All the Lovely Bad Ones: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008
ISBN: 9780618854677

Available: New

    The title of this book comes from the dedication to James Whitcomb Riley’s poem “Little Orphant Annie”, a cautionary rhyme for troublesome children, and this book is full of troublesome children. Travis and his sister Corey played so many pranks at summer camp that they weren’t allowed back, so they are spending the summer at their grandmother’s supposedly “haunted” inn. They decide to stage some ghost sightings, and soon have tourists flocking to the quiet inn. Hahn’s ghost seekers are a colorful group, giddy at first, but they sober up and flee the scene once they face a real, and very scary, spirit. The inn, once a poor farm, is haunted by the ghosts of mischievous boys, “the lovely bad ones”, who were tormented by the sadistic Miss Ada, and Travis and Corey must solve the puzzle of how to lay the spirits to rest. The backstory is provided in an awkward way, from a short local history(which erroneously credits “Little Orphant Annie” to John Greenleaf Whittier) and through the television, but somehow Hahn manages to keep the reader gripped by the story. Travis and Corey are likeable kids, and the ghost boys are an engaging group of poltergeists who add energy, chaos, and some levity to the plot. Miss Ada’s hypnotic evil is truly chilling, and her end is not pretty. This is a true ghost story and has some frightening, violent moments, but thanks to Corey and Travis, “the lovely bad ones” do find their way home at last. Recommended for upper elementary and middle school students. Contains: Child abuse, mention of suicide

 

Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night by Anne Rockwell, ill. by Megan Halsey

Walker & Company, 2001
ISBN: 9780802776143

Available: New

    I admit there is nothing scary about Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night. Still, it’s a great book for the Halloween season. With simple words and spare text, and lots of repetition, Anne Rockwell describes the experience of a child exploring a pumpkin patch, choosing a pumpkin, scooping out the insides, and carving a jack-o-lantern with his mother. Older readers may smile, looking back on the days when they roasted and salted pumpkin seeds in the oven (mine were always a little burned). Halsey’s illustrations fit the text well- uncluttered paper sculptures give the pages a three dimensional appearance, so pumpkins really look like they’re piled up, and even cast shadows in places. Clean lines and bright colors make this a perfect choice for sharing this Halloween tradition with a preschooler before venturing out to the pumpkin patch together.    

 

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Sarfozo, ill. by Valeria Petrone

Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2004
ISBN-13: 9780689871351

Available: New 

    Lumpy, bumpy, showy, glowy, sunny, sumptuous… Mary Sarfozo obviously had fun playing with words when she wrote Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin. The story describes Peter, a joyful tiger, and his search for the perfect pumpkin to carve with his dad and enter into the jack-o-lantern contest. The rhyming is irregular, but instead of disrupting things, it simply keeps the story skipping along. Colorful, well-defined illustrations glow on the pages.   You can’t read Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin without smiling, and preschoolers and early elementary students will love looking at the pictures and hearing this read out loud. Highly recommended.

 

The Viper by Lisa Thiesing

Penguin Young Readers Group
ISBN-13: 9780525468929

Available: New

    Lisa Thiesing presents early readers with a not-so-scary version of the campfire “jump” story called The Viper. With friendly cartoonish illustrations and foolish, likable Peggy the Pig as a main character, the story is more silly than suspenseful. Thiesing also uses the story to introduce concepts of time, including years, seasons, months, days of the week, minutes, and seconds, but her handling of this seems confusing and inconsistent. As the arrival of the Viper gets to its final countdown, the story picks up, with its funniest and most suspenseful moments right at the very end. The last moments of the story make this a great read-aloud. The “bong bong bong” of the clock just as the Viper raps on the door will make kids jump, and the punchline to the story, when read out loud, will make them giggle. Beginning readers who find the traditional easy readers bland will find a lot to appreciate in Thiesing’s work, and librarians will find this book a refreshing addition to their collection. Recommended.

 

 

I Was a Second Grade Werewolf by Daniel Pinkwater

Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, 1995
ISBN: 9780140557183

Available: Used

    When Lawrence wakes up in the morning he’s happily excited to discover that he’s no longer a boy- he’s a werewolf! Unfortunately, in spite of snarling, running to school on all fours, and biting the girl who sits in front of him in class, nobody seems to notice. Even his best friend doesn’t take him seriously. Illustrated with large, colorful, happy drawings that look as if they might have been done by a second grader, it’s clear that there’s nothing to fear in this gently funny little book. Early elementary readers will get a kick out of  Lawrence’s imagination and enthusiasm, and adults will be relieved to find a engaging beginners’ book. Recommended.

 

 

 

They’re Coming For You: Scary Stories that Scream to be Read by O. Penn-Coughin

 You Come Too Publishing. 2008

Available:New

ISBN: 9780981683607

    O. Penn-Coughin shares a variety of stories intended to chill the bones of the audience for Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories books. However, while Schwartz collected his stories from folklore and legend, Penn-Coughin has written these himself. In his introduction, Penn-Coughin makes suggestions aimed specifically at young readers on how to tell the stories orally. However, the definitions the author provides in the book’s margins suggest that he expects the reader to refer to them in a silent reading. The inclusion of instructions to would-be oral storytellers throughout affects the structure, effectiveness, and flow of the stories for silent readers, however. Some stories have also been written in dialect, which is distracting and will be frustrating to struggling readers. According to the author, the stories in dialect were intended to be told orally, to make them more engaging for a live audience, but I found that they subtracted from the stories’ effectiveness.

 

    The stories are of varying quality. Some are genuinely horrifying, like “Into the Woods” and “Checked Out”. A few, such as “Man in the Box” and “Real Bad Burrito” are witty.  “Shot at the Gas Station” and a few others could be used to bolster interest in social studies in Oregon, the author’s home state. And some of them, like “The Delicious Death of Jay Whitebread” are just annoying. Penn-Coughin also illustrated the collection, and his illustrations are a real strength of the book. His bizarre, indistinct black and white images provide plenty of opportunity for the imagination to run wild and are a perfect complement to a collection of scary stories.

 

They’re Coming For You: Scary Stories that Scream to be Read won’t replace Alvin Schwartz’s collections, but it is a reasonable supplement. Though flawed, the collection will win over its intended audience, and if scary stories are in high demand in your library, it’s a worthwhile purchase.     

 

 

Wolves by Emily Gravett

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2006
ISBN-13: 9781416914914

Available: New and Used

    Most people don’t think of the library as a dangerous place, but in Wolves, Emily Gravett shows that you can never tell what lurks within the pages of a book. Uncluttered pages illustrate an unwary rabbit who is so absorbed in his new library book, a nonfiction book about wolves, he absentmindedly walks into some real trouble. Those readers needing reassurance can take comfort in the author’s promise that “no rabbits were eaten in the making of this book”.

 

    Wolves is really a “sophisticated” picture book. In spite of its appearance, it is not really aimed at the preschool crowd. Although the stated age range for the book is ages 4-8, the book really requires a good understanding of narrative(there are two endings) and the ability to “read between the lines” using clues from the pictures. Wolves also communicates a much different message than most children’s books, even disturbing and subversive titles.  Subversive children’s books generally provide child readers with a sense of control and power in a world where their actions are determined by outside authorities. Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is an excellent example of this.  Unlike Sendak’s book, though, Gravett’s work does not allow a child to take control. It actually creates a situation where the main character’s, and the child reader’s sense of security and power, is violated. 

 

    Wolves is more a work of ironic metafiction than a children’s book, and as such is more likely to be appreciated by older children and adults. And while children have their dark side, the grim humor doesn’t seem particularly age-appropriate for kids just getting the hang of “What’s green and sings”?   Younger children may enjoy the illustrations (my son LOVED them) but most will miss out on the irony. However, older children, teens and adults who enjoyed the dark humor and postmodern illustrations in Gaiman and McKean’s Wolves in the Walls will probably get more out of Gravett’s contribution to the growing area of sophisticated picture books.

A Child’s Guide to Household Monsters by James Otis Thach, ill. by David Udovic

Front Street, 2007

ISBN: 978-1932425581

Available: New and Used

    A Child’s Guide to Household Monsters is a cumulative tale about a little girl discovering that traditional household monsters she has been afraid of are not as scary as they seem. The monster under the bed, the monster in the closet, the monster in the attic, and the monster in the basement, are scared of one another, and she ends up befriending them all. Thach’s witty, rhyming couplets give Udovic plenty of opportunity to shape the tone of the book, resulting in an interesting juxtaposition. The artist uses bright, almost neon colors in places, that literally glow in the shadowy darkness of the pastel illustrations. The goofy looking monsters are endearing rather than frightening, making this a good book for children who appreciate shivery fun paired with a little gentle humor. Recommended. .

 

Wanda’s Monster by Eileen Spinelli, ill. by Nancy Hayashi

Available: New and Used

    Wanda is certain she has a monster in her closet. Her parents are certain she doesn’t. Granny, however, listens at the closet door and confirms it. Just as Wanda runs to hide, Granny points out that closet monsters have a bad reputation for a reason, “How would you like to live in a cold, dark closet?” What happens next is a surprise for both Wanda and her monster. Spinelli treats Granny, Wanda, and her monster with respect and humor, and Nancy  Hayashi’s colorful, almost cartoony illustrations, will reassure children that they have nothing to fear, and quite a bit to enjoy, with Wanda ‘s Monster.

 

What Will You Be For Halloween? by Mark Todd

Houghton Mifflin Company,2001

ISBN-13: 9780618088034

Available: New and Used

    What Will You Be For Halloween? uses short verses accompanied by illustrations to describe a number of traditional Halloween costumes. The book’s strength is the artwork. The bright colors and dark lines do a nice job of making the illustrations pop out from the page. The irregular outlines suggest children at work, carefully drawing their intended costumes. Luckily, the pictures do their work without needing explanation, since the rhythm is uneven and the lines do not fall in a predictable pattern. These flaws make it difficult to read the story aloud, although the illustrations scream out for exactly that. The lack of background information in a book clearly intended for young children is frustrating, as well. How many kindergarteners know what binary code is?  Young children will like the illustrations, but the unpredictable text will throw new readers for a loop. 

 

Grandmas Trick-or-Treat(I Can Read Level 2) by Emily Arnold McCully

HarperCollins Publishers, 2002
ISBN-13: 9780064442770

Available: Used

    Pip’s Grandma Nan takes manners seriously and refuses to dress up for Halloween. Her Grandma Sal thinks playing tricks and scaring people is the best part of the holiday. The problem is that while they argue, they are taking all the fun out of Halloween for Pip and her friends. The trick-or-treaters make a run for it, get lost, and are menaced by bullies dressed as pirates. Can Grandma Sal and Grandma Nan team up to save the day? Pip’s grandmas are unintentionally funny, and make a good “odd couple.” Kids will particularly enjoy the Halloween theme of this book, the second book Emily Arnold McCully has written about Pip and her grandmas. There are a limited number of easy readers when it comes to scary stories and Halloween, and this is a nice addition to that list.

 

Bunnicula and Friends: The Vampire Bunny (Ready to Read Level 3) by James Howe, ill. by Jeff Mack

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2004
ISBN-13: 9780689857249

Available: New and Used

    Bunnicula and Friends: The Vampire Bunny is a nice transitional read for the child moving from easy readers to longer chapter books. The book is a shortened, simplified version of Howe’s popular chapter book Bunnicula. As with most easy readers, the focus is on the action, so readers won’t get the detail, background, and character development present in the original book, but Howe is a fine writer and does a good job of capturing the flavor of the story.  The pacing is good, and the book will catch and keep the reader’s interest. Bunnicula and Friends: The Vampire Bunny  would be a great choice for older reluctant readers as well. At 42 pages, with fairly advanced vocabulary and sentence structure for an easy reader, this book has the potential to attract the interest of struggling readers and build students’ comfort level with longer titles. Highly recommended.Q     

 

 

The Halloween Mouse by Richard Laymon and illustrated by Alan M. Clark
Cemetery Dance Publications, October, 2001
ISBN: 158767047X
Available: New and Used
Ages: 6+
    Timothy Maywood Usher Mouse lives in the library, reading about fantastic adventures. One Halloween night, Timothy gathers his courage to leave the library to go on an adventure. After escaping a run in with a snake thanks to a piece of candy corn. Timothy dreams of going trick or treating but must first survive an encounter with the neighborhood cat involving a jack-o-lantern. In the end, far away from his cozy home in the library, Timothy discovers that having adventures is even better than reading about them. Alan Clark's illustrations are detailed and colorful, and the book is a visual treat. Richard Laymon has created an engaging (if lengthy)story. Although the dialogue is awkward, Laymon's inventive description and great action sequences will grab the reader. Laymon is writing as much for adults as he is for children: some vocabulary and most literary references will go right over children's heads, but will add an extra dimension of meaning for the adult reader. A very cute Halloween picture book. This book could be shared with patient primary grade readers as a read-aloud or with intermediate readers either as a read-aloud or as independent reading.

 

Some more scary (and not so scary) stories for kids

 

For additional titles and reviews, visit our Scary Stories for Kids page!

 

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Boy With A Thousand Faces by Brian Selznick (reviewed here)

The House with a Clock in the Walls by John Bellairs

The Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine

Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret (reviewed here)

The Halloween Mouse by Richard Laymon (reviewed here)

The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine by Diane Stanley

Dogzilla and Kat Kong by Dav Pilkey (reviewed here)

The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn (reviewed here)

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

Crandall’s Castle by Betty Ren Wright

A Beasty Story by Bill Martin and Steven Kellogg

The Lima Bean Monster by Dan Yaccarino (reviewed here)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz

The Ghost Eye Tree by Bill Martin and John Archambault

Feliciana Meets d’Loup Garou by Tynia Thommasie and Cat Bowman Smith

The Ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam by Angela Medeairis and Jacqueline Rogers

The Dark Thirty by Patricia McKissack

The Dark Way by Virginia Hamilton

The Frightmares series by Peg Kehret

Bunnicula and sequels by James and Deborah Howe

Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and Yuyi Morales (reviewed here)

Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales

I Spy Spooky Night by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo

A Monster in the House by Elisa Kleven

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey

The Golem by David Wisniewski

The Viper by Lisa Thiesing (reviewed here)

Creepy Cuisine by Lucy Monroe

Fear This Book by Jeff Szpirglas

Fiona Loves the Night by Patricia MacLachlan, Emily MacLachlan Charest, and Amanda

Shepherd

The Aliens Are Coming! by Lisa Thiesing

The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson

Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan

It’s Halloween! by Jack Prelutsky and Marilyn Hafner

Dragon’s Halloween by Dav Pilkey

By the Light of the Halloween Moon by Carolyn Stutson and Kevin Hawkes

Who Stole Halloween? by Martha Freeman

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Halloween Skyride by Elizabeth Spurr

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot