Do you love to read before bed? When my kids were little, I read to them every night before bed and scary stories were always the favorite. I love to read scary stories at lunch, before breakfast, before bed…well anytime. My type of scary has more suspense in it than gore, and a slight twist of dark humor. All of the authors and books I recommend fit my requirements for scariness at it’s best.
Before you begin you need a few things to make the experience just right: a big mattress, a blanket to throw over your head, a teddy bear to squish, and scary voices for each character. Bundle these all up together and you’re set to have these stories add to your perfectly scary Halloween. Boo.
Here’s a few of my picks for the younger readers:
The Dark by Lemony Snicket, Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Afraid of the dark? I mean who isn’t afraid of the dark? What lurks in the closet or under your bed? The story begins with: ”The dark lived in the same house as Lazlo, a big place with a creaky floor, smooth, cold windows and several sets of stairs.” I’m already scared. Aren’t you? Read it to the end, and find out what the dark has to say.
Jerry the Boy Who Cried Monster, by Sally Spratt
Okay, well I have to say this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE. Did I mention I wrote this one? Jerry, has a problem…monsters. They are everywhere and no one believes him. The monsters mess up his room, eat his homework and even try to eat the class hamster. This is a fun but still scary book. because it has monsters in it, e-book available in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt book app called MeeGenius. Don’t want to read alone? Turn on the narration and have it read to you.
For kids who are just getting started reading on their own, or your middle grade readers. Here are a few of my favorite scary authors (not too scary):
The Zombie Chaser Series by John Kloepfer. 
A 7 book series full of zombie chills and guts. Book one drops you into the story of Zach and his best friend, Rice along with the mean queen Madison. Everyone in the world around them is changing into ZOMBIES, includes Rice’s sister. Its’ up to these three to survive and save the world. Can they do it without getting turned into zombies themselves?
Scary School by Derek the Ghost
I don’t even have to say this is scary, the title tells you all. Plus it’s written by a ghost named Derek. This is the first in a 3 part series (so far). Derek is a ghost, he’s 11 and he died in science class when one of Mr. Acidbath’s experiments went horribly wrong. Derek walks you through the school where your homeroom teacher is Ms. Fang and T. Rex is there to help you through detention, if he’s not too hungry. There’s a web-site filled with scary stuff, fun and games: www.scaryschool.com.
The Haunted Library, by Dori Hillestad Butler
Is the first of a 7 book series. It’s more than a haunted library book, it’s a mystery too. Kaz is a ghost, a kid ghost who got separated from his family and is now “stuck” in the library. Claire is a human who can actually see Kaz. Together the two work on their first mystery of who is haunting the library, and they try to find Kaz’s family. It’s fun, and not too scary, if you don’t mind a ghost here and there that is. If you want to read an excerpt and find out more about the series visit: www.penguinrandomhouse.com
My Teacher is an Alien, by Bruce Colville
So maybe this title doesn’t sound so scary to you. But what if your teacher WAS an alien and you saw him peeling off his face? That’s what happened to Peter. He and his best bud Susan discovered Mr. Smith’s (a.k.a. the alien) horrible plans for their class mates. They have to work fast to get rid of the extraterrestrial visitor—and save the rest of the sixth grade class and the world. This is just the first book in a four part series. But Bruce also has more series titled: Camp Haunted Hills and The Chamber of Horrors. Visit his sight for details about all of his books and more: www.brucecoville.com
What are your favorite scary stories? How do you prepare? Do you read on your bed under tucked under the blankets? Maybe you read UNDER the bed?