Books like Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay

I adored this creepy, spooky middle-grade book set in Victorian-time London. It tells the story of 12-year-old Nancy Crumpet and her terrifying adventure with Skelter Tombola, who owns the amazing Scareground.

The descriptions were so powerful that I felt like I was right in the story with Nancy, experiencing the scary magic of the fair. The link between Nancy and Skelter is skillfully revealed, and the chapters kept my heart thumping throughout. I couldn’t put it down!

I loved this adventure for younger readers, and I think it would be perfect for ages 5-8 who want an introduction to creepy, spooky stories. Autumn wants to dance and is desperate to join a dance team.

The story explores friendship, dealing with tricky people, and fighting to achieve one's dreams. I really enjoyed it, and the cover is so cute that friends always borrow it for their children—especially around Halloween. 

I was scared to death by this book! It’s aimed at a YA (young adult) audience, so definitely one for ages 14+. I did my Duke of Edinburgh at school, so I fully got involved with this very creepy camping trip where everything went terribly wrong. I remembered the rain and the dark woods all too well…

Tess has written a brilliant blend of thriller and horror here, her second book. The twists and turns are so clever; it is completely, terrifyingly gripping. 

I was first attracted by the totally gorgeous cover; I’ve never seen anything like it. This story is written for middle-grade readers, ages 9-12. It is an unusual horror story, where the main character, Delores, is sent up to a distant family in Edinburgh to learn to deal with seeing ghosts.

I’ve visited Edinburgh, and it is an amazingly creepy city! I walked the ghost tunnels beneath the city, so it was lovely to read more about the area. The book conveys the setting beautifully, and I was captivated by the wonderful, descriptive, lively writing. I can’t wait for the sequel! 

I’m fortunate enough to have contributed a story in this anthology too, along with the likes of Nicholas Grabowski (author of Halloween IV), Reyna Young (horror host Miss Misery), Tom Sawyer, Patrick James Ryan, Rey Otis, and more. What makes this horror anthology different from others is the depth of characters and emotion of the stories. Yeah, it’s dark, scary, and will leave you squirming in your seat. But it’s the depth of characterization that truly propels these stories and sets them apart from other horror anthologies.

This book is a part of The Night Before series which is such a brilliant and cute idea.

The Night Before Halloween also tells its tale in rhyme form, but is in the pattern of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. Natasha Wing really has a grasp on keeping to the original style while telling her story in an adorable way that is written in a language that kids can easily follow.

The story itself includes all of the classic monsters as they are getting ready for Halloween and trick or treaters. It is the perfect book that has all of the Halloween monsters without any of the scares!

If you love Halloween like I do, this holiday horror collection from the twisted minds of some of today’s best horror authors will delight and scare you. The stories are short, fast-paced, entertaining, and shocking. Some of my favorites: A Wasted Pumpkin, Waiting for Death, The Hungry Child, Razorblade Smiles. Check this collection of flash fiction out. You’ll read it in one night. But keep the lights on!

It wasn’t long after beginning our family when we started collecting Chris Van Allsburg books, loving the moody feel of his detailed pencil illustrations, and this book, not as well known as Jumanji or The Polar Express, is one of my favorites. 

Losing its magical powers of flight, a witch’s broom ends up in the garden of widow Minna Shaw. While frightened at first, she comes to enjoy its quiet company and help around the farm. But after meting out well-deserved punishment to some children, the neighbor’s demand that she give up her companion, and it seems as if this unusual friendship will come to an end. A twist in the tale brings the story to a warm and satisfactory ending.

It might be unusual to choose an alphabet book intended for babies and toddlers in a selection of Halloween books, but the art in this book and others in this series is worth collecting, even if you don’t have little ones to share the book with. There have been a lot of little ones reading books on my lap over the years, both my own children and now grandchildren, and I’ve learned that there are certain favorites that I might as well keep close at hand rather than shelve in the hallway with the other picture books. A few years ago I stumbled across B Is for Boo, and I loved the illustrations so much that I have collected nearly a dozen more books in Greg Paprocki’s series of alphabet books. The illustration style might best be described as “retro,” and whether readers grew up in the 1960s like… show more.

Prepare for spicy thrills and spooky chills, mystery, murder, and ghostly goings on in this ‘must-have’ seven-book collection. The first volume takes us to Briarwood Park, an English manor house stalked by a bloodthirsty madman, and a brooding duke accused of a wicked crime. The whole series features steamy, open-door bedroom scenes.