Halloween is such a fun and unique time of year. We dress up in costumes and indulge in some delicious sweet treats. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without some spooky good stories! Here’s a list of some great Halloween books for kids of all ages who enjoy a good scare.
(Note: WeAreTeachers may earn a few cents if you purchase using our links, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for keeping us in flair pens and coffee.)
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John and Pete Oswold
If your students love the “Food Group” series as much as ours, this Halloween tale is a no-brainer to add to your classroom library. In it, Bad Seed goes on a quest to find the perfect Halloween costume.
2. Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
In this latest installment of the “Pig the Pug” series, Pig goes on a wild quest for treats. A fun read aloud that will have your students giggling.
3. Halloween Is Coming! by Cal Everett
We love the sweet illustrations and lyrical text in this ode to Halloween, which focuses on the magic of the celebration.
4. Hardly Haunted by Jesse Sima
An old house just wants to be loved, even if she’s a little bit haunted, in this sweetly spooky story about self-acceptance.
5. That Monster on the Block by Sue Ganz-Schmitt and Luke Flowers
Monster is excited to see who’ll move into Vampire’s old house. He even starts practicing his welcome growl for the new neighbor. But when the moving truck pulls up, it’s not a greedy goblin, an ogre, or a dastardly dragon that steps out. Instead, it’s something even more terrifying than Monster could have imagined!
6. Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little League. He eats them walking home. Until the day the carrots start following him…or are they?
7. Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh
This smart, skull-positive story cheerfully dispels any fears kids might have about their skeletons, flipping our view of skulls from a spooky symbol to a fascinating, cool, and crucial part of our bodies.
8. The Pomegranate Witch by Denise Doyen
When a scary old tree blooms with the most beautiful pomegranates ever seen, the neighborhood kids’ mouths water with anticipation. But the tree isn’t theirs—and it has a protector! So begins the Pomegranate War!
9. Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht
Pick a pumpkin from the patch. Tall and lean or short and fat. Vivid orange, ghostly white, or speckled green, might be just right!
10. The Short Straw by Irene Mathis
Getting the short straw rarely has its benefits, and this story written in verse is no exception. The one who gets the short straw must enter the haunted house. Beware!
11. Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween—but the pumpkin is so big she can’t get it off the vine!
12. Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. After trying everything to get rid of them, why do they keep coming back?
13. Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub and Jan Smith
Fall has come, and what better way to celebrate than a field trip to the pumpkin patch! From 20 name tags on coats all the way down to one last pumpkin song, the class counts everything in sight!
14. Flashlight Night by Matt Forest Esenwine
Three children use a flashlight to light a path around their backyard at night; in the flashlight’s beam, another world looms.
15. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
When the wind blows away a witch’s hat, bow, and wand, three helpful animals find the missing items. In return, they all want a ride on her broom — but is there room on the broom for so many friends?
16. Bone Soup by Cambria Evans
Finnigin is never seen without his eating stool, his eating spoon, and his gigantic eating mouth—but no one in his new town wants to share any food with him. Armed only with his wits and a special ingredient, will Finnigin be able to stir up a cauldron’s worth of Halloween magic?
17. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan by
When Splat goes to the pumpkin patch with Seymour, he’s determined to find the biggest pumpkin ever. But when he finally does, Splat finds out the real challenge isn’t the pumpkin picking—it’s how to get the pumpkin home!
18. Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett
You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can’t even see him—because Leo is also a ghost.
19. Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Stumpkin is the most handsome pumpkin on the block. He’s the perfect choice for a Halloween jack-o-lantern. There’s just one problem—Stumpkin has a stump, not a stem. And no one seems to want a stemless jack-o-lantern for their window.
20. The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea
Reader beware! This is the scariest book ever! Or so claims its melodramatic ghost narrator. You can go ahead and turn the page, but don’t expect him to come with you. Anything might pop out of that black hole in the middle of the forest!
21. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry
Beep! Beep! It’s Halloween! Little Blue Truck is picking up his animal friends for a costume party. Lift the flaps in this large, sturdy board book to find out who’s dressed up in each costume! Will Blue wear a costume too?
22. Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
Rebecca Estelle has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl when pumpkins were often the only food her family had. When an enormous pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her yard, she shovels dirt over the pieces and forgets about them. But those slimy pumpkin smithereens sprout up in autumn, and Rebecca Estelle finds a sea of pumpkins in her garden.
23. How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green
What do you do when you meet a ghost? If you follow a few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.
24. Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler
Bonaparte is having a tough time. It’s hard for this young skeleton to just hang loose when he can’t keep hold of himself. When he plays catch, his throwing arm literally takes a flyer. Eating lunch can be a real jaw-dropping occasion. How can he start school when he has so many screws loose?
25. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams and Megan Lloyd
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the little old lady heard . . . clomp, clomp, shake, shake, clap, clap. And the little old lady who was not afraid of anything had the scare of her life!
26. Please Scare My Kid: With No Words by Samir Hanna Safar
This wordless picture book tells the story of how sometimes the regular things in our lives can seem scary!
27. Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete by James Dean
Pete loves Halloween and candy, but not so much scary surprises. Follow Pete as he goes trick-or-treating from house to house and discover what is waiting behind each door.
28. Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell
It’s Halloween, and ten timid ghosts in a haunted house have a problem: a mean witch has moved in and is planning to scare them out, one by one! Will the ghosts frighten the witch away in time for Halloween night?
29. The Hoodoo Nik Naks (Volume 1) by Adam Archer
A peaceful galaxy changes forever when five friends open a doorway to a burial ground for witches. Will the crazy dead jerks they set free destroy the kids and everything they know?
30. Rosco The Rascal Visits The Pumpkin Patch by Shana Gorian, Ros Webb, and Josh Addessi
When 10-year-old James and seven-year-old Mandy set out to choose their pumpkins, they discover two bullies in skeleton masks scaring kids deep inside the corn maze.
31. School of the Dead by Avi
Tony Gilbert has never related to his weird Uncle Charlie, until he moves in. Then, they become fast friends. Sadly, Uncle Charlie dies, and Tony is devastated. Suddenly, he sees Uncle Charlie everywhere!
32. The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King by Max Brallier
In this third book in the series, life after the zombie apocalypse is pretty good for 13-year-old Jack Sullivan. He hangs out with his best friends, speeds through town playing Real-Life Mario Kart, and battles zombies regularly. Turns out, they may not be the last kids on earth, after all. This is great news for everyone… except Jack.
33. A Halloween Carol by Sean M. Hogan
Fourteen-year-old Zach Hall begins Halloween with his patented miserly contempt. Even the sudden appearance of a zombie named Kevin and a little witch named Alice—his new friendly neighbors—can’t break him from his funk. That is until Zach meets a magical scarecrow and makes his wish on the jack-o’-lantern.
34. Lilac Skully and the Haunted House by Amy Cesari
Lilac Skully is afraid of ghosts. And a lot of other things, too. After her father’s mysterious disappearance, Lilac must find a way to deal with the notorious ghosts that haunt her home—or better yet—get them to leave.
35. Scary Stories for Kids: Short Spooky and Spine Chilling Stories for Children by Bone Chiller Press
The five frightening short stories in this book are perfect for Halloween, telling scary stories in the dark, around a campfire in the woods, or at any sleepover.
Plus, check out 40 frightfully fun Halloween games, crafts, and learning activities for kids .
If these ideas inspired you, join our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group and come talk with the very teachers who suggested them!
