“The Ghost Rules isn’t just another scary ghost story. It’s a captivating mystery about friendship, family, and heart, with an ending that totally took me by surprise. Oh, and there are ghosts too.” —Dan Gutman, New York Times bestselling author of the My Weird School series
Twelve-year-old Elwood McGee never asked to have “ghost-sight,” and it involves a lot more drool-dodging than he expected. Ghosts are the WORST—and they’re all over the place in this sharp-witted middle grade debut novel from author Adam Rosenbaum.
As a lifelong horror reader and full-grown adult, I still think middle grade horror is where it’s at. The chills from a good horror novel are simply unforgettable, and they’re what turn many of us into dedicated readers. I want anyone reading this article to share these books with the youngsters in your life. I also want everyone to read these books themselves! The writers making stuff scary for the younger set are some of the most skillful out there. Because of that younger audience, they can’t rely heavily on gore or other more mature content that is super duper scary. These writers have to build the atmosphere and dread with fewer tools in the toolkit, but they get the job done!
I’ve made a list of spooky middle grade reads before, and there’s only one book on this list that overlaps with that one. I included it because it’s one of my favorite books, one I think about all the time. Any time I get to sing its praises, I will. Acknowledging that readers have different levels of tolerance, I’ve included books that are gently spooky along with ones that deliver real frights. Many of these books address what, to me, is what horror is really about. The things that haunt us are typically our own wrongdoings, often at a societal level. Our collective refusal to face up to our history is our potential downfall. The way horror novels, even at a middle grade level, can combine sharp commentary with spine-tingling thrills never ceases to delight me.
The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown
Here’s that book I absolutely need you to read if you haven’t. If you read Wait Til Helen Comes back in the day and it scared the pants off you, this is a great companion to that. It’s about Iris, a girl who always seems to be left out of things. She stumbles upon a forgotten Black cemetery in the woods. And someone from that cemetery is looking for a friend. It’s a genuinely scary book and a valuable history lesson about the consequences of segregation.
Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters by Emi Pinto
This spooky book is a contemporary reimagining of the classic fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.” In this version, Bee is spending the summer at Storm Lake, where she is constantly embarrassed by her family. She finds an escape from them at a magical house across the lake, where she can finally feel like the cool girl she wants to be. You can probably see where this is going. Instead of cautioning children not to go into the woods alone, this story cautions readers about what happens when you make friends who don’t really have your best interests at heart.
Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
Aviva and her mother live above a mikvah, a pool used in Jewish rituals. And that mikvah is haunted by a dybbuk, a soul with unfinished business. Only Aviva can see the dybbuk. And that’s the icing on the cake, because Aviva is already grieving her father, worrying about her mother’s depression, and dealing with her former best friend becoming her enemy. This emotional story uses its supernatural element to create a spooky atmosphere and explore healing from trauma.
Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan SaSuWeh Jones, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
If you are forever haunted by the stories — and the illustrations! — in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, pick this book up. It’s got scary stories and scary illustrations too! This broad collection includes traditional stories from Indigenous storytellers alongside contemporary tales. They’re genuinely frightening, with walking dolls, skin-sucking babies, and other creatures to haunt your nightmares.
Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards by Susan Tan
This book is a wonderful paranormal meditation on anxiety that will appeal to kids while also getting into some real issues. Mo has some real-life stressors, including a divorce and her mom’s depression. When an elephant starts haunting her dreams and a something mysterious attacks her home, that may be her anxiety talking. Or there may really be something sinister in the history of her town. You’ll root for Mo and her new friend Nathaniel to get to the bottom of it.
The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans
Many middle grade horror novels are variations on ghost stories, but this tackles fantasy and horror. River can see monsters and travel to the spirit realm called The Otherwoods. But no one else even believes in monsters, so what good is this power to River? When their friend and crush Avery gets kidnapped and taken to The Otherwoods, it’s the reluctant hero’s time to save the day…with a cat guardian!
It Happened to Anna by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Sadie knows better than to make friends. The last time she did, the vengeful ghost that haunts her caused an accident that left her friend dead. At her new school, a mysterious girl named Mal doesn’t seem to provoke her ghost’s ire. But Mal also seems intent on getting all of Sadie’s attention. More seasoned readers may be able to see the twist coming, but readers still learning the ropes of horror tropes will have their minds blown.
The List of Unspeakable Fears by J. Kasper Kramer
Historical horror is one of my very favorite subgenres, and this one is great for young readers who’ve lived with pandemic-exacerbated anxiety for the past few years. Essie is afraid of everything, especially the red door in her nightmares. Everything gets worse when her mother moves her to North Brother Island (any fellow Broad City fans out there?) where a quarantine hospital houses the actual Typhoid Mary. Naturally, that red door from her nightmares is in her new house, down the hall from her bedroom. And she’s going to have to figure out what’s beyond it.
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
The summer before middle school is an opportunity to figure out who you want to be with a fresh start. For Moira, that means figuring out makeup, clothes, and crushes on boys. Bug is less sure what that means. The more pressing matter is the ghost haunting Bug’s old house, and maybe Bug in particular. This book pairs a ghost story fueled by grief with a child’s journey to figuring out gender identity, and it’s a real stunner.
The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes
Rafael loves scary stories: the scarier, the better. He’s feeling anxious about his mother’s release from prison, so he distracts himself by creating the scariest character he can think of. He tells his friends about The Caretaker, a malevolent spirit luring kids into the nearby pond. That story is plenty scary, but strange occurrences make Rafael worry he may have brought his creation into life. If you love the “kids on bikes” vibes of Stranger Things and Steven Spielberg movies, this is a book for you.
Did you know item number three on 2024’s Read Harder Challenge is to read a middle grade horror novel? I’ve given you some great choices above. And here are more spine-chilling books for middle schoolers. Here’s to the kick-off of spooky season!
