Horror & Ghost Stories

Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega

From the publisher: "Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late."

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Creepy Alice-type story of Coraline, who follows a cat down the hall of her house, goes through a door, and ends up in... her house... only it's not her house, it's a creepy version of it. And her mother there is... Other Mother, with buttons for eyes, who wants to KEEP HER THERE FOREVER. Have you seen the movie? Either way, you need to read the book, because it's always better!

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

Did you know this one was a book before it became a movie, too?  It's a classic gothic horror-mystery!  And it's the start of a series!! From the publisher: "When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan. comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls–a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!"

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

On a dark night, a mysterious stranger enters a house, and kills a family.  All but the little toddler, who toddles out the front door and down the street.  He wanders into a graveyard, where the ghost of his mother asks the graveyard inhabitants to take care of him.  They name him Nobody Owens, or "Bod" for short.  The ghosts teach him ghostly tricks and show him secret passageways in the catacombs.  But there are supernatural creatures that even his new family of ghosts fear…

Bod can't stay in the graveyard forever -- he has to make friends with other living people, and someday, the killer will return.  When he does, Bod must be ready…

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Corinne La Mer lives at the edge of a forest on a Caribbean island with her dad. She's fearless... mostly.  She doesn't believe in the old tales of jumbies, fearsome creatures who once ruled the island, until humans took over, but who want it back.  Until All Hallow's Eve, when the spirits are said to walk the land, and a beautiful but mysterious woman appears out of nowhere, and puts Corinne's father under a spell.  Who is she? and what does she want?  Can Corinne save her dad, and the island?  With the help of two local homeless boys, and a new friend, she might have a shot. 

Sequels: Rise of the Jumbies; and coming soon: Jumbie God's Revenge

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by

This collection of 8 illustrated stories could have gone on the animal stories page...

From the publisher: "The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe.

When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention."

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Harper Raine, a Korean-American girl, and her family just moved from NY to DC. their new house is old, and in the process of being renovated.  Harper has some memory loss from an accident the year or so before, and then her little brother Michael gets an 'imaginary' friend, Billy, who used to live in the house, and is telling Michael what to do... The house gives Harper the creeps.  But if Billy and the house won't let go of Michael, Harper is going to need some help! Not recommended for reading when you're home alone...!

Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac

Molly's favorite legend from her Mohawk background is the story of the Skeleton Man, a creepy figure who burned his finger, put it in his mouth to soothe the burn, and since it tasted so good, he ate all his own flesh!  When his family returns, he ate their flesh, too. Then he ate the flesh off all the people in his whole village!!  Only a little rabbit escaped. Skeleton Man is kind of like a Native American boogey-man that parents warn their kids about.  

The legend takes on a whole new meaning when Molly's parents disappear.  A strange man comes to school claiming to be her 'uncle'.  And the office, guidance counselor and teachers all believe him!  Molly's never seen him before, but he reminds her strangely of the Skeleton Man...  Every night, he climbs the stairs and locks her in her room.  What does he want?  Who is he?  Where are her parents? There's nobody to help her, so it's up to Molly to save herself and her parents, in this short but suspenseful story.

Sequel: The Return of Skeleton Man

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, by Alvin Schwartz

The iconic short story collection that inspired this summer's movie.  Read it, if you dare!  But leave the lights on...

Sequels: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Even More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Bunnicula by James & Deborah Howe

This is a classic -- and a combination of humor and horror. It's told from the point of view of the family dog, Harold.  He tells the story of the Monroe family, and how they found a pet bunny, Bunnicula, at the movie theater. What movie were they watching? DRACULA! That was the first hint. The fangs, the markings that look like a cape, the sleeping-all-day-up-all-night... those were hints, too!  Then, they start finding vegetables drained of all their juice, and fang marks. Chester, the cat, thinks Bunnicula is a vampire, and tries to warn the family, to no avail! What to do? Read it and find out! There's a whole series, if you like it...

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

Like her other books, this one includes letters, maps, emails, and other documents that help tell the story.  From the publisher: "A famous kids' mystery writer, Ignatius B. Grumply, has moved into the Victorian mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road, where he hopes to find some peace and quiet so he can crack a bad case of writer's block. 

Unfortunately, the house is already occupied by an 11-year-old grouch named Seymour, Seymour's cat, Shadow, and an irritable, piano-playing, pie-making ghost named Olive. It's hard to say which of the four is crabbiest, but there's a reason that destiny has brought them all together. After all, Olive the ghost has learned a few valuable lessons by being dead for a while!"

Attack of the Vampire Weenies by David Lubar

A master of humor, heart, and horror!  From the publisher: "A boy steals a ticket to an amusement park and gets the ride of a lifetime — literally! The first day of middle school turns into a free-for-all when the gym teacher offers a "get-out-of-gym-free" card. Sick of his sister's vampire wannabe friends, a kid decides to teach them a lesson at their next party. But the tables are turned when some surprise guests show up. Don't be a weenie. Read these stories. If you dare! "

Doll Bones by Holly Black

CREEPY DOLLS that come to life and tell you what to do???  Well, it's not quite like Chucky -- not that scary and not gory at all.  This is the story of three middle school friends, Zach, Poppy, and Alice, with great imaginations. Their favorite thing to do is make up elaborate characters and stories, using action figures and dolls as their props. Zach thinks he's getting too old for these games, and starts to pull away. The Queen is a creepy antique china doll in a glass case... she was made from the ashes of Eleanor, a dead girl who haunts Poppy and instructs her to find her grave so she can be buried and finally rest. After much convincing, Zach and Alice agree to help Poppy.  Author Holly Black is the writer of the Spiderwick Chronicles.  If you like realistically creepy stories, you will love this one.

Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

This is a terrific author who also writes mysteries and survival stories, as well as a memoir of surviving polio (be sure to check out her books on other pages).  From the publisher: "Each day, sixth-grader Rusty feeds a dog that’s left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter, food, or water. When he realizes the dog has been injured, he tries to have Animal Control help – but when that fails, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it. With the dog in their hideout, the boys face multiple challenges, including Andrew’s snoopy sister and the escalating threats of the dog’s abusive owner. Even more challenging? The appearance of a ghost dog that appears in Rusty’s room, and is trying to lead him to an even deeper secret. . ."

Polaris by Michael Northrop

From the publisher: "In the 1830s Owen Ward is cabin boy on the Polaris, a ship on a voyage of scientific exploration, when illness and a mutiny off the coast of Brazil cause the adult crew to abandon the ship, leaving the handful of young cabin attendants and deckhands behind. The young seafarers are determined to bring their ship to safety, but when one of them disappears they begin to suspect that there is something deadly on board with them."

Guys Read: Terrifying Tales

One of the series of short story collections. All scary stories by eleven authors, including: Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Illustrated by Gris Grimly. 

The Monsters of Morley Manor by Bruce Coville

This prolific author has something for everyone! From the publisher: "When sixth-grader Anthony and his younger sister, Sarah, open a box full of monsters, they are drawn into dangerous adventures with strange creatures, aliens, and ghosts."

Check out his sci-fi series, My Teacher is an Alien or SpaceBratz, etc.; the fantasy series The Unicorn Chronicles or The Enchanted Files or The Magic Shop, The Monster's Ring, Camp Haunted Hills series, The DragonSlayers, as well as his Goblins series and picture book Shakespeare adaptations.

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

From the publisher: "A mysterious house harbors an unimaginable secret…

It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village. But from the minute they cross the threshold of their new home, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.

With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the strange circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called the Prince of Mist–a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden–an adventure that will change their lives forever."

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Weird and creepy story about Steve, who desperately wants to help his dying baby brother survive, and ease his parents' worries.

There is a wasps' nest growing under the eaves of his house, and the wasp queen comes to him in his dreams. She says she can fix the baby, but she wants something in return...

Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost! by Cornelia Funke

From the publisher: "Nine-year-old Tom Tomsky can't catch a break: He's a klutz, his sister Lola pretty much hates his guts, and — this is a big "and" — he just found a ghost camping out in his cellar. Lucky for Tom his grandma's best friend just happens to be the world's foremost ghosthunter. Under her expert tutelage, Tom learns the tools of the trade, which just happen to include buckets of graveyard dirt, and soon finds he has to face down not just the ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost) in the basement but the IRG (Incredibly Revolting Ghost) in town. All while keeping the nettlesome Lola off his trail..."

The Inn Between by Marina Cohen

From the publisher: "11-year old Quinn has had some bad experiences lately. She was caught cheating in school, and then one day, her little sister Emma disappeared while walking home from school. She never returned.

When Quinn's best friend Kara has to move away, she goes on one last trip with Kara and her family. They stop over at the first hotel they see, a Victorian inn that instantly gives Quinn the creeps, and she begins to notice strange things happening around them. When Kara's parents, and then brother disappear without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lucking beneath the floorboards. Will the girls be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Kara's family before it's too late?"

The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein

Bridgewater isn't the only town that has a legend of an evil tree!!!  In this story, Zack has just moved back to his dad's hometown. Near his house is a crossroads. Supposedly, 50 years earlier, a madman caused a fatal bus accident, then crashed his car -- and his ghost has haunted the tree at the crossroads ever since. Until a lightning strike releases his spirit, that is...

First of the Haunted Mysteries series!

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

From the publisher: "An Irish brother and sister travel to work as servants, but their new employers and the manor where they reside are not what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives.

More than just a spooky tale, this Victorian ghost story is also a fable about human greed and the power of storytelling."

Also check out Sweep: the Story of a Girl and Her Monster.

Strange Star by Emma Carroll

Inspired by Mary Shelley's classic tale, Frankenstein. From the publisher: "One stormy June evening, five friends meet at Villa Diodati, the summer home of Lord Byron. After dinner is served, they challenge each other to tell ghost stories that will freeze the blood. But one of the guests–Mary Shelley–is stuck for a story to share.

Then there’s an unexpected knock at the front door. Collapsed on the doorstep is a girl with strange scars on her face. She has traveled a long way with her own tale to tell, and now they all must listen.

Hers is no ordinary ghost story, though. What starts as a simple tale of village life soon turns to tragedy and the darkest, most dangerous of secrets. Sometimes the truth is far more terrifying than fiction . . . and the consequences are even more devastating."

The Boggart by Susan Cooper

If you've read or watched Harry Potter, you've heard of boggarts.  But J.K. Rowling didn't invent them. These mischievous creatures have been around a LONG time! This is the first in a series by an award-winning author. From the publisher: "When Emily and Jess Volnik’s family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart that lives there—an invisible, mischievous spirit who’s been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a rolltop desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks’ home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same—for the Volniks or the Boggart.

In a world that doesn’t believe in magic, the Boggart’s pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home—but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic."

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

Amy is having a hard time dealing with stuff at home, so she moves in with her Aunt Clare for the summer.  The house belonged to her great-grandparents, and harbors dark secrets.

There's a dollhouse, an exact replica of the real house. There are nightly noises, and the dolls move around, clearly trying to send Amy a message about the mysterious death of her great-grandparents, decades earlier. A quick, but thrilling read, with a compelling side-story, too.

Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison

First of the spooky, and funny, series. From the publisher: "Ever since her father died, quirky Gilda Joyce has been working hard to sharpen her psychic skills. She’s determined to communicate with spirits from the Other Side and become a crack investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. After wrangling an invitation to visit relatives in San Francisco, Gilda discovers that her dreary, tight-lipped uncle and his strange, delicate daughter need her help to uncover the terrible family secret that has a tortured ghost stalking their home. From poignant to hair-raising and hilarious, this is a behind-the-scenes, tell-all account of the very first case in the illustrious career of Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator."

Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

First of the series. From the publisher: "Charlie Laird has several problems. 

 1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.

2. He had to move into her purple mansion—the creepiest place in Cypress Creek.

3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.

 What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. 

 For good."

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

From the publisher: "Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm (and Grimm-inspired) fairy tales. An irreverent, witty narrator leads us through encounters with witches, warlocks, dragons, and the devil himself. As the siblings roam a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind the famous tales, as well as how to take charge of their destinies and create their own happily ever after. Because once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome."

The Forgotten Girl by India Brown Hill

From the publisher: "On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, sneak into a clearing in the woods to play in the freshly fallen snow. There, Iris carefully makes a perfect snow angel — only to find the crumbling gravestone of a young girl, Avery Moore, right beneath her. Immediately, strange things start to happen to Iris: She begins having vivid nightmares. She wakes up to find her bedroom window wide open, letting in the snow. She thinks she sees the shadow of a girl lurking in the woods. And she feels the pull of the abandoned grave, calling her back to the clearing...

Obsessed with figuring out what's going on, Iris and Daniel start to research the area for a school project. They discover that Avery's grave is actually part of a neglected and forgotten Black cemetery, dating back to a time when White and Black people were kept separate in life — and in death. As Iris and Daniel learn more about their town's past, they become determined to restore Avery's grave and finally have proper respect paid to Avery and the others buried there.

But they have awakened a jealous and demanding ghost, one that's not satisfied with their plans for getting recognition. One that is searching for a best friend forever — no matter what the cost."

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire LeGrand

From the publisher: "Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does, too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy."

The Last Kids on Earth by Max Braillier

First of the zombie-apocalypse graphic novel series. From the author's website: "Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack’s crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? "

The Secret Path by Christopher Pike

First of the Spooksville series.  From the publisher: "Adam has just moved to the small town of Springville. His first day there, he meets Sally, who tells him the town’s real name is Spooksville because of all the spooky things that go on. Adam doesn’t believe her—until they go in search of the Secret Path, a magical path that leads to other Spooksvilles.

Join Adam, Sally, and their friend Watch as they take the Secret Path and pass through a dark doorway. On the other side you’ll find a terrifying Spooksville where there are huge spiders, living skeletons, evil black knights, and a witch who just loves to make dolls…out of kids! "

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

It starts with the main character, Ollie, saving a book: she sees a crazy lady trying to throw it in a lake, and she steals it and runs away. Eventually, she realizes why the lady was so desperate... it's a terrifying story about a girl, the two brothers both in love with her, and the "smiling man" who grants a wish with a terrible price.  The next day, Ollie and her classmates are on a field trip to a local farm... a haunted one. And there's a graveyard; on the gravestones are the names from the story!  Is it real? If that weren't creepy enough, the bus breaks down on the way back, and the driver tells them all... "At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you."  Then, Ollie gets a message on her broken watch: "RUN!" Will Ollie and the other kids listen? Will they survive? What will happen? FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF!  And best heed the driver's last message:  "Avoid large places. Keep to small." 

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

Genie Lo is your average, above-average student, volleyball player, just trying to get into Harvard, avoid disappointing her mom, you know how it goes.  Then a new boy, Quentin Sun, slams into her life.  He's handsome and annoying, but he's also actually Sun Wukong, the infamous Monkey King from Chinese folklore, and he needs her help to fight off all the demons that are suddenly plaguing her town. Why Genie? You'll never guess!  Read it to find out how Genie finds her true nature, and whether she'll embrace it, or die trying.

Red Rider's Hood by Neal Shusterman

This is NOT your typical fairy tale. Red isn't a little girl and doesn't wear a riding hood.  He's a guy with a shiny red Mustang convertible that he loves. Trouble is, the local gang is eyeing it up, too, and they're a pack of werewolves causing trouble all over the hood. When they mug Red's grandmother, he decides to take them down.  He has to infiltrate the gang in order to do it.  He gets help from a werewolf hunter.  But when he gets a taste of the power and comraderie the Wolves have, his loyalties are tested.  Will he join them for real? This is a quick read that will leave you wanting more! Also check out the Everlost series:

Took by Mary Downing Hahn

Hahn is the QUEEN of creepy ghost stories. This one's about Daniel, who's new in town, and doesn't believe Brody Mason's outlandish stories about the witch who lives on the hill and steals children to feed to her giant hog.  Until his little sister, Erica, goes missing!

There are too many to mention, so here are just a FEW of the author's other ghost stories: One for Sorrow, The Girl in the Locked Room, All the Lovely Bad Ones, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, Time for Andrew, Closed for the Season, The Old Willis Place, Stepping on the Cracks, Wait till Helen Comes, etc. Watch for her newest book, coming soon: The Puppet's Payback and other Chilling Tales.

The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim by Shane Peacock

From the publisher: "Edgar Brim is a sensitive orphan who, exposed to horror stories from his father as a young child, is afraid of almost everything and suffers from nightly terrors. His stern new guardian, Mr. Thorne, sends the boy to a gloomy school in Scotland where his dark demons only seem to worsen and he is bullied and ridiculed for his fears. But years later, when sixteen-year-old Edgar finds a journal belonging to his novelist father, he becomes determined to confront his nightmares and the bullies who taunt him. After the horrific death of a schoolmate, Edgar becomes involved with an eccentric society at the urging of a mysterious professor who believes that monsters from famous works of literature are real and whose mandate is to find and destroy these creatures. With the aid of a rag-tag crew of friends, the fear-addled teen sets about on his dark mission, one that begins in the cemetery on the bleak Scottish moors and ends in a spine-chilling climax on the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in London with Henry Irving, the infamous and magnetic actor, and his manager, Bram Stoker, the author of the most frightening and sensational novel of the day, Dracula. Can Edgar Brim truly face his terror and conquer his fears?"

The first of a gothic trilogy.

Scream and Scream Again ed. by R. L. Stine

Anthology of new scary short stories by well-known horror writers that either begin or end... with a scream! Chosen and edited by R.L. Stine, the Goosebumps king of horror. From the publisher: "Scream and Scream Again! is full of twists and turns, dark corners, and devilish revenge. Collected in conjunction with the Mystery Writers of America, this set includes works from New York Times bestselling authors telling tales of wicked ice-cream trucks, time-travelling heroes, witches and warlocks, and of course, haunted houses."

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Book 1 of an enormously popular series. From the publisher: "A sinister problem has arisen in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see — and eradicate — these supernatural foes. Many different psychic detection agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.

In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co., a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague George are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall's legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day?"

Thirteen Chairs by Dave Shelton

This one is creepy! Jack enters a shadowy room in a haunted house... to find 12 strange people seated around a table, their faces illuminated only by flickering candlelight. They invite him to take the 13th chair. Each has a heart-pounding, scary story to tell. Eventually, Jack will have to tell his own… 

The Thickety by J.A. White

The first of a series by a local author, this is a dark fairy tale that's much scarier than the cover makes it look. When she was about 5 years old, Kara Westfall held her newborn brother, Taff, while their mother was hanged for a witch. The evil village leader, Fen'de Stone, accuses Kara of being a witch, as well, but the terrifying creature that tests for witches somehow 'heard' Kara's silent pleas and let her go. 

Years later, Kara and Taff are still shunned by the people of the village. Their ineffectual father cannot help them. Kara is tormented by Fen'de Stone's mean girl daughter, Grace, and her only friend is Lucas, an outsider and lowly worker whose job is to cut back the fast-growing plants of the Thickety, a terrifyingly fast-growing forest of thorns that surrounds the village. Then a black bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest to find her mother's magic book... What happens next will terrify you!!!!!

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

The first of a thrilling and terrifying series! From the publisher: "For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried–some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope; the last apprentice.

Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county ... ?"

Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

The first in the popular series.  Darren Shan books are like Goosebumps meet Stephen King, or so he claims on his website! In this series, the character is also named Darren Shan. He and his best friend, Steve, go to an old-timey 'freak show', with all kinds of bizarre acts, including Mr. Crepsley, a vampire with a tarantula that does his bidding.  Darren tries to steal the performing spider, but that terrible act will have tragic consequences for him and Steve...  It was made into a movie with Josh Hutcherson!  Be sure to check out the author's other series: Lord Loss, and Zom-b, among others.

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe by Dan Poblocki

Poblocki is one of the most popular ghost-story writers for young people!  From the publisher: "Gabe and Seth used to play make-believe games in the woods behind Seth's family farm. It was the perfect creepy landscape for imagining they were up against beasts and monsters and villains.

Just as Gabe's decided he's outgrown their childish games, though, it appears that their most monstrous creation could be real.

Is there a ghoulish man-eating creature prowling the woods for victims? Or is Seth just determined to make Gabe think so, no matter who gets hurt in the process?

Gabe's not sure which answer would prove more unsettling, but he's determined to learn the truth."

More books by this author: Shadow House series, The Ghost of Graylock, The Nightmarys, The Stone Child, The House on Stone's Throw Island, etc.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Post-apocalyptic nightmare! From the publisher: "In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, school, and even baseball games.

Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler's Landing forever."

The Collector by K.P. Alexander

What is it about dolls? Why are they soooo creepy???

From the publisher: "Josie always liked visiting her grandmother's house. But when she's forced to move there, she starts to feel like something is a little...off. Her grandmother has some very strange rules:

1. Never leave your windows open after dark.

2. No dolls in the house.

3. Never, ever go by the house in the woods.

A little spooked, Josie is relieved to find that her school seems pretty normal. She even manages to make friends with a popular girl named Vanessa. When Vanessa invites Josie back to her house to hang out, Josie doesn't question it. Not even when Vanessa takes her into the woods and down an old dirt road, toward the very house her grandmother had warned her about...← The house that has been calling for her."

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

From the publisher: "Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone, but they left something behind. Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins: brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lilias with a fear of bones, and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there's the other girl. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn't be there. The girl that died. "

Read the haunting history of frozen charlotte dolls.

Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones by Christopher Krovatin

The first of a series. From the publisher: "During a class hiking trip, Ian, Kendra, and PJ get lost in the mountains and discover that they are being stalked by a pack of ravenous zombies. With the help of a witch doctor and some unusual folk magic, will they be able to defeat these monsters and escape the mountain with their lives?"

The Darkdeep by Allie Condie and Brendan Reichs

First of a series. From the publisher: "Everyone in Timbers knows Still Cove is off-limits, with its creepy Beast sightings and equally terrifying legends. But when a bullying incident sends twelve-year-old Nico Holland over a cliff and into Still Cove's icy waters, friends Tyler and Emma--and even Opal Walsh, who usually runs with the popular kids--rush to his rescue . . . and discover a mysterious island hiding in the murky, swirling mists below. 

Though the island appears uninhabited, the kids can't shake a feeling that something about it is definitely not right. Their suspicions grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat filled with all sorts of curiosities: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to unknown places, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable. And in its lowest depths churns a dark, deep secret. 

As the group delves deeper into this mysterious new clubhouse, their lives begin to intertwine in weird and dangerous ways. For something ancient has awakened . . . and it can detect not only their wishes and dreams, but also their darkest, most terrible imaginings. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy secrets lurking within their own hearts? 

Told from alternating points of view, this pulse-racing tale from bestselling duo Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs is the start of a high-stakes, thrilling series about friendship and believing in yourself--and each other."

The Agony House by Cherie Priest

From the publisher: "Denise Farber has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and step-dad. They left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have finally returned, wagering the last of their family's money on fixing up an old, rundown house and converting it to a bed and breakfast. Nothing seems to work around the place, which doesn't seem too weird to Denise. The unexplained noises are a little more out of the ordinary, but again, nothing too unusual. But when floors collapse, deadly objects rain down, and she hears creepy voices, it's clear to Denise that something more sinister lurks hidden here.Answers may lie in an old comic book Denise finds concealed in the attic: the lost, final project of a famous artist who disappeared in the 1950s. Denise isn't budging from her new home, so she must unravel the mystery — on the pages and off — if she and her family are to survive..."

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

Edgar Award nominee. Jeremy Johnson Johnson (yes, that's his name) can hear ghosts, or more specifically, he can hear the ghost of Jacob Grimm (you know, the guy who collected fairy tales with his brother?). When Jeremy was a little kid, Jacob told him all the old fairy tales. Now that he's older, Jacob helps him insult bullies in other languages (Jacob spoke several) and helps him with school, attract the attention of the beautiful Ginger, & get on a trivia show (by whispering the answers in his ear). But all is not well -- someone is trying to hurt them, and teens in town are disappearing.  

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

From the publisher: "Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation “His Face All Red,” in print for the first time.

Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to “Our Neighbor’s House”—though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold.” You might try to figure out what is haunting “My Friend Janna,” or discover that your brother’s fiancée may not be what she seems in “The Nesting Place.” And of course you must revisit the horror of “His Face All Red,” the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page."

A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano

Pram Bellamy can see and talk to ghosts. Her mother died by suicide before she was born, and Pram is being raised by two elderly aunts in an old-age home. Her best friend is a ghost-boy named Felix.  She has little to do with living children her age, until she is forced to go to school, and meets Clarence. Clarence, too, has lost his mother, and the two bond over shared grief.  Pram wants to help Clarence find his mother's ghost, to talk to her, and Clarence offers to help Pram find her missing father.  These new friends, along with Felix, try to get help from a spiritualist, Lady Savant, but the woman wants to use Pram's power for her own ulterior motives.

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

From the publisher: "In the desert town of Richland, Washington, there stands a giant sycamore tree. Horribly mutated by nuclear waste, it feeds on the life energy of boys that it snags with its living roots. And when Teddy Matthews moves to town, the tree trains its sights on its next victim.

From the start, Teddy knows something is very wrong with Richland -- every kid he meets disappears before his eyes. A trip to the cemetery confirms that these boys are actually dead and trying to lure him to the tree. But that knowledge is no help when Teddy is swept into the tree’s world, a dark version of Richland from which there is no escape..."

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

From the publisher: "The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Fourteen-year-old Horace Carpetine has been raised to believe in science and rationality. So as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer, he thinks of his trade as a scientific art. But when wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht orders a photographic portrait, strange things begin to happen.

Horace's first real photographs reveal a frightful likeness: it's the image of the Von Machts' dead daughter, Eleanora.

Pegg, the Von Machts' black servant girl, then leads him to the truth about who Eleanora really was and how she actually died. Joined in friendship, Pegg and Horace soon realize that his photographs are evoking both Eleanora's image and her ghost. Eleanora returns, a vengeful wraith intent on punishing those who abused her."

Tell the Story to Its End by Simon P. Clark

There's a kid whose mom brought him to live with an aunt for the summer, without telling him why, or why his dad's not with them. She avoids answering any questions. He's super bored, until he checks out the attic, and finds this monster creature... that asks him for a story, his story... and seems to FEED on it. 

Radiance by Alison Noel

First in a series. From the publisher: "Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she's summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who's definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley's first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley."

Thornhill by Pam Smy

Similar to Brian Selznick's work, because it is two entwined stories, one in words, and one in pictures. The half in words is the story of Mary, an orphan at Thornhill, where she is tormented by a bully.  The place is closing down, and eventually they are the last two girls left.  The one in pictures is all atmospheric black, white, and grays.  It's the story of Ella, a sad and lonely girl who has just moved in across the way from the dilapidated old house. Eventually, their paths will cross. If you like ghost stories, you'll like this one.  

Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp

Recently re-released classic ghost story. From the publisher: "Emily was a selfish, willful, hateful child who died before her thirteenth birthday. But that was a long time ago.

Jane is nine years old and an orphan when she and her young Aunt Louisa come to spend the summer at Jane's grandmother's house, a large, mysterious mansion in Massachusetts. Then one day . . . Jane stares into a reflecting ball in the garden—and the face that looks back at her is not her own.

Many years earlier, a child of rage and malevolence lived in this place. And she never left. Now Emily has dark plans for little Jane—a blood-chilling purpose that Louisa, just a girl herself, must battle with all her heart, soul, and spirit . . . or she will lose her innocent, helpless niece forever.

One of the most adored ghost stories of all time..."

Bone Jack by Crowe

From the publisher: "Times have been tough for Ash lately, and all he wants is for everything to go back to the way it used to be. Back before drought ruined the land and disease killed off the livestock. Before Ash’s father went off to war and returned carrying psychological scars. Before his best friend, Mark, started acting strangely.

 As Ash trains for his town’s annual Stag Chase—a race rooted in violent, ancient lore—he’s certain that if he can win and make his father proud, life will return to normal. But the line between reality and illusion is rapidly blurring, and the past has a way of threatening the present.

 When a run in the mountains brings Ash face-to-face with Bone Jack—a figure that guards the boundary between the living world and the dead—everything changes once more. As dark energies take root and the world as he knows it is upended, it’s up to Ash to restore things to their proper order and literally run for his life."

Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith

From the publisher: "welve-year-old Hoodoo Hatcher was born into a family with a rich tradition of practicing folk magic: hoodoo, as most people call it. But even though his name is Hoodoo, he can't seem to cast a simple spell.

Then a mysterious man called the Stranger comes to town, and Hoodoo starts dreaming of the dead rising from their graves. Even worse, he soon learns the Stranger is looking for a boy. Not just any boy. A boy named Hoodoo. The entire town is at risk from the Stranger’s black magic, and only Hoodoo can defeat him. He’ll just need to learn how to conjure first."

The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton

Winner of the Edgar Award, this classic ghost story is the first of the Dies Drear Chronicles, by a Newbery-winning author. From the current publisher: "Shortly after moving into an old, spooky home, thirteen-year-old Thomas Small and his family start hearing strange noises. The house has a past, and when Thomas discovers a hidden passageway that may have been part of the Underground Railroad, the family realizes the house has a history as well. To find out all there is to know about the House of Dies Drear, Thomas must explore secret rooms—and the secrets of lives lived centuries before, lives that tell the story of America’s troubled early years."

The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley

First book in the Five Nights at Freddy's series, based on the popular video game. From the publisher: "Ten years after the horrific murders at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that ripped their town apart, Charlie, whose father owned the restaurant, and her childhood friends reunite on the anniversary of the tragedy and find themselves at the old pizza place which had been locked up and abandoned for years. After they discover a way inside, they realize that things are not as they used to be. The four adult-sized animatronic mascots that once entertained patrons have changed. They now have a dark secret . . . and a murderous agenda."

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kaylynn Baron.

"Camp Mirror Lake" was where a classic slasher horror movie was filmed, so the owner pays local teen Charity Curtis and her crew to run nightly 'escape' games in the summer for fans who pay to be scared out of their minds.  It's a full contact game and Charity loves playing the "final girl" role (it's a horror movie thing; look it up!), choosing which of the paying guests will 'survive the night', and the crew has fun with fake blood, sound effects, prop knives, and secret tunnels.  They're all having a great time, until her crew starts disappearing. Then one turns up dead, and a crazy old lady shows up with a shotgun screaming about secrets -- and if they only knew what really happened to curse Camp Mirror Lake!  Charity, her girlfriend Bezi, and what's left of the crew will live out their own horror, but it's no game!  They're fighting for their lives...  Will Charity be a real final girl after all?  This is a short, quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

"Beneath Heaven is Hell. Beneath Hell is Furnace." Furnace Penitentiary is a prison for teenage boys, buried a mile underground.  Run by an evil warden, with hulking Mafia-like "blacksuit" guards, creepy half-human creatures with gas masks sewn to their faces who perform experiments on the inmates, and giant flesh-eating skinless dogs that roam the corridors after lights out and will rip you to shreds if you're caught outside your cell.  14-year-old Alex is no saint -- he's caught burglarizing a house with his best friend.  But instead of cops, it's the blacksuits who find him, and shoot his friend dead in cold blood.  Alex is framed for the murder and sent to Furnace.  Alex is remorseful for his former crimes, but knows that Furnace is way beyond the punishment he deserves. Although no one has ever done it, Alex vows to escape.  The fast-paced action and heart-pounding thrills will leave you breathless. Cliffhangers will leave you clamoring for the rest of this heart-pounding series. 

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Start of the series. Buckle up! From the publisher: "In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone sixteen and older is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh. Teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food. The group of kids living a Waitrose supermarket is beginning to run out of options. When a mysterious traveler arrives and offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London. But their fight is far from over — the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it.

Full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes, The Enemy is a fast-paced, white-knuckle tale of survival in the face of unimaginable horror."

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos

If you like your horror funny, this is a great choice!

From the publisher: "Shaun of the Dead meets Dumplin’ in this bitingly funny YA thriller about a kicka** group of teens battling a ravenous group of zombies.

Vivian Ellenshaw is ... none too happy to find herself forced into a weight-loss camp’s van with her ex-best friend, Allie, a meathead jock who can barely drive, and the camp owner’s snobby son. And when they arrive at Camp Featherlite at the start of the worst blizzard in the history of Flagstaff, Arizona, it’s clear that something isn’t right.

Vee barely has a chance to meet the other members of her pod...when a camper goes missing down by the lake. Then she spots something horrifying outside in the snow. Something…that isn’t human. Plus, the camp’s supposed “miracle cure” for obesity just seems fishy, and Vee and her fellow campers know they don’t need to be cured. Of anything.

Even worse, it’s not long before Camp Featherlite’s luxurious bungalows are totally overrun with zombies. What starts out as a mission to unravel the camp’s secrets turns into a desperate fight for survival–and not all of the Featherlite campers will make it out alive."

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

This is kind of like that movie, The Ring, except from Samara's point of view!  From the author's website: "A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret – one that would just kill to get out." 

Check out the trailer below!

Sequel: The Suffering

Can You Keep a Secret? by R.L. Stine

Were you a fan of the Goosebumps books, but are now ready to move up?  Check out the Fear Street series!  From the publisher: "Eddie and Emmy are high school sweethearts from the wrong side of the tracks. Looking for an escape from their dreary lives, they embark on an overnight camping trip in the Fear Street Woods with four friends. As Eddie is carving a heart into a tree, he and Emmy discover a bag hidden in the trunk. A bag filled with hundred-dollar bills. Thousands of them. Should they take it? Should they leave the money there? The six teens agree to leave the bag where it is until it's safe to use it. But when tragedy strikes Emmy's family, the temptation to skim some money off of the top becomes impossible to fight. There's only one problem. When Emmy returns to the woods, the bag of money is gone, and with it, the trust of six friends with a big secret.

Packed with tension and sure to illicit shivers in its readers, this new Fear Street book is another terrifying tale from a master of horror."

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

By the author of The 5th Wave series, but completely different! This one's more like Frankenstein... Will Henry is the assistant to a doctor whose specialty is hunting monsters.  When you read this book, you will expect 8-foot tall headless monsters with giant mouths in their bellies filled with razor-sharp teeth to come crashing through your windows to eat you!

Sequels: Curse of the Wendigo, Isle of Blood, The Final Descent.

Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

The queen of suspense is Lois Duncan. From the publisher: "Kit Gordy sees Blackwood Hall towering over black iron gates, and she can't help thinking "This place is evil." The imposing mansion sends a shiver of fear through her. But Kit settles into a routine, trying to ignore the rumors that the highly exclusive boarding school is haunted.

Then her classmates begin to show extraordinary and unknown talents. The strange dreams, the voices, the lost letters to family and friends, all become overshadowed by the magic around them. When Kit and her friends realize that Blackwood isn't what it claims to be, it might be too late."

Duncan wrote many books, and many have been made into films. Some are suspense, some have supernatural or paranormal elements, mysteries, etc. All will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss these: Killing Mr. Griffin, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Stranger with My Face, Summer of Fear, Don't Look Behind You, Ransom, The Third Eye, Gift of Magic, Twisted Window, They Never Came Home, and too many more to count!

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

For fans of dystopian thrillers and zombies!  

Alex is hiking through the Michigan woods with a lot on her mind (no spoilers). Suddenly, the flash of an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) destroys all electronic devices, shuts down all power, and kills billions of people by triggering nuclear devices. Most people who survived are now zombie-like cannibals.  Alex finds Tom, a soldier, and a little girl whose grandparents were killed, and the three survivors make their way to Rule, a community that seems safe. But all is not what it seems...

This is the beginning of a trilogy by an author who is a child psychiatrist, Air Force vet, and writer of Star Trek, Battletech, and Mechwarrior, among other sci-fi universes. Among her many other YA books is: Draw the Dark, a psychological horror about a boy whose parents disappeared when he was little, and ever since then, he draws the dark, evil places and things from "the sideways place", where he says his parents are trapped.

Asylum by Madeline Roux

Illustrated, like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, with creepy old Victorian photos from real asylums, which were institutions where the mentally ill, disabled, or simply non-conforming people (especially women) were sent to control and hide them away.  They're a fave setting of horror films and books. From the publisher: "For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm—formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary mental hospital, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried." 

What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott

From the publisher: "Seeing things. You were just seeing things.

For city girl Callie Velasquez, nothing sounds more terrifying than a night out in the wilderness. But, wanting to bond with her popular new friends, Lissa and Penelope, she agrees to join them on a camping trip. At least Callie's sweet new boyfriend, Jeremy, will be coming too.

But nothing goes as planned. The group loses half their food supply. Then they lose their way. And with strange sounds all around her — the snap of a twig, a sinister laugh — Callie wonders if she's losing her mind.

Tensions swirl among the group, with dark secrets suddenly revealed. And then, things take a fatal turn: Callie stumbles upon a cold dead body in the woods.

Is the murderer close by, watching them? Callie has to figure out where she can turn and who she can trust, before her own life is at stake."

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

From the publisher: "Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspecters, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can really see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspecters head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass and Jacob come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil.

Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself."

Watch for the sequel: Tunnel of Bones.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige MacKenzie

Based on a wildly popular Youtube story, and in development for a TV series. This is the first in the series. From the publisher: "Shortly after her 16th birthday, Sunshine Griffith and her mother, Kat, move from sunny Austin, Texas, to the rain-drenched town of Ridgemont, Washington. Though Sunshine is adopted, she and her mother have always been close, sharing a special bond filled with laughter and inside jokes. But from the moment they arrive, Sunshine feels her world darken with an eeriness she cannot place.

In the days that follow, things only get stranger. Sunshine is followed around the house by an icy breeze, phantom wind slams her bedroom door shut, and eventually, the laughter Sunshine hears on her first night evolves into sobs. She can hardly believe it, but as the spirits haunting her house become more frightening, and as it becomes clear that Kat is in danger, Sunshine must accept what she is, pass the test before her, and save her mother."

The Call by Peadar O'Guilin

(FYI: "Sidhe", from Celtic mythology, is pronounced like "shee"). From the publisher: "Thousands of years ago, humans banished the Sidhe fairy race to another dimension. The beautiful, terrible Sidhe have stewed in a land of horrors ever since, plotting their revenge... and now their day has come.

Fourteen year-old Nessa lives in a world where every teen will be "Called." It could come in the middle of the day, it could come deep in the night. But one instant she will be here, and the next she will wake up naked and alone in the hellish Sidhe land. She will be spotted, hunted down, and sent back in pieces by the Sidhe to the human world... unless she joins the rare few who survive for 24 hours and escape unscathed.

Nessa trains with her friends at an academy designed to help her live. Her legs don't work properly and no one thinks she will survive The Call, but she's going to prove everyone wrong. As the days tick by and Nessa's classmates go one by one, that time grows ever closer... but with it too comes the threat of an even greater danger closer to home." Sequel: The Invasion.

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

A ghostly love story. From the publisher: "Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever."

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

Why is it that dolls are always so creepy?? From the publisher: "The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak.

'What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.'

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out.

Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest to find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family – before it's too late . . ."

Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott

From the publisher: "Sloan is a hunter. So she shouldn't be afraid of anything. But ever since her mom left the family and she lost hearing in one ear in a blizzard, it's been hard to talk to people, and near-impossible to go anywhere or do anything without her dad or big sister within eyesight — it makes her too scared to be on her own.When they leave her home alone for what should only be two nights, she's already panicked. Then the snow starts falling and doesn't stop. One of her neighbors is hurt in an accident. And the few people still left in Rusic need to make it to the river and the boat that's tied there — their only way to get to a doctor from their isolated Alaska town.But the woods are icy cold, and the wolves are hungry. Sloan and her group are running out of food, out of energy, and out of time. That's when the wolves start hunting them..."

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Civil War Zombie Apocalypse! When the dead rose up after the battle at Gettysburg, the war between the states ended in an uneasy truce, as the two sides had to try to come together to fight a common zombie enemy.  Slaves and Native Americans were now on the front lines -- they had to fight the zombies to protect the wealthy.

Biracial Jane McKeene has excelled at Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore, where she's trained in weapons and etiquette, so that she can be an Attendant (one of the highly specialized and prized fighters who protect the wealthiest families). 

It could offer her a better life, but what she really wants is to return to her Kentucky home -- in the hopes her mother and everyone on their farm is still alive and well.

But there's a conspiracy, and when Jane gets caught up in it, she is sent out to the Wild West, where she must fight enemies both dead and living.

Nonstop action and danger!

The Diviners by Libba Bray

A cross-genre historical mystery that's VERY scary! From the publisher: "SOMETHING DARK AND EVIL HAS AWAKENED. . . .

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. 

Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened. .. ."

HS

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

From the publisher: "Coldtown was dangerous, Tana knew. A glamorous cage, a prison for the damned and anyone who wanted to party with them.

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. And once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself."

HS

Defriended by Ruth Baron

From the publisher: "A friend request from beyond the grave...   Jason has met the perfect girl. OK, so maybe he hasn't actually metLacey yet, but they talk online all the time. Yet despite spending most nights chatting, Lacey refuses to meet up in person. Suspicious, Jason starts Googling, and his cyberstalking leads to a shocking discovery: According to multiple newspapers, Lacey died a year earlier.

Soon, Jason finds himself enmeshed in a disturbing mystery. Has he found a way to iChat with the dead? Or is someone playing a dangerous trick? Either way, Jason has to discover the truth before it's too late. You can't post "Away" messages from beyond the grave..."

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Classic horror tale of good vs. evil. Best friends Will and Jim are thrilled that a carnival is coming to their town. Little do they know they will have to fight it for their lives, and the lives of their loved ones. Look for the movie!

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Manicalsco

First of a series. From the publisher: "Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget."

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My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

From the publisher: "WHEN TOMAS AND HIS SON, Peter, settle in Chust as woodcutters, Tomas digs a channel of fast-flowing waters around their hut, so they have their own little island kingdom. Peter doesn’t understand why his father has done this, nor why his father carries a long, battered box, whose mysterious contents he is forbidden to know.But Tomas is a man with a past: a past that is tracking him with deadly intent, and when the dead of Chust begin to rise from their graves, both father and son must face a soulless enemy and a terrifying destiny."

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Shutter by Courtney Alameda

From the publisher: "Lock, stock, and lens, she's in for one hell of a week.

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat-a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Shutter by Courtney Alameda is a thrilling horror story laced with an irresistible romance."

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

This was released as a movie this year. From the publisher: "Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate. "

Author also wrote the well-known short story, The Lottery, and another horror classic, The Haunting of Hill House, now a Netflix series.

Steampunk: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Tighter by Adele Griffin

For fans of gothic ghost stories; this is an adaptation of the Henry James classic, The Turn of the Screw.  From the publisher: "When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple’s tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie’s connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead."

Other adaptations of The Turn of the Screw include The Turning, by Francine Prose, a recent movie of the same name, as well as many other film versions.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

First of  a series. From the publisher: "In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human."

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Also by this author: Nightsiders; Scary Out There; Broken Lands, etc.

Jackaby by William Ritter

From the publisher: "Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain the foul deeds are the work of the kind of creature whose very existence the local authorities--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--seem adamant to deny."

The Merciless by Danielle Vega

A book MTV reviewers called "Mean Girls meets The Exorcist", it's the first of a series.  From the publisher: "Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she’s here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn’t have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn’t realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn—but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can’t go against the other girls…unless she wants to be next.

 By the shockingly twisted end, readers will be faced with the most haunting question of all: Is there evil in all of us?"

check out the author's latest: The Haunted.

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The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart

If Stephen King wrote Stranger Things and mashed it up with Gremlins, this would be the result. From the publisher: "In the summer of 1982, five friends discover an ancient stone box hidden deep in the woods. They seal inside of it treasured objects from their childhoods, and they make a vow:

Never come to the box alone. 

Never open it after dark. 

Never take back your sacrifice. 

Four years later, a series of strange and terrifying events begin to unfold: mirrors inexplicably shattering, inanimate beings coming to life, otherworldly crows thirsting for blood. Someone broke the rules of the box, and now everyone has to pay.

But how much are they willing to sacrifice?"

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There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

If you like the movie Scream, you'll like this. From the publisher: "It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska, and she’s still adjusting to her new life. And still haunted by her past in Hawaii.

Then, one by one, the students of her small town high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, Makani will be forced to confront her own dark secrets."

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