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First Book’s book experts picked their favorite spooky stories that will frighten and delight young readers. Don’t be afraid to pick up any of our recommended titles!

Pre-K –K (Ages 3-6):

Ghosts in the House! written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara
At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts.

For 1^st and 2^nd Grade (Ages 6-8):

Los Gatos Black on Halloween written by Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Follow los monstruos and los esqueletos to a Halloween party in a fun and frightful bilingual poem. Accompanied by illustrations that are as gorgeous as they are creepy, this is a great Halloween-themed read-aloud book that kids will want to read and re-read all year long.

We love this book because: this book introduces young readers to a spooky array of Spanish words that will open their ojos to the chilling delights of the season.

For 3^rd & 4^th grade (Ages 8-10):

Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie by Bill Doyle
After Keats and Henry lose their bikes, they need money – fast. So the help-wanted ad at the supermarket seems ideal for them. All they have to do is weed Hallway House’s garden, find some light bulbs in the attic, sweep the garage…and battle a shark-headed zombie.

We love this book because: With an imaginative youngster as its main character, this book weaves the tale of an exciting and fun adventure that will keep kids turning pages and entertain even reluctant readers.

For 5^th & 6^th grade (Ages 10-12):

Ghost Fever / Mal de fantasma (Bilingual, English/Spanish) by Joe Hayes
Elena Padilla’s father didn’t believe in ghosts, and that’s a shame, because his disbelief ends up making Elena a very sick girl. The story starts in an old rundown house in a dusty little town in Arizona. Nobody will rent that house because … well, a ghost haunts it. The landlord can’t even rent it out for free! That is, not until foolish old Frank Padilla comes along thinking he can save some money.

Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the mysterious ways of ghosts. With her grandmother’s help and advice, Elena solves the mystery of the ghost girl, recuperates from her ghost fever and, in the process, learns a valuable lesson about life.

We love this book because: It’s really scary! The incredible details of this story – with English and Spanish on opposite pages – will stay with readers after the story ends. Children who enjoy a good fright will really love this book.

Grades 7 & up (Ages 13+):

Lockwood & Co. #1: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren’t exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes.

We love this book because: Complex and endearing characters navigate an alternate reality wherein the dead don’t die – what’s not to love? The book’s fantastic world is sure to hook readers – even we can’t wait to pick up the next title in the series!

The post Monthly Book List: Our Five Favorites for October appeared first on First Book Blog.

NOTE:  The following books were free copies sent to me by Owl Kids, for review.  I received no compensation for my review, nor have I in any way been influenced by Owl Kids regarding the nature of my review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

For those of you who already know and love (because, to know this book IS to love it) The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chirs Van Allsburg, first published in 1984 and beloved by teachers of all grades as an indispensable collection of creativity-inducing writing prompts, please skip this first paragraph for my review of The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales. If you

Ehud Ben-Ezer.  Hosni the Dreamer.  Illus. Uri Shulevitz.  New York:  Farrar Straus Giroux, 1997. Hosni is teased by the other shepherds for being a daydreamer.  One day, his dream of travelling to a big city comes true – Hosni is asked to accompany the sheikh, his master, on a journey to sell camels in the [...]

Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham begins with a prologue that tells the story of an old sycamore tree growing in Richland, WA in the arid, eastern part of the state.  Just down the road from the Hanford Nuclear Plant, site of some serious toxic waste dumps into the Columbia River in the 1940s.  This dump fills the tree with toxic energy, turning it hungry and violent.  When a twelve-year old boy

by Sharon Blumberg

Spooky Story Starters can foster creative writing by children and young adults. Children can also draw illustrations to accompany their stories. Most children grow up with many unforgettable spooky Halloween experiences. Help your child, or your students if you’re a classroom teacher, create some fun spooky stories for Halloween.

Before you have your children start writing, remind them that effective stories for children need to contain essential elements. Aside from a beginning, middle, and end, those elements are as follows:

1. A point of view character. Write the story from the point of view of the main character.

2. A problem or conflict for the main character. The story must have a problem that needs to be solved. Try to present this as early in the story as possible in your story, or your reader will move on to something more enticing.

3. Rising action. Once your problem is established, create some rising action, where the conflict begins to build in intensity.

It is acceptable to have parents involved in the story, but the main character should try and solve the problem himself/herself.

4. Dialogue and Action. Try to tell much of the story through dialogue. In other words, “show,” don’t just “tell.” Be sure you have plenty of action, though. You story needs to be MORE than just people talking.

5. A Twist. Have your story end with an unexpected “twist.” This could be something the reader never saw coming, but would wonder why he didn’t.

Now for some Spooky Story Starters to help your children start writing:

1. You just moved into an old, large home with your family, in a new town. Everyone at school tells you the house is haunted. You are alone on Halloween evening, giving out candy, when you hear footsteps coming from the stairway.

2. Nobody ever Trick or Treats at the dark house on the corner of your block. Children have seen a shadowy silhouette of a women peering out of a second story window, and viscious dog-barking rattles the front windows. Your companions have dared you to ring the bell for Trick or Treat.

3. Every Halloween night, your neighbor down the street tries to scare children by growling, and jumping out of his door while wearing a costume. In addition, creepy-sounding Halloween songs blast from a boom box on his lawn. However, this year you notice something a little different. You don’t see your neighbor jumping out with a costume, nor do you hear the scary Halloween music. What you do see is a tall, dark hooded figure standing behind a clump of tall, evergreen trees near your neighbor’s house. Your friends still want to go Trick or Treating at this house. You don’t want to go, but you don’t want to seem like a wimpy baby by backing out.

4. You are interviewing a well-known vampire about his best Halloween memory. He is known for terrorizing bullies in the neighborhood on Halloween night. He tells you one time he…..

5. You have gone Trick or Treating ever since you were a young child because this particular house gives out the best treats. You are now 12 years old, but you are not quite ready to give up Trick or Treating while you still have younger friends. The lady at the door insults you by saying you are much too old to still be Trick or Treating. In fact, she says you should be ashamed of yourself. But she eventually gives you a big candy bar anyway.

(Clarion Books, September 6, 2010)

After reading this middle-grade novel, it becomes clear why Mary Downing Hahn is such a popular author and has won so many awards. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall is a deliciously written gothic story, hovering over that “safe,” fine line that exits between the mildly scary and horror.

Twelve-year-old Florence has spent the last seven years of her life in a London orphanage. Then, one day, her rich Uncle James sends for her, and she goes to live in his mysterious old mansion in the English countryside. Besides her uncle, her Aunt Eugene and her cousin James also inhabit the house. Unlike her uncle, who is warm and kind, her aunt is a cold, severe middle-age woman.

Florence isn’t able to have any interaction with James because, for some mysterious reason, he is bedridden and unable to receive visits. Everybody in the house, including the few servants, seems to be under the dark memory of Sophia, James’ 12-year-old sister, who died tragically one year before.

Not long after Florence moves in, she realizes there’s a supernatural presence in the house, none other than Sophia’s ghost, with whom Florence shares a striking resemblance. Thus begins the dark “friendship” between the girl and the ghost. Evil and manipulative Sophia has her own agenda, and she wants Florence to help her achieve her goals. Will Florence be strong enough to fight Sophia’s revengeful and controlling will?

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall is filled with tight yet evocative, lyrical prose that appeals to the senses.

“The wind rustled the leaves and blew through the grass on Sophia’s grave. Its sound was as low and sad as the mourning doves calling to one another on the church roof.”

There is a threatening, chilling tone throughout—enough to keep readers on the edge of their seats without giving them too much horror. Though the story wouldn’t really be scary for 12 year olds, 9 year olds might be slightly affected by it.

The author’s carefully chosen descriptions serve to create the perfect atmosphere for this engrossing, historical ghost story. The characters are distinct and interesting in their own way. Florence is a smart, practical young girl who will capture the imaginations of middle-grade readers. The novel has a little of Wuthering Heights, The Secret Garden, and Rebecca in it.

For this reviewer, it was a wonderful experience discovering this talented author.

**My review previously appeared in The New York Journal of Books.

I have to confess, I probably would not have even given this series a second look if it had not been close to Halloween.  But, having read the first two books in the Scream Street series, I'm glad I did. While the series name and titles of British author Tommy Donbavand's books (the first two in the series have just released in the States) sound a bit gruesome, the plots rarely are.  As Donbavand

Angie Sage, creator of the magnificently magical world of Septimus Heap, book 5 of which was just published, has also authored a series for younger readers. The Araminta Spookie books are perfect for the reader who wants something a little different from the usual Magic Tree House and Junie B Jones. Araminta is brilliant, brave and has a different bedroom for every day of the week!   She's not