Spooky Reads for the Season

October means Halloween, and Halloween means it’s time for scary things. I’m actually not a fan of horror. I like my escapism happy, please! But I appreciate a thrilling and spooky tale, especially if it has a sweetness at its core. Here are a batch of middle-grade books that will satisfy those looking for ghosts, witches, and demons without being too scary.

Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson (1979)

Ibbotson’s oeuvre is full of magical tales. (See my post on books for HP fans for another one.) In this funny story, a wizard is seeking a bride. He wants the nastiest, most powerful witch around, and they all come to prove their worth, along with sweet Belladonna, a white witch (you know, the good kind!). She finds help from orphan Terrence Mugg and his pet worm Rover. [Warning: Some of the witches use the word “faggot” when insulting each other.]

The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983)

I remember being deliciously scared by this book as a kid. The descriptions of the creepy witches were so vivid. Our hero and his grandmother don’t seem powerful enough to defeat the forces of evil. But don’t fear, all ends well is this wondrous tale.

Well Witched by Frances Hardinge (2008)

I’m only halfway through this eerie tale, but I can tell it deserves a place on this list. Ryan, Josh, and Chelle take coins from a wishing well to pay for bus fare. The witch who lives in the well curses them with different powers and requires them to grant the wishes from the money they stole. One can speak the thoughts of wishers, one can see the paranormal world through a second set of eyes (creepy!), and one develops telekinesis. There are parts that are truly creepy — Ryan’s nightmares are vivid and frightening — but the lengths they go to in order to fulfill the wishes are humorous.

A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander (2017)

Ingot is the only town in the world that isn’t haunted. Jasper has lived there all his life and can’t imagine it any other way. Rosa has just moved there with her mother and has trouble adjusting to a ghost-free existence. But when a ghostly apparition appears in town, it’s up to the kids to save their home.

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson (2018)

Marinka’s grandmother is a Yaga, one who guides the dead to the stars and their afterlife. Marinka will be the next Yaga in her line, but she’d rather spend her time with the living. A sweet book about choosing your path and grieving your past. Read about more Baba Yaga books in this post.

Sheets series by Brenna Thummler (started in 2018)

In these graphic novels, Marjorie’s mother is dead, and she’s trying to take care of her father and their laundromat. Wendell is a ghost who finds the afterlife unsatisfying. He turns the laundromat into an after-dark playground, making Marjorie’s life even harder.

The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly by Rebecca K.S. Ansari (2019)

Charlie is the only person who remembers that he once had a younger brother, Liam. Everyone else acts as if such a person never existed. When Charlie finds a note written in Liam’s handwriting, he begins a quest to find his brother, even if it means he might become lost himself.

When Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb (2022)

I loved this book from the first word to the last. The main characters are an angel and a demon who live in a shtetl so small it is only called Shtetl. Their journey to America is spurred by a goal of retribution for immigrants who have been swindled. But they learn just as much about the human experience and each other as they travel. The book was wonderfully familiar in its Jewish-ness while being surprising and unique.

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland (2022)

Different types of magic are pitted against one another in this Prohibition-era alternate history. After a tragic event called the Blight, the nation turns its hope for the future to Mechomancy — industry and technology. But Laura, a mage, believes the mystical arts still have a role to play. She joins the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps and travels with fellow mages to try and stop the Blight.

Ghost Book by Remy Lai (2023)

In this graphic novel, a girl who can see ghosts meets a boy whose spirit wanders while he is in a coma. Can she help him find his way back to his body? Or will she be left to only give a message to his mom? Lai delivers another great story of finding your place in the world.