Most everyone enjoys some Halloween fun. Reading a book featuring that kind of spooky fun is something many adults and children enjoy doing as we anticipate the coming season. Here are some of my favorite Halloween themed books for children between eight and thirteen. There are many great books not on this list simply because they belong in larger series, such as The Magic Treehouse, My Weird School, Goosebumps, or Horrible Harry. I have purposefully left out books belonging to such series, only listing stand only books.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Storybook by Tim Burton is a manga, a graphic novel in the Japanese traditional style, faithfully following the movie of he same title. Jack Skeleton, Sally and the other residents of Halloween Town try to remake Christmas with results that are not quite what they expected. The illustrations are fabulous, though I will always prefer the movie. This version of the story will entertain and be as well loved as the film by many, particularly around Halloween and through the Christmas season.
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury is a must read for the spooky season. Eight boys and a mysterious character named Moundshroud travel together on Halloween night. They journey through time on a black wind to discover the beginnings of Halloween. Bradbury’s lyric prose draws readers through a great combination of history and mystery.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a great read any time of year, but it is spectacular around Halloween. Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a fairly normal boy. Although he is an orphan and living in a graveyard being cared for and taught by ghosts. His guardian is neither living nor dead. Bod explores the graveyard, above and below. However, if Bod explores outside the graveyard, he will come under attack from the man Jack, who murdered his family
Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford is a story that will hold reader’s interest well past the Halloween season.Ten-year-old Newton and his friends are used to being invisible, so they vow to wear very memorable costumes for Halloween. After Newt’s brother is seriously injured, he loses interest in a costume. His friends work to dress him up as new superhero Captain Nobody. Unlike Newt, Captain Nobody is noticed and always seems to get the job done. Therefore Newt decides to keep wearing the costume after the holiday. He wants to help the townspeople and hopefully his injured brother.
The Boy of a Thousand Faces by Brian Selznick is the story of one young Lon Chaney fan. Alonzo wishes to follow his hero’s example. He knows everything there is to know about monsters, and takes pictures of himself in self-done monster make up. As Halloween, and Alonzo’s tenth birthday, gets closer rumors start to fly about a mysterious beast. Alonzo’s knowledge is suddenly in high demand, but with the understanding and respect he really craves come as part of the package?
The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes is a Halloween classic about the wonders of imagination. In this story, two girls who love drawing witches create an elaborate world centered around the witch family that they have created. Mermaids, witches and a world practically free of adults are part of the charm in this book, which has created fond childhood memories for readers for decades.
Other Halloween themed books that I recommend for children between eight and thirteen include; A Newbery Halloween: A Dozen Scary Stories by Newbery Award-Winning Authors by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker, and Scary Godmother by Jill Thompson.