10 Creepy Middle Grade Books to Read this Halloween

It’s that time of year again! The time to go on the hunt for creepy middle grade books that will terrify your children in all the best of ways.

I didn’t read spooky books when I was a kid, but now as an adult, I LOVE middle grade horror, thrillers, and ghost stories. Lucky for me, my kids like them too.

Scary stories for kids in the 8-12 age range are some of the most popular books at libraries (ask your librarian, it’s true!) and parents are always asking me where to find more scary middle grade books for their kids.

Being the bookworm that I am, I put together a list of spooky and creepy middle grade books every year.

And just so you know, I’ve included affiliate links in this blog post. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links, I receive a small kickback. It doesn’t cost you anything extra.

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Creepy Middle Grade Books to Read Halloween 2017

The Bone Snatcher by Charlotte Salter

We’re going to start this list of creepy middle grade books off with a bang.

I bought this book to read with my kids. We read the first chapter and then I looked up at my kids. One was clutching her blanket to her chin and staring at me with wide eyes. The other was quietly sobbing into her pillow.

So, it’s a little scary. It may be a little too scary for younger kids, but it’s the PERFECT blend of suspense, horror, and humor that kids ages 10 and up will gobble with a spoon.

It’s about a girl who gets sold (by her parents) into servitude at a haunted house on an island in the middle of monster-infested waters. Yikes. The story is amazing and you’ll love it.

[button url=”http://amzn.to/2fteRVx”]Amazon[/button]  [button url=”https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Bone-Snatcher-Charlotte-Salter/9780399186349/?a_aid=batchofbooks”]Book Depository[/button]  [button url=”https://bookshop.org/a/5613/9780399186349″]Bookshop.org[/button]

Serafina and the Splintered Heart by Robert Beatty

The third book in the Serafina series is just as good as the rest of the books. If your kids loved the suspense and spookiness that resides in the first two books, you can rest assured that they won’t be disappointed in this installment.

This is the most intense fun I’ve had reading a middle-grade book in a long time. But be forewarned, these books are scary!

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A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting by Joe Ballarini

I don’t really know what to say about this one other than it sounds like a ton of fun disguised as a book.

Babysitting + secret societies + monsters = heck yes!

Seriously, do I even need to say more? Babysitting is SO much more than just doling out fruit snacks and settling fights over what movie to watch. One middle-schooler learns that it involves more monster fighting than she bargained for.

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Rise of the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Set on a Caribbean Island and infused with legend, mystery, and adventure, kids will love this tale of folklore and fairy tale.

When children start to disappear from Corrine’s island home, the other islanders turn accusing eyes on her. In order to find the missing children and prove her innocence, Corrine goes in search of a dangerous and powerful ocean Jumbie.

While this book can be read on its own, the first book in the series is The Jumbies and is worth reading as well.

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The Empty Grave (Lockwood & Co Book 5) by Jonathan Stroud

The next installment in the wonderfully creepy and bone-chilling Lockwood & Co series takes you on a nighttime adventure to a mausoleum. But the body isn’t there. Dun dun dun! (That was suspenseful music.)

This is the fifth book in the series and it promises “The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.”

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Monsterland by James Crowley

Halloween is just a painful reminder that Charlie’s cousin Billy isn’t around anymore. But when Charlie chases a Billy look-alike deep into the woods, he stumbles across Monsterland—a land with monsters of all kinds, with a vampire Prime Minister who offers Charlie something he can’t resist.

A land full of monsters? This spells F.U.N. to me. This is on my list of creepy middle grade books I can’t wait to dive into.

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The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie

Tessa moves to Chigaco with her family, only to find out that her new home is haunted by someone or something that needs her help. History, mystery, suspense, and trips to the graveyard fill the pages of this spooky middle grade ghost story.

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Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage

This book was published back in 2014 and is a companion novel to Three Times Lucky.

Set in the deep south with quirky characters and spooky mystery, this book will keep you entertained and riveted to the page.

Mo and Dale are two kids in middle grade literature that everyone should get to know. I bought this book so I could read it with my girls since I loved Three Times Lucky so much. It should be the kind of spooky and funny book that my kids adore.

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Emily and the Spellstone by Michael Rubens

From a producer of Full Frontal with Samantha B comes a hair-raising and hilarious magical adventure. If your kids like books about demons, magic, and mean girls, they’ll enjoy this story.

According to Goodreads reviews, this book starts off slowly, but picks up around the halfway point and keeps readers sucked in through the end.

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Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke

Graphic novel lovers and fans of Zita the Spacegirl will be thrilled to see Ben Hatke’s newest release. It’s the second book in his Mighty Jack series (and the last, if I’m not mistaken). It’s a fantastical and slightly creepy retelling of the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk.

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Looking for More Creepy Middle Grade Books?

Check out the lists I made over the last few years:
2016: 12 Creepy Middle Grade Books to Read this Fall
2015: Best Halloween Books for Middle Grade Readers

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