is another house. She also has an Other Mother, with black button eyes, who promises that Coraline will find this world much more interesting. She does, but Coraline still wants to go back to her real home with her real parents. The Other Mother doesn’t like that; she wants Coraline to stay with her forever and always, she wants Coraline to love her, and all Coraline has to do is let her sew the buttons… to save her life, the ghosts of children who came before her, and her parents, Coraline stands up to the Other Mother with some unexpected help from her crazy neighbors and a Cat that doesn’t need a name
HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO by Dale E Basye (seven books total in the series)
Bad kids get punished, even if they aren’t alive anymore. Milton and Marlo Fauster find this out the hard way. Down in Heck, there are many different types of “punishment”; like Wise Acres for the sassy kids, or Snivel for the whiny kids. There are seven circles of Heck, so you’ll fit in somewhere. Full of demons and puns, Heck isn’t just a place for bad kids, it is a very bad place for kids. Some of the punishments don’t really seem fair, and some kids never learn a lesson. Could there be a way for Milton and Marlow to go up, to heaven or at least back to the land of the living? Or will they just keep going down
HOW TO DRIVE YOUR FAMILY CRAZY… ON HALLOWEEN by Dean Marney (originally titled “The Jack-O-Lantern that Ate my Brother)
Lizzie is annoyed that her parents never listen to her, she’s annoyed that she’s getting teased about her name (getting called “Lizzie Borden”), but most of all she is annoyed by her little brother. She wishes she could just enjoy Halloween all by herself, but her parents are making her take him around the neighborhood. Lizzie tries to look out for him, especially when a woman dressed as witch offers him some shifty candy. Lizzie told him not to touch it, but do little brothers listen? Now Lizzie is being put to the test by the witch, who is in fact, an actual witch. She has to rescue her little brother from a haunted house, full of everything Lizzie is afraid of
SKULLDUGGERY PLEASANT by Derek Landy (nine books total)
Stephanie’s uncle left her a mansion full of his possessions after he passed away, and she also seems to have inherited a few problems; strangers demanding she give them the “key” and attacking her. She is saved by a skeleton, held together by magic, with the ability to conjure fire balls. If that doesn’t work against his enemies, he does also have a gun. Stephanie becomes part of this secret world full of sorcerers after meeting the magical detective Skullduggery Pleasant, deciding to help him solve the mystery of her uncle’s death and locating the key. She learns a lot about magic, the power of names, meets many other magic-users, and uncovers a sinister plot that could destroy the world
THE HAUNTING OF DEREK STONE by Tony Abbot (four books total)
14-year-old Derek thought he was the only survivor in his family after the train accident… but eventually, his older brother turns up. His brother doesn’t seem quite right though. He doesn’t remember much about his life, but does talk a lot about things he does remember. To Derek, it sounds like the life of somebody else. Eventually, Derek figures out that the person in his brother is someone who died many years ago, in another train crash in the same place. The dead are coming back, and some of them are very dangerous. Derek’s new life dealing with the dead takes him all over New Orleans, through the bayou, and to some places he’d rather not go
SCORPION SHARDS by Neal Shusterman (part of the star chronicle series)
Six young people who have never met have something in common; they aren’t normal. They have odd abilities, strange powers, and unfortunate afflictions that cause them pain, fear, and suffering. Slowly, they begin to meet each other, and figure out what is happening to them… and what they really are. It isn’t just their bodies that are hurting, it is their souls; they are all pieces of a star that went supernova long ago, and within their large star-sized souls are parasites that are killing them. They have to learn to work together, overcome their fears, battle their demons, and find the courage to save themselves
WELL WITCHED by Frances Hardinge
At some point, almost everybody has tossed a coin into a well and made a wish. Nobody really expects the wish to come true. You just have to find the right well… or the wrong well. To pay for the bus, three kids stole some coins from an old wishing well, and become responsible for the wishes connected to the coins. If they resist their duty, they are visited by the spirit of the well; she might be a witch, or she might be an old forgotten goddess. Either way, she torments the kids until they do what she wants. You see, she has a hard time understanding some of the complicated things people wish for in the modern world, but the kids do. She even gives them special abilities to complete the tasks. It is almost like doing good deeds… but once certain things are set in motion, they don’t stop. There is an ebb and flow to wish-granting, give and take, and coins are only part of the price
Stonewords: A Ghost Story [Pam Conrad] on Amazon.com. *FREE* super saver shipping on qualifying offers. Zoe discovers that her house is occupied by the ghost of an eleven-year-old girl, who carries her back to the day of her death in 1870 to try to alter that tragic event.
I keep thinking about this book. I haven't read it in years, and it was always a favorite of mine. My mom bought it for me when I was about 7-8 and I really started showing a love for reading and horror/supernatural stuff. It's been about 20 years since I first read it and I think I'm going to head down to the library and pick it up.
oh my god I CANNOT sleep and I started thinking about this book I loved when I was younger so I got up and started doing some google searches and I just found it and omg I can't wait to buy it and read it again it's this creepy as fuck ghost story called stonewords
