For Halloween this month, we’ve rounded up the scariest (and some not so scary), and most bizarre books filled with witches, vampires and ghosts to send shivers down your spine.
3 – 6 years old
Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Monster
by Rhiannon Fielding
One little monster is determined not to go to bed ... until some unexpected visitors start causing chaos! Written specifically for bedtime, this story is full of magic, big paws, fluffy fur and little claws! Weaving a journey from lively beginning to gentle end, the ten-minute countdown to bed is at the heart of this enchanting story. But will Belch the monster get to bed on time? This beautifully illustrated picture book is the perfect length for sending little ones off to sleep.
Pop Up Peekaboo: Monster
by Clare Lloyd
This colourful pop-up peekaboo book follows adorable little monsters as they hide around the house. The lively, read-aloud rhymes encourage literacy and early learning, while the surprise pop-up scenes will delight curious preschoolers. With the help of parents and caregivers, toddlers will have fun turning the sturdy board book pages, guessing what's hiding under each flap, and then lifting the flaps to reveal the little monsters and play peekaboo! Ideal for interactive preschool play, Pop-up Peekaboo! Monsters will appeal to both parents and children and is certain to keep little ones entertained time and time again!
Revolting Things to Touch & Feel
by Roald Dahl
What does a giant's foot feel like? How about a rotten egg, or a bumpy crocodile? Find out in this book that's full of the most REVOLTING things to touch and feel!
There's a Witch in Your Book
by Tom Fletcher
Just in time for Halloween, an adorable little witch has landed in YOUR book! An engaging new adventure from the team that brought you There's a Monster in Your Book and its companions. A grumpy little witch has thrown a magic spell at you! If you can capture it, you can use your finger wand to make magic yourself in this interactive book. But, be careful! Your bewitched finger wand might be more powerful than you think!
Nibbles: Colours
by Emma Yarlett
Red and yellow and pink and ... CHOMP! Uh-oh! Nibbles the book monster has munched his way into a book of colours! Can you catch him before it’s too late? With die-cut holes throughout!
Monster!
by Alan MacDonald & David Roberts
Calling all Dirty Bertie fans! Dirty Bertie – the boy with nose-pickingly disgusting habits – is back for another helping of comic chaos! With ever-increasing madcap schemes and crazy capers, Bertie continues to delight his legions of fans who revel in his revolting ways. Join Bertie as he turns Know-All Nick into a monster, gets stuck on a mountain with Dad and comes face to face with his French double!
6 – 9 years old
The Worst Witch
by Jill Murphy
Sparkling new branding for The Worst Witch - the original magical boarding school series. School spells trouble for Mildred Hubble! Disaster-prone Mildred is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. Yet she manages to get by until she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet, into her deadly enemy and chaos ensues ... Jill Murphy's beloved classic is full of fun, magic and mayhem!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
by Tim Burton
Jack Skellington is the most important figure in Halloween Town and for years he has delighted in organising macabre tricks and frights for Halloween. But this year he doesn't feel right – there must be more to life than scaring people? Then Jack stumbles upon a cheerful, colourful place called Christmas Town and he knows what he must do – he will bring Christmas to Halloween! This is the first book written and illustrated by the incomparable visionary Tim Burton
Monsters Go Green
by Susanna Davidson & Melanie Williamson
Another laugh-out-loud FULL COLOUR monster adventure in the Billy and the Mini Monsters chapter book series, perfect for newly independent readers aged 6+ and fans of Claude and Horrid Henry. Billy is learning how to take care of the planet, and the Mini Monsters want to help too... so they join the school trip to the recycling centre. But what will happen when Gloop falls into the recycling machine? Packed with colour illustrations, comic strips, maps and speech bubbles, with an action-packed plot, to appeal to even the most reluctant reader.
9 – 12 years old
The Haunting of Aveline Jones
by Phil Hickes & Keith Robinson
Turn on your torches and join Aveline Jones! Aveline loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it belonged to a girl called Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance, with some help from her new friend, Harold. Now someone...or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline. The first in a deliciously spine-tingling, spooky new series, where mysteries are always solved, spirits are always laid to rest, and everybody gets to bed on time. Perfect for adventurers aged 9+ and fans of Michelle Harrison, Piers Torday and Jamie Littler.
Diary of an Accidental Witch: Flying High
by Honor Cargill
There’s only fifty days until the Winter Solstice, the longest and witchiest night of the year. But before that there’s the Grand Tournament – the biggest and sportiest day in the witchy calendar! And I can’t wait! Bea Black is all settled into her new life in Little Spellshire, a town with a magical secret. She’s made tonnes of friends at witch school, learned how to levitate frogs (just about) and been working hard on polishing up her broom skills. So when the Winter Solstice Grand Tournament rolls round, she’s ready to rise to the next challenge and fly high. But then Ms Sparks decides that this year’s tournament will be a bit … er … different. That is, it won’t be an Extraordinary Grand Tournament at all, but rather a very ordinary sports day with Spellshire Academy! With magic firmly forbidden and rivalry reaching new heights, who will emerge victorious? And more importantly, will Bea’s friendship with her best non-witchy friend Ash survive the competition?
Escape from Grimstone Manor (Monsterious, Book 1)
by Matt McMann
In a mansion on a hill, lived a man no one could kill. Raised the dead with magic dark to rule the world and make his mark. Zari has always been fascinated by creepy stories about Hezekiah Crawly, the real-life inspiration behind her local amusement park’s haunted house attraction, so she’s thrilled when her friends Mateo and Taylor agree to go on the last ride of the day before the park closes. But when the ride breaks down, the three get trapped inside the haunted house for the night! As if that weren’t scary enough, the kids stumble onto a hidden staircase leading to a dark, cobwebbed crypt that doesn’t seem like part of the ride—and by the looks of it, they aren’t alone down there. Is it possible the stories about Hezekiah Crawly and his monstrous experiments are true? And if so, can Zari, Mateo and Taylor make it through the night in one piece? This series of terrifying tales that combine monsters + mysteries is perfect for fans of Goosebumps.
The Boy Who Made Monsters
by Jenny Pearson & Katie Kear
A one-of-a-kind tale of love, loss, laughter and hope, from award-winning author Jenny Pearson. Benji McLaughlin is a visionary. He believes in things other people think are impossible, like that he and his brother Stanley will be happy living with their uncle, and that the Loch Lochy monster is real, and that his parents will come home safely one day. So when he finds out that Uncle Hamish's holiday business is struggling, Benji's not worried. He has a visionary plan. Together with his new friends, Murdy and Mr Dog, he sets off to prove that the Loch Lochy monster exists, and bring tourists flooding in. But Benji might have to confront different monsters to the one he expects.
Alex Neptune, Monster Avenger
by David Owen
Get ready for an epic mission INSIDE a water dragon in Alex Neptune's third fast and funny adventure - perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! The sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting very strangely, attacking boats, and Alex senses some dark power is controlling them. When he tracks down his friend the water dragon, he finds it's been infected too. If he can't find a way to stop it, the deadly parasite it's carrying could spread throughout the seas. After battling storms, electric eels and an army of angry crabs, Alex realises that the only way he and his team can save the dragon and all their ocean friends is by going inside the dragon...gulp!
Mary Anning's Grewsome Beasts
by Deshan Tennekoon
This book tells the true story of a scientist named Mary Anning. The fossils she found helped invent the science of palaeontology. If you’ve heard of Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs or Pterosaurs you already know her work but there’s so much that’s been hidden or forgotten. This visual biography contains many deaths and one squirrel; a handsome puppy and 200-million-year-old poop.
The Vegan Vampire and Other Fantastic Fiction
Compiled by Marieta Nel
A compilation of the best poetry, short stories, dramas and folklore! This anthology includes works by Avril van der Merwe, Hannes Barnard, Mia Arderne, Riette Hugo, Peti Troskie and Zelda Bezuidenhout ... and more! This collection perfectly suits the needs for teachers and learners for the term 3 literature project that is part of the CAPS curriculum. A separate study guide will also be available so teachers can easily find additional material on all the texts.
Project Helix 01: 21% Monster
by P.J. Canning
Fun, fast-paced, high-octane action adventure, 21% Monster is a perfect page-turning new series for fans of Alex Rider, Percy Jackson and the MCU generation. When Darren Devlin is arrested for destroying his school with his bare hands, it's not just the police who are after him. Enter Marek Masters, 14 years old, 19% alien, and the most intelligent, most wanted "almost human" alive. Marek is here to tell Darren the truth - he is 21% monster, and together they must take down the secret organisation that created them. Darren and Marek are wanted, powerful and dangerous. And now it's payback time.
Young Adults
Killer Content
by Kiley Roache
Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying! In this twisty thriller a group of famous TikTokers begin turning on each other when one member is found dead at their beachfront Malibu mansion. 35 million followers. One dead body. The six teenagers who make up the Lit Lair have it made. A beachfront mansion, millions of followers, stunning good looks, and sponsorship deals worth more money than they ever dreamed. They live together, making videos about their perfect lives. Except it’s not so perfect after one of them turns up dead in the infinity pool. When the group TikTok account starts posting cryptic messages, the police stop looking outside the house for suspects—and start looking straight at them. Everyone in the Lit Lair had reasons why their lives would have been easier without Sydney Reynolds. But only one of them killed her.
The Fear
by Natasha Preston
Don't be afraid. Be terrified. It’s just a stupid meme that’s going around their small fishing town in the dead of winter - people reposting and sharing their biggest fear. But when her classmates start turning up dead - dying in the way that they said scared them the most - Izzy knows it’s no joke. With each death hitting closer to home, Izzy sets out to try to stop the killer. Could her older sister’s friend Tristan have something to do with the deaths? He’s given her some strange vibes. Or what about his brooding cousin, Axel? But he’s in her classes at school. He’s not a murderer... is he? Izzie’s soon on a path that will lead her right to the killer... and her own worst nightmare.
Red Eye 11: Cruel Castle
by Bryony Pearce
Having survived the horrors of Savage Island, Grady is now stuck working for Gold, the psychopath who masterminded the gruesome competition. Sent on a “team-building exercise” in a remote castle, he starts to plot his escape. Ben and Lizzie are in hiding, presumed dead after escaping the island. If they’re ever to return to their families, they need to bring Gold down. So they secretly join Grady in the castle. But as the doors slam shut and the series of deadly challenges between them and freedom are revealed, it looks like history is going to repeat itself… A Red Eye horror novel for teens, this gripping sequel to Savage Island is full of fast-paced action and gruesome twists and turns.
Queen of Myth and Monsters
by Scarlett St. Clair
Isolde, newly coronated queen, has finally found a king worthy of her in the vampire Adrian. But their love for each other has cost Isolde her father and her homeland. With two opposing goddesses playing mortals and vampires like chess pieces against one another, Isolde is uncertain who her allies are in the vampire stronghold of Revekka. Now, as politics in the Red Palace grow more underhanded and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, Isolde must trust in the bond she's formed with Adrian, even as she learns troubling information about his complicated past.
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Promised a golden future as ruler of Scotland by three sinister witches, and spurred on by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan to ensure his ambitions come true. But he soon learns the meaning of terror - killing once, he must kill again and again, and the dead return to haunt him. A story of war, witchcraft and bloodshed, Macbeth also depicts the relationship between husbands and wives, and the risks they are prepared to take to achieve their desires.
The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories: Clothbound Classics
by Henry James
In "The Turn of the Screw," one of the most famous ghost stories of all time, a governess becomes obsessed with the belief that malevolent forces are stalking the children in her care. It is accompanied here by several more of the very best of Henry James's short stories, all exploring ghosts and the uncanny.
Penguin Readers Level 3: Ghost Stories
by M. R. James
A strange whistle, a dangerous curse, a buried crown and a hotel without a room 13. Don't read these four frightening ghost stories by M.R. James late at night!
Monsters Born & Made
by Tanvi Berwah
She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Fable, this South Asian inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all. Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve. In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers-the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others-if they're lucky-survive. When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race. But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When riots break out and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose-her life or her sister's-before the whole island burns.
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