In setting out to put together some lists of suggested Halloween chapter books, I discovered I’d already done it. These are a few years old, but classics remain classics. Check these out if you’re looking for Halloween reading for your school-aged independent reader. And if you have suggestions for an update, let me know!

“It Happened At Halloween”” is a list of chapter books with pivotal scenes that take place at Halloween. When I wrote it, I recommended these for ages 10-14, but at this point I’ve read The Egypt Game with my daughter, who is 9, and I think the age range for these books is more like ages 9-12. Your mileage may vary.

“Halloween Scares for Beginning Series Readers” lists mildly scary series books written for independent readers in the early grades and individual titles in a children’s book series that take place at Halloween.

“Halloween Book List for Kids”: This list is sort of a mess, because our “kids” section is for ages 0-12, and obviously there is a huge difference between what a baby and a 12 year old want (at least as far as reading material is concerned). There are lots of titles listed, and these include picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction. Some have been reviewed and some haven’t been. There are plenty of Halloween-related titles here, but there are also books that aren’t specifically Halloween themed that might be fun to read at this time of year. This is actually a different list than our “Scary Books for Kids” page, although some titles can be found in both places.

And a little encouragement here to read with your kid (or any kid) this month, from Spook House Dave and Monster Librarian.

Enjoy!