Spooky (But Not Too Scary!) Books for Middle Grade Readers
by Tom Burns
As a parent, it can be hard to quantify “scary.” One day, your child is begging you to stop reading The Berenstain Bears in the Dark, and the next, they’re asking you if they’re old enough to watch “The Walking Dead.” Scary gets particularly hard to define in middle school when kids are perched on that narrow threshold between innocent youth and teenaged indifference.
Is there an appropriate level of scary for middle school? As always, it varies from kid to kid, but there are some writers who seem to have truly tapped into what makes a middle-schooler squirm. Case in point: R.L. Stine, the massively popular creator of the Goosebumps series.
If your middle schooler is ready for something a little scarier than Room on the Broom, try these spooky titles that should definitely creep them out, but shouldn’t keep them up all night.
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It Came from the Trees
Available from:After having her best friend Reese snatched away in the night during a camping trip, Owlet scout Jenna swears the culprit was something truly monstrous. Determined to uncover the truth, Jenna ventures back into the wilderness with her fellow Troop 411 girl scouts. A terrifying take on the legend of Bigfoot that's sure to leave your young horror fan's heart pumping.
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Los Monstruos: Felice and the Wailing Woman
Available from:When 12-year-old Felice discovers she is the daughter of La Llorona, a ghost that haunts a river in the magical town of Tres Leches, she sets out to try to save the town. Joined by the children of other monstruos like La Lechuza and the Dancing Devil, the story is full of magic and Mexican folklore. Perfect middle grade with just enough scares to be fun to read during Halloween, but not too scary for younger readers.
The follow-up, Rooster and the Dancing Diablo, explores the Texas-Mexico border myth of the Dancing Devil.
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Bumps in the Night
Available from:In Amalie Howard's eerie middle grade debut, Darika "Rika" Lovelace visits her grandmother in Trinidad only to discover her heritage as a powerful witch. Thrust into a world of elemental Minders and sinister jumbies, Rika must tap into her newfound abilities to save her mother and friends from the malevolent jumbie king. Filled with magic, folklore, and some life-saving skittles, this delightfully spooky tale is atmospheric without being too scary.
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Give Me Something Good to Eat
Available from:Author D. W. Gillespie is known for his horror writing, and this foray into middle grade offers just the right amount of scare. The town of Pearl is so obsessed with Halloween that no one seems to notice that a kid goes missing every year. Everyone except Mason Miller. When his younger sister Meg becomes the next victim, he's thrown into a horrific world full of monsters straight out of a twisted nightmare. Can he and his friends fight an evil that the rest of the town is blissfully unaware of?
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The Sinister Summer Series
Available from:Meet the Sinister-Winterbottom twins, who solve mysteries at increasingly bizarre summer vacation destinations in the hopes of being reunited with their parents. Giving off Goosebumps and Addams Family vibes, kids will love this wonderfully weird, wacky, and slightly spooky mystery series.
Read all five books: Vampiric Vacation, Camp Creepy, Menacing Manor, and Haunted Holiday.
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The Halloween Tree
Available from:This might be the greatest Halloween book ever written. One of the few children’s books written by Bradbury, Halloween Tree tells the stories of eight young boys who venture out trick-or-treating, but soon find themselves confronted by the foreboding Mr. Moundshroud, who, through his evil machinations, introduces the children to Halloween traditions from around the world. If your kid really likes to be unnerved, this would make a fantastic double feature with Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes.
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The Circus of Stolen Dreams
Available from:Andrea desperately wants to forget the night her brother went missing, leaving her family in pieces. So when she stumbles upon a magical dream world called Reverie, she jumps at the chance to escape inside. But this glittering nighttime circus turns dark when Andrea realizes no one can ever leave. The perfect blend of magic, eeriness, and world-building, Savaryn’s debut novel is both delightful and terrifying.
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Hellaween
Available from:For fans of Wednesday, this graphic novel follows an aspiring witch named Gwen who feels out of place among normal people. She eagerly anticipates Halloween when her supernatural friends, vampire Miles and werewolf Sloane, return from the Hallowlands. But when the trios pranks catch some unwanted attention and Gwen's magic goes haywire, it's a race against time to make it all right. Slightly spooky with awesome art, it's a must-read for the Halloween season.
Note for parents: There is some stronger language included, this book may be more suitable for more mature middle grade readers.
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Thirteens
Available from:Something isn’t quite right about the town of Eden Eld. Legend has it that every 13 years on Halloween, three 13-year-olds go missing. When Elle, Pip, and Otto start seeing strange things that no one else can – like large black dogs with red eyes – they begin to wonder if the legends are true. Will they be next to disappear? Creepy and suspenseful, Thirteens is a heart-pounding page-turner.
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Monstrous Devices
Available from:In this atmospheric, spooky fantasy story, 12-year-old robot-enthusiast Alex is given an antique robot by his grandfather with a simple note: “This one is special.” With that gift, an unexpected chain of events is set in motion and Alex finds himself on an action-packed adventure across Europe with his grandfather, keeping the robot safe, dodging dangerous characters, and dabbling in powerful magic.
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Nightmares! Series
Available from:Charlie’s nightmares begin after he moves into his new stepmom’s old, creepy house with his dad and little brother, Jack. He tries to avoid sleeping to avoid the nightmares, but, eventually, his eyes close and he drifts into terrible dreams. The nightmares come to life when Jack is kidnapped, and Charlie finds himself on a terrifying mission that takes him into the dream world to save his brother. And so begins this delightful, spooky, oftentimes hilarious series written by actor Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller, with super cool illustrations by Karl Kwasny.
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The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Available from:Ten-year-old Lewis Barnavelt is an orphan, and he has no idea what’s in store when he’s sent to live with his eccentric uncle in Michigan. Luckily, Uncle Jonathan — and his charming neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman — welcome Lewis into their lives, which, as it turns out, includes more than a little bit of magic. With a mystery-driven plot, illustrations by Edward Gorey, and the quintessential battle between good and evil, this classic story proves its staying power.
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Small Spaces
Available from:Kids who are fans of “Stranger Things” can enjoy the same creep factor in this eerie middle grade read. For 11-year-old Ollie, books are an escape and her latest read is quite chilling. Then on a field trip, she notices some strange similarities between the farm they’re visiting and the book, including the gravestones of the very characters she has read about. With spooky scarecrows and haunted woods, Ollie’s favorite form of escape is about to become a real-life nightmare.
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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2024.