Five YA Scary Stories to Read this Halloween
Five YA Scary Stories to Read this Halloween
Spooky season is my favorite season. I love the changing of the leaves, the blustery afternoons, and even the cozy feeling I get when it gets darker just a bit earlier. Curling up with a spooky read makes this time of year even better. I remember reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King about a year after it was published. I listened to the audio version, and I have such a visceral memory of driving down the dark streets plastered with wet leaves. I can hear the wind blowing. Any time I’m driving in similar conditions, the creepy feelings I associate with that story comes right back to me.
My goal for this list was to select a few stories that may have the same effect on you. This time of year is so atmospheric and holds fond memories as we remember the excitement associated with Halloween and the influx of candy. As a teacher and a mom, I get to relive a bit of that excitement vicariously through my students and my son. But my favorite way to resurface those old feelings of unease and nervous excitement is through reading. So here are my top five picks for this spooky season.
1. The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson (416 pages)
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Madison Washington is biracial, a carefully guarded secret by her family, including her fanatical white father, Thomas. Maddy passes for white at her Georgia school, but is still bullied and considered an outcast. And when Springville has its first integrated prom, something horrific happens, and people seem to believe that Maddy was the one who did it. With the town scrambling to uncover the truth, Maddy faces even more racially-charged bullying and the tension building is painful to behold until it finally breaks.
Why You Should Read It
Most of us have seen or read several retellings of Stephen King’s Carrie, but Jackson’s take is really saying something. Making Maddy’s otherness based more so in race than in the supernatural allows Jackson to comment on the way kids can be truly cruel nowadays. And we all know that racism is much scarier than any boogeyman. Jackson’s story is familiar yet fresh, and will be very difficult for you to put down.
Fear Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
2. The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass (246 pages)
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Jake is one of the few black students at his tiny school. Jake’s older brother is a student too, but his wild popularity doesn’t help Jake’s cause. To make matters truly worse, Jake sees dead people. He sees them all the time, all around him. Most of the people he sees are trapped in their death loops, which really alters Jake’s outlook on life. When Jake encounters Sawyer—a deeply disturbed teen who killed six students at a nearby school and then took his own life—Jake knows he’s in trouble. Sawyer’s anger is palpable in a way the emotions of the dead haven’t been before, and Jake can sense that Sawyer wants to use Jake to continue his destruction. Jake must quickly learn the new rules to this game Sawyer draws him into, even as people are mysteriously dying in his neighborhood, before Sawyer finds a way to break free.
Why You Should Read It
While Jake’s gift (curse, maybe?) makes him an outcast, he would’ve felt that way without any supernatural interference. Douglass makes a point to show the microaggressions Jake endures, both as a Black teenager and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. While I can’t speak to his experience as a Black person or a gay person, as a teacher, I can corroborate the way that non-white and non-cis students are sometimes treated by their peers. The death loops are intriguing and the incorporation of school violence makes the story, unfortunately relevant. I’d recommend this for a quick read on a breezy afternoon with a hot beverage for support.
Fear Factor
3/5 Brookie Star
3. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo (394 pages)
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Eleanor Zarrin doesn’t talk about her family much, and being away at boarding school makes that even easier. Her secrets are monstrous, as is the unspeakable incident that sends Eleanor running. And where can she go? In an act of desperation, she decides to give her family another chance. As she gets to know her estranged (read: strange) family a bit better, she finds their habits less off-putting and more intriguing.
Why You Should Read It
First of all, take a look at this cover. That’s what initially drew me in. The story contained in these pages is even more frighteningly engrossing. Szabo doesn’t shy away from truly gruesome descriptions of the powers wielded by Eleanor’s family. So while this story definitely remains in the young adult category, I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint at heart. Eleanor’s family dynamic is relatable underneath the supernatural, and watching her mind change and her heart grow is disheartening.
Fear Factor
5/5 Brookie Stars
4. All These Bodies by Kendare Blake (304 pages)
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A late 1950s summer has been hell for inhabitants of the Midwest. A series of murders upends several towns, the victims seemingly unconnected. The only similarity is the circumstance of their deaths: each body is found in a different place, but they’re all entirely drained of blood, leaving the crime scene completely clean. At the very end of summer, the Carlson family is found murdered in their home in Minnesota. Authorities are invigorated by their first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found, covered in blood, at the scene of the crime. But further investigation reveals something startling: none of the blood is hers.
Why You Should Read It
Kendare Blake isn’t new to this genre of spooky young adult fiction, and it really shows here. Told through the point of view of both Marie Catherine and a novice reporter on the case of his life, we’re privy to both Marie’s inner thoughts and the politics surrounding her case. The slow revelation of the potential supernatural elements was deftly done and is exciting to watch unfold. Marie Catherine is an alluring character and watching the politics configure themselves around her makes for a story that’s hard to put down.
Fear Factor
4/5 Brookie Stars
5. Horrid by Katrina Leno (352 pages)
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Jane North-Robinson and her mother’s move from the sunny West Coast to the constantly cloudy Maine is reflective of their emotions, dampened by the death of Jane’s father. Their new house, like their relationship, is falling apart. Jane begins to find her footing in the pages of father’s old books and with a few new friends, but the cruelty of her peers doesn’t take long to manifest. With the cool and ominous New England fall weather creeping in, Jane finally begins to discover the secrets behind locked doors in her old house and something even more… horrid.
Why You Should Read It
Everything in this story feels purposeful; each detail has its place. This can be hard to achieve, especially for stories that delve into the supernatural. Similar to All These Bodies, the author gives you a lot of lead time to get into this world before throwing anything particularly wild at you. Leno uses the monstrous sides of grief, loss, and mental health as grounding techniques for the more supernatural aspects of the story. But all of the fantasy is rooted in real-world experiences and emotions, making Jane an easy character to relate to.
Fear Factor
3/5 Brookie Stars
So here’s my list of endearingly eerie, if not a little macabre, stories to keep you up at night this Halloween season. While each story takes up to different settings with varying levels of spook and magic, the authors know to ground the uncanny details in the sinister side of life. But even when things are dark, you’ll find yourself rooting for these characters to use their mortal gifts to fight their immortal foes.
Pick up one of these roundup YA reads just in time for Halloween! Have other scary book recommendations for us to enjoy this spooky season? Let us know here!
Rachel Gomes is a 30-something high school English teacher who lives with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband and their son. Rachel is a voracious reader who loves to learn and has her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. She’s happiest listening to podcasts and talking to friends about the latest news in nerd culture.
Favourite book: Don’t make me choose between A Song of Ice and Fire and Harry Potter
Favourite brunch spot: The Farmer’s Table
