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Spine-Tingling Tales for Kids: Stories and Books to Scare Yourself Silly!

• For Preschool–Grade 1
• For Grades 2–3
• For Grades 4–6

Additional materials may be located by checking the library catalog using the following keywords: ghost stories, ghosts fiction, horror stories, and horror tales.

For Preschool–Grade 1

Beware of the Frog by William Bee

Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, but has a pet frog to protect her from greedy goblins, smelly trolls, and hungry ogres.

Bedtime at the Swamp by Kristyn Crow

Upon hearing a swamp monster's splashing, rumbling approach, a boy hides in a tree, where he is soon joined by his sister, brother, two cousins, and even the monster itself, until Ma arrives to bring them all home to bed.

Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

At bedtime, a little llama worries after his mother puts him to bed and goes downstairs.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

Die-cut pages that reveal bits of a monster are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

Using rhyme, rhythm and repetition, the scary text invites young children to read along with an adult. Together the adult's text and the child's responsive text create stories with a scary theme.

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

When a young pig knocks on a fox's door, the fox thinks dinner has arrived, but the pig has other plans.

The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza

A hungry wolf's attempts to fatten a chicken for his stewpot have unexpected results.

Mabela the Clever by Margaret Read MacDonald

In this African folktale, a mouse pays close attention to her surroundings and avoids being tricked by the cat.

There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

A boy decides to get rid of the monster living in his closet.

The Spooky Tire by Jon Scieszka

On a dark and stormy night, Melvin the truck rolls into a spooky junkyard to find a replacement for his flat tire.

Never Kick a Ghost and Other Silly Chillers by Judy Sierra

This collection of spooky stories and games includes a skeleton bride, a big slobbery monster, and a man who kicks ghosts.

When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor

Explores the options available to a monster from the time it is born, such as becoming the scary monster under someone's bed or playing on the school basketball team.

The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

Cow, Pig, Duck, and Mouse are afraid to retrieve their ball when it goes into the dog's house, but when they do go in they are pleasantly surprised.

Amanda Pig and the Awful, Scary Monster by Jean Van Leeuwen

Amanda the pig sees monsters at night, but her parents and her brother find different ways to convince her that there are no monsters.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Three owl babies whose mother has gone out in the night try to stay calm while she is gone.

Your Pal Mo Willems Presents Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a terrible monster — he can't seem to frighten anyone. When he discovers the perfect nervous little boy, will he scare the lunch out of him? Or will he think of something better?

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

A little old lady who is not afraid of anything must deal with a pumpkin head, a tall black hat, and other spooky objects that follow her through the dark woods trying to scare her.

For Grades 2–3

The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide by Linda Ashman

Readers can join two intrepid travelers on a worldwide tour as they outsmart, avoid, and appease an odd assortment of beastly creatures, mischievous monsters, and strange, small folk.

The Red Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

After Jenna gives her little sister an old doll dressed in red velvet as a birthday present, some very disturbing events make Jenna suspect the doll might be possessed.

Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny: An Original African American Scare Tale by Virginia Hamilton

James Lee's Uncle Big Anthony has been looking smaller and sadder lately — could he have become the victim of a witch?

La llorona = The weeping woman : an Hispanic legend told in Spanish and English by Joe Hayes

A retelling, in Spanish and English, of the traditional tale told in the Southwest and in Mexico of how the beautiful Maria became a ghost.

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe

Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire. (series)

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

The school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, sets out to stop a group of librarians bent on destroying a shipment of video games, while a group of students known as the Breakfast Bunch provides back-up. (series)

Precious and the Boo Hag by Patricia C. McKissack

Home alone with a stomachache while the family works in the fields, a young girl faces up to the horrifying Boo Hag that her brother warned her about.

Eek! Stories to Make You Shriek by Jane O'Connor

Three easy-to-read stories include a talking doll, a Halloween party, and a mysterious dog.

Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie's magic tree house transports them back to the time of King Arthur, where they must search a haunted castle to find the Stone of Destiny. (series)

Monsters by Lucille Recht Penner

Learn about monster legends and lore from around the world, including why people truly believed in them.

Ghost Cat and Other Spooky Tales by James Preller

Presents a collection of scary tales, including a cat that lurks around every corner even though it is dead, a horrible monster hiding in the closet, and an imaginary friend that does bad things.

Awful Ogre's Awful Day by Jack Prelutsky

In a series of poems, Awful Ogre rises, grooms himself, dances, pens a letter, and goes through other activities as the day passes.

Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex

Frankenstein wants to marry his undead bride in peace, but his best man, Dracula, is freaking out about the garlic bread, and the Headless Horseman wishes everyone would stop drooling over his pumpkin head.

The Haunted Hotel by Ron Roy

When the guests of the Shangri-La Hotel are scared away by a white-haired female ghost, Dink and his friends investigate the mystery. (series)

In a Dark, Dark Room, and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz

These seven scary stories, based on traditional stories and folktales from various countries, are meant to be told at night.

Golem by David Wisniewski

Rabbi Loew builds a giant clay monster to help defend the Jews of Prague.

For Grades 4–6

Are You Afraid Yet?: The Science Behind Scary Stuff

Uncover the truth behind such scaremongers as King Kong, UFOs, vampires, mummies, ghosts, haunted houses, and many more with first-person and historical accounts and expert scientific opinions.

Half-Minute Horrors

An anthology of very short, scary stories by an assortment of authors and illustrators including Chris Raschka, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, Jack Gantos, and Lane Smith.

More Bones: Scary Stories from around the World

Can you escape from an evil wizard? Can you outrun a corpse? Can you learn secrets from a severed head? These terrifying questions--and many more--enliven twenty-two tales collected from around the world and retold.

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

In New York City in 1872, fourteen-year-old Horace, a photographer's apprentice, becomes entangled in a plot to create fraudulent spirit photographs, but when Horace accidentally frees the real ghost of a dead girl bent on revenge, his life takes a frightening turn.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

When twelve-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. (series)

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline finds a mysterious door that leads to a home and family much like her own, but she realizes that they won't let her return to her own house.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.

The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman

Lucy is the only one in her family who can hear the wolves in the walls.

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

In the nineteenth century, ten-year-old Florence Crutchfield leaves a London orphanage to live with her great-uncle, great-aunt, and sickly cousin James, but she soon realizes the home has another resident, who means to do her and James harm.

The Monsterologist: A memoir in rhyme by Bobbi Katz

Open this memoir...if you dare! For inside this rare collection of letters, notes, and interviews lie the choicest fruits of the monsterologist's bone-chilling research.

Amulet. Book 1, The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. (series)

My Rotten Life by David Lubar

Tired of continually having his feelings hurt by popular students and bullies, fifth-grader Nathan agrees to try an experimental formula, Hurt-Be-Gone, and becomes a half-dead zombie, a condition which, he soon discovers, has some real advantages. (series)

The Wooden Mile by Chris Mould

Eleven-year-old Stanley Buggle, happily anticipating a long summer vacation in the house he inherits from his great-uncle, discovers, soon after arriving in the seemingly peaceful village of Crampton Rock, that along with the house he has also inherited some sinister neighbors, a talking stuffed fish, and a host of mysteries surrounding his great-uncle's death. (series)

Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness by Edgar Allan Poe

These four tales by the master of horror sport Gris Grimly's macabre illustrations.

Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman

In the mountains of Switzerland the wicked Count Karlstein plots to abandon his two nieces in a hunting lodge as prey for the Demon Huntsman and his ghostly hounds.

Dare to be Scared 4: Thirteen More Tales of Terror by Robert D. San Souci

Author San Souci and illustrator Ouimet join forces to present 13 deliciously frightening tales. (series)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz

These stories of ghosts and witches, "jump" stories, and scary songs are illustrated in a creepy and raw style by Stephen Gammell. (series)

Thriller by Jon Scieszka

A body on the tracks. A teenage terrorist. A mysterious wish-granting machine. The world's worst private detective. The second volume in the Guys Read Library is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity.

Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan

Darren and his friends find an invitation to the Cirque du Freak, where they meet a wolf-man, a deadly spider and vampires. (series)

The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer by Brad Strickland

In Michigan in the mid-1950s, Lewis Barnavelt is convinced that the series of accidents he and his uncle are experiencing are the result of a curse by a mysterious, hooded figure that may be part of his uncle's past. (series)

The Skull Talks Back and Other Haunting Tales by Joyce Carol Thomas

These six traditional African American ghost stories will leave a creepy impression on even the bravest of readers.