What better way to celebrate Halloween than to scare yourself silly with a creepy book? Even better – give your friends and family scary books that they’ll love!
All Hallows Read was devised by Neil Gaiman who thought that there weren’t enough traditions that involved giving each other books. His solution: give or lend each other scary books during the week of Halloween.
For the younger crowd, try Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Bored Coraline goes through the always-locked door in her dining room to find her “other” parents in an alternate world.
One of my favorites is The Witches by Roald Dahl, where witches pose as nice ladies, but really, they want to destroy all children.
On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming follows six teens from different time periods telling their death stories.
For older teens and adults, a non-conventional scary story is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, a disturbing but achingly beautiful story of a teen boy adjusting to a new life with his grandmother and a monster. In Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Cas, a ghost hunter, goes after Anna, a ghost who kills anyone who dares come in her home.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman follows the story of a boy being tormented by some shape-shifting monster – this one creeped me out so much.
Connect with sharing scary books at the Buda Public Library!
