Once again, publishers have come in clutch in time for Halloween. Some of these books are cute rather than frightening, but they are fantastic reads nonetheless. Each book’s cover and content’s scariness is measured by ghost emojis. One is the least scary, but four is the most scary. Here are some recommended elementary to middle-grade reads for this spooky season!
Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books
Maud and the Very Eventful Week
Lisa Anchin
Candlewick Press
Published: July 28, 2026
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Content: 👻
Lisa Anchin’s Maud and the Very Eventful Week follows the week in the life of a little vampire girl named Maud. Maud encounters various shenanigans such as having an enchanted teapot gone wild, ghosts invading her dollhouse, and finding a huge sharp tooth on a walk through the forest. Even making soup with her witch friend, Agnes, has wildly comical results. It culminates in having a weekend yard sale, where all her friends and neighbors stop by and have a splendid time in spite of the crazy week Maud had. Quite cute and charming, fans of cute and quirky stories featuring monsters would love this easy-reader book.
Princess in Black and The Trick-Or-Treating Trouble
Shannon and Dean Hale
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Candlewick Press
Published: July 7, 2026
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Content: 👻
Princess Magnolia, aka the Princess in Black, returns in this seasonal installment of the popular transitional book series. On Halloween night, Princess Magnolia is taking a break from handing her world famous candied apples (and fighting monsters) to go trick or treating with her friends. However, she realizes that even monsters don’t take a break from causing mischief for the holidays as a little orange monster is walking around asking people for goats instead of candy, and they even like to eat rocks instead of jellybeans! Happily, everyone is able to compromise so that all the trick-or-treaters, even the orange monster, can have a Happy Halloween. Hilarious, action-packed, and with a hint of surprise, The Princess in Black and the Trick-Or-Treating Trouble is a delightful addition to an entertaining and endearing series.
Jasper’s Creepy Tales!: Unsettling Salad!
Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by Peter Brown
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Published: February 3, 2026
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Aaron Reynolds’ Jasper’s Creepy Tales! came in clutch with two new installments to the series this year. The first new book, Unsettling Salad! centers on two best friends Thaddeus Badger and Oliver Possum, two junk-food fanatics. Things change after Oliver’s parents ambush the boys by having them choose a salad from their favorite fast food joint, Hurt-a-Burger, for dinner instead of the usual 17-patty burger and fries. Oliver turns greener by the day after eating the glowing broccoli, and soon his parents isolate him from the world, feigning illness and punishment to anyone who asks. Thaddeus breaks his friend out. They walk in the light of the full moon, and then things take an even worse turn, putting Thaddeus (and everyone else) in danger possibly forever. Creepy and full of suspense, children might need to take a closer look at their vegetables after reading Jasper’s Creepy Tales!: Unsettling Salad!
Jasper’s Creepy Tales!: Yarn is Everything!
Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by Peter Brown
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Published: July 14, 2026
Cover: 👻👻👻
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If living broccoli in the glowing salad isn’t to your taste, try something a little cosier in Jasper’s Creepy Tales’ Yarn is Everything! This creepy tale stars Winona Mole, who loves crocheting yarn more than anything and anyone in the world. For her ninth birthday, she gets a “replica” of the Spirit Hook, an artifact Winona loves the most in the Museum of Woollen Arts and Yarn Stitchery that mysteriously disappeared soon after Winona and her father left. With the supernatural hook, she is able to crochet everything, even better than the creations contestants make on Yarn is Everything!, Winona’s favorite crocheting game show where people can crochet yarn into anything (even food and objects). After she’s accepted to be on the program, preparing for the competition takes over Winona’s whole house to the point where even her parent’s things are nothing but yarn-woven replicas. When the fateful day does arrive, Winona wants to win so badly that her obsession with it just might be her ultimate undoing. Riveting and unsettling, Jasper’s Creepy Tales!: Yarn is Everything! is one cautionary story that will send shivers down readers’ spines.
Witchycakes: Puddles and Potions (Witchycakes Book 3)
Kara LaReau
Illustrated by Ariane Moreira
Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
Published: February 10, 2026
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Content: 👻
It’s a chaotic rainy morning before the Spring Festival at the Witchycakes bakery, and Mama Moon has her hands full. Her daughter, young witch-in-training Blue, wants everything in the day to go smoothly and perfectly. When Mama Moon isn’t looking, she takes the “Perfect Potion” without asking. Blue uses it with the new hire, Marlin, and it works like a charm. Blue uses the perfect potion on her delivery to grouchy Ms. Crabbe, but it doesn’t go so well. By the time she tries to use it on the bickering Jellyfish twins, Blue ran out of potion! However, Blue realizes that a perfect day can be possible, even without using magic. Playful and pretty, young readers will be charmed by Blue’s whimsical adventures in using magic responsibly and having fun along the way. There is also an easy recipe for “Seagull Nest Cupcakes” for kids to bake along.
Graphic Novels
Pizza and Taco: Scariest Sleepover Ever! (Pizza and Taco Book 11)
Stephen Shaskan
RH Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
Published: July 21, 2026
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Content: 👻
Pizza and Taco have everything for the perfect sleepover at Taco’s basement: a fantastic playlist, list of fun activities, and their guest and supply list on hand. The only thing they can’t do is watch a scary movie. But that won’t stop the dynamic duo and their sleepover guests from telling ghost stories! The trio of duos, Pizza and Taco, Cookie and Muffin, and Burger and Hotdog, take a turn telling scary tales: three in total. But our main pair of besties aren’t scared of a few little ghost stories, right? Amusing and fun, fans of Pizza and Taco won’t be disappointed with this latest installment of the series.
Jazzy the Witch in Friends Fiasco (Jazzy the Witch Book 2)
Jessixa Bagley
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Published: July 14, 2026
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Bikes are now all the rage in Jazzy the Witch’s town, and she is more than happy to teach her friends, neighbors, and family about the fun of cycling. Then a mysterious and cool newcomer, Estrella, and her family stroll into town. She impresses everyone with her bike and book skills, making Jazzy and her bookworm bestie Aggie jealous. The two witch friends are determined to knock Estrella down a few pegs. A few acts of sabotage turn into an all-out prank war between the pair and the new girl, which gets so intense that it has Jazzy questioning her own actions. Eventually, Jazzy and Aggie have an epiphany that perhaps there’s more than enough room for more intelligent and awesome witches in the neighborhood after all. Delightfully drawn, Jazzy the Witch in Friend Fiasco will enchant readers with its sublime story on navigating new friendships. It will also please fans of the first book and will have them chomping at the bit at what magical mayhem Jazzy’s next misadventure will bring.
Blood City Rollers: Move It or Bruise It (Blood City Rollers Book 2)
V.P. Anderson
Illustrated by Tatiana Hill
RH Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishing
Published: January 20, 2026
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Mina and Swan have no idea where their Blood City Roller Derby (BCRD) vampire friends settled after being evicted from their old hideout. However, the Vampires find them and bring their human friends to their new home: an abandoned asylum with zombies in the basement. Just as the Vamps and Bats are ready to practice, a new team, the Wheelers, crashes their place and wants the new roller rink for themselves. The only way to settle this feud is a Sudden Death Scrimmage Match. With things falling apart at home, her friendship with Swan hitting the rocks, and not performing her best, Mina is unsure she’ll keep her place on the BCRD. After talking with both team coaches, Mina is determined to fix things one step at a time, including the feud between the roller teams. Blood City Rollers: Move It or Bruise It is a funky graphic novel that will have readers laughing and empathizing with our spooky band of heroes.
Through the Black Gate
Alfredo Caceres
Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Published: June 30, 2026
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Irene, an orphan trying to figure out the ins and outs of the magical book her parents left for her, and Francis, a young aspiring musician, try to find Irene’s cat, Moses, who Irene believes to be her father’s soul trapped inside the cat’s body. He had just escaped from Francis’s aunt Ruth’s hostel, where Irene was staying, and ran off to near the scene of the accident that killed Irene’s parents. When the children find Moses, Francis plays his song, the cat starts glowing, and a portal to another realm opens. Soon the children find themselves in a domain between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead: the In-Between. It also becomes apparent that their presence catalyzes (in part) all sorts of chaos and corruption in the realm. Working together, the unlikely friends Francis and Irene find closure with their deceased loved ones, and they help restore balance between the worlds. A moving story on processing grief through a supernatural and magical quest, Through the Black Gate will tug at readers’ heartstrings and either be unnerved or amazed by the In-Between’s freakish outlandish environment and inhabitants.
Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye: The Graphic Novel (Stitch Head Book 2)
Guy Bass
Illustrated by Pete Williamson
RH Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishing
Published: July 21, 2026
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The title character is friendlier than he looks on the cover of this graphic novel adaptation of the chapter book series of the same name. Stitch Head, the caretaker of over 300 monsters, is tending to his master’s creations as usual when a mysterious letter arrives. His master, the Mad Professor Erasmus, is invited to receive a special award, and he leaves his laboratory. With nothing else to do, Stitch Head’s friends, Creature and Arabella, suggest they take inspiration from The Daring Diary of Dash Flashpowder and become a pirate. As Stitch Head finds himself a ship, a crew, and even a trusty critter companion, Pox the monkey-bat, he finds out the letter sent to his master was a cunning ruse made by Stitch Head’s arch nemesis, Fulbert Freakfinder. It’ll be up to Stitch Head and his plucky, janky crew of creatures plus human girl to save the day. Stitch Head: The Pirate’s Eye will entertain readers with the comedic and awesome action and dialogue as well as characters drawn with the very wide-eyed gothic heroines homaging a Tim Burton-esque style to captivate them into this frightful adventure at sea.
Chapter Books & Middle Grade Novels
Monsters of Fife Book 2: Terror Birds
By Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Celia Lowenthal
Charlesbridge Moves, an imprint of Charlesbridge
Published: July 14, 2026
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The Royal & Ancient Monster Hunters are back facing another monster terrorizing the town of Fife. Seven months after their encounter with the sea dragon, Cat, Jaime, Callum, and Mr. Harris find themselves at odds with prehistoric birds the size of houses. Jaime’s father calls them the “terror birds” in his studies, and his nickname isn’t unfounded as their presence is threatening the Scottish town. With help from Cat’s new Black Hound, Soot, the gang must band together to save the town from the monsters in the sky. Full of startling close calls with danger, fans of the late Jane Yolen will enjoy the action-packed and charming Monsters of Fife Book 2: Terror Birds. This book also features graphic novel inserts and illustrations epically drawn by Celia Lowenthal.
Little Bones
By Sandy Bigna
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Published: July 14, 2026
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Eleven-year-old Bones wants nothing to do with anyone since her brother Nico’s unexpected death, but everything changes when she accidentally resurrects a baby bird skeleton under the full moon. She names him Bird. Bird wants to return to the way he was before, but Bones doesn’t know how to reverse the curse. To find the remedy, Bones reluctantly allows her neighbor, Terry, the chatty trash-digging new kid on the block, to help research how to break Bird’s curse. They soon discover Bones would need to make a wish during the next full moon to set Bird’s soul free. However, at the same time, Bones grows attached to Bird and doesn’t want him to leave. Just as time is about to run out, Bones eventually lets Bird go and allows her guilt and sadness that she held since Nico’s death to be released as well. Heartbreaking and emotionally grounded, Little Bones, a novel told in verse, will get readers emotionally invested in Bones finding closure in grief and breaking readers’ hearts.
Arthur Blackwood Scary Stories for Kids Who Like Scary Stories Volume 1
By A.M. Luzzader
Sourcebooks Wonderland, an imprint of Sourcebooks Kids
Published: August 4, 2026
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If readers enjoy Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, then Arthur Blackwood is the series for them. Arthur Blackwood invites readers into his lair to share with them his ever-growing collection of scary stories well assured to give whoever hears them bone chills! He turns down the light and invites the reader (you) to the edge of his fireplace, the best place for sharing such horrifying and weird tales. Once the reader ignores or accepts his warning, Blackwood tells eight grisly tales from various objects lying about on his second floor office, like a stuffed tarantula, a black iron suit of armor, and the crystal ball. Uncanny and peculiar, the stories and black-and-white freaky illustrations featured in Arthur Blackwood Scary Stories for Kids Who Like Scary Stories Vol 1 will haunt and horrify whoever chooses to read this book.
Sprout
Taylor Tyng
Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books
Published: March 24, 2026
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Scarlet Posy Rose Oleander Ursinia Thistle Sprowder, or Sprout for short, spent most of her life hidden away in fear of what others would say if they saw the antlers growing on her head. Then she reads a story in The Clipper, the local paper, concerning a sighting of another person with antlers, just like Sprout. She decides to escape hiding and seek the mystery person out. In her search, she finds and befriends another societal oddball, E.B. Shaw, a son of the local billionaire, who also has a special interest in cupcakes and has ‘wandering episodes.’ As they search for the mysterious antlered person, Sprout and E.B. quickly realize something more sinister is afoot. Dr. Leo Penzig and his minions are on the hunt for antlered people as well, to study and experiment on them. Sprout, E.B., and Tess, the antlered person featured in The Clipper, are determined to foil the doctor’s insidious plot by uncovering the dark and dreadful secrets that plagued Tolsbury. Perhaps in doing so, the trio will get the chance to live out in the open instead of in confinement. Taylor Tyng brings intense scenes guaranteed to terrify readers to their core, but the main character’s newfound optimism, though often tested, is contagious. Sprout is a heavy but hopeful read about finding not only the courage to be true to one’s self but also friendships that can help overcome perilous dilemmas and extraordinary challenges.
Fear Files: Hide and Seek (Fear Files Book 1)
By Christopher Edge
Candlewick Press
Published: July 14, 2026
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Adam was having a terrible time at his outdoor sleepover with his best friend, Sol, and then the two friends stumbled on Apodidraskinda, a ghost town in the middle of the woods. An innocent game of hide and seek turns dangerous when Adam finds a group of children desperately hiding from a looming, shadowy figure known as the “Itter.” If he finds someone, that person is swallowed up in his shadow and is later recruited to find the others still in hiding. All versions of “hide-and-seek” are played at once, and the game doesn’t end until one person remains. Now it’s a race against time and the shadows as Adam tries to survive the deadly game and find Sol. The post-it note commentary from the Fear Files team interspersed in Adam’s narrative and pieces of encyclopedia entries, newspaper clippings, and random transcriptions left by the “Itter” resemble an investigative atmosphere to this middle-grade chapter book. Full of suspense and thrilling action, Fear Files: Hide and Seek will have readers hanging at the edge of their seats, waiting to see if Adam will get out of his predicament alive.
