It’s the season for ghosts and vampires (and Jedi knights and Hanna Montanas) and werewolves. And, of course, it’s a great time for spooky stories and books say “Boo!” The goal for many of us here is to find some great Halloween-themed bedtime tales–but NOT stories that are going to keep kids up for the rest of the night. (You’ll have five pounds of sugar and guar gum to make sure that happens.)


Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Frankenstein takes the Cake by Adam Rex feature collections of funny monsters tales, told in verse with fantastic illustrations.

For a silly spooky singalong, break out Sipping Spiders Through a Straw by Kelly DiPuchhio and Gris Grimly. It presents monstrous versions of classic campfire songs, such as “Take Me Out to the Graveyard” and “If You’re Scary and You Know it, Clap Your Paws.”

Melanie Watt’s Scaredy Squirrel at Night is the latest installment in the adventures of a squirrel who is learning to tackle his fears. This time, the poor rodent is besieged by bad dreams. And, of course, this book glows in the dark!

For my personal all-time favorite, I can never get enough of What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss. It’s part of the compilation The Sneetches and Other Stories. It unravels the mystery of the “Spooky empty pale green pants with nobody inside them.”

The Scratch and Sniff Halloween book features “five fantastic fragrances.” Enough said.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Halloween reading. Send us your recommendations right now, and we’ll include them in our follow up: Books that Say “Boo!” Part Two.