It’s that time of year again – when there’s a huge run on anything remotely spooky, and all the children’s books at the library that mention pumpkins or ghosts shiver in anticipation (or dread?) of their imminent checkout. Even before fall officially began, though, I’d been receiving requests for middle grade scary story collections. Alvin Schwartz’s trilogy is the gold standard, of course, but what’s a 10 year old to do when she’s already read them each a dozen times? Is there anything out there that’s just as creepy?
Well, maybe. Below are some recommended choices for the middle grade reader who can’t get enough scary stories, ranging from the classic stand-bys to some new 2019 collections. These are specifically collections of short stories, some original to the author, some retold from folklore and legend. Some are a bit tamer than Schwartz’s books (particularly compared to the ones with the original illustrations by Stephen Gammell), but all provide a good amount of creep.
Out to Get You: 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe by Josh Allen
Get ready for a collection of thirteen short stories that will chill your bones, tingle your spine, and scare your pants off. Debut author Josh Allen masterfully concocts horror in the most innocent places, like R.L. Stine meets a modern Edgar Allan Poe. A stray kitten turns into a threatening follower. The street sign down the block starts taunting you. Even your own shadow is out to get you!
The everyday world is full of sinister secrets and these page-turning stories show that there’s darkness even where you least expect it. Readers will sleep with one eye open . . .
Thirteen eerie full-page illustrations by award-winning artist Sarah J. Coleman accompany the tales in this frightful mashup that reads like a contemporary Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Scariest Stories Ever Told by Roberta Simpson Brown
This spooky collection of haunting stories from the “Queen of Cold Blooded Tales,” Roberta Simpson Brown, may well be the scariest stories ever told. These chilling tales are filled with familiar themes to make anyone feel safe – the grouchy old teacher, a family telling one another ghost stories in an old cabin, well meaning yet clueless parents – but jam packed with enough ghouls, ghosts, and menacing spirits to give anyone the chills. The Scariest Stories Ever Told includes over 13 contemporary tales featuring children tackling (and sometimes getting tackled by) their fears. Meet sinister characters like the stick man, the shadows and the feathered thing. Take a peek at the haunted well, check out the school locker portal to the “other side” and buck up your courage to visit the creepy costume party. Children will love seeing characters their age confront sinister creatures and work up the courage to explore supernatural occurrences in everyday life. No one is safe when the “Queen of Cold Blooded Tales” is around so be advised to make sure the lights are on and the doors are locked before opening this book. These stories about cemeteries, full moons, and scary farmhouses will teach readers the importance of courage, resourcefulness and responsibility.
A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales by Ying Chang Compestine
According to Chinese tradition, those who die hungry or unjustly come back to haunt the living. Some are appeased with food. But not all ghosts are successfully mollified. In this chilling collection of stories, Ying Chang Compestine takes readers on a journey through time and across different parts of China. From the building of the Great Wall in 200 BCE to the modern day of iPods, hungry ghosts continue to torment those who wronged them.
At once a window into the history and culture of China and an ode to Chinese cuisine, this assortment of frightening tales—complete with historical notes and delectable recipes—will both scare and satiate!
The Wrong Train by Jeremy DeQuidt
Light the candles and shut the door, The Wrong Train is a deliciously creepy and scarily good collection of scary stories, complete with terrifying illustrations from Dave Shelton. Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, R.L. Stine, and Emily Carroll. Imagine you’ve just managed to catch your train and you realize it’s the wrong one. You’d be annoyed of course, but not scared . . . Yet. Imagine you get off the wrong train at the next station hoping to catch one back the way you came. But the station is empty. Again, you’d be annoyed, but not scared . . . Yet. Imagine someone comes to the station, a stranger who starts to tell you stories to help pass the time. But these aren’t any old stories–they’re nightmares that come with a price to pay. And you want them to stop. Scared yet? You will be.
The Donkey Lady Fights La Llorona and Other Stories by Xavier Garza
Margarito is eleven years old now and he’s way past believing in Grandpa Ventura’s ghost stories, but he loves listening to them anyway. One evening on his way home from his grandfather’s, Margarito finds himself alone in the gathering dusk, crossing a narrow bridge. Suddenly, a woman in white floats towards him and calls, “Come to me, child … come to me!” He frantically hides in the shallow river, but soon sees a pair of yellow, glowing eyes swimming towards him. Before long, the Donkey Lady and La Llorona are circling each other, fighting to claim poor Margarito as their next victim!
Popular storyteller Xavier Garza returns with another collection of eerie tales full of creepy creatures from Latin American lore. There are duendes, bald, green-skinned brutes with sharp teeth; thunderbirds, giant pterodactyl-like things that discharge electricity from their wings during thunderstorms; and blood-sucking beasts that drain every single drop of blood from their victims’ bodies!
Set in contemporary times, Garza’s young protagonists deal with much more than just the supernatural: there are chupacabras and drug dealers, witches and bullies, a jealous cousin and the devil. Accompanied by the author’s dramatic black and white illustrations, the short, blood-curdling stories in this bilingual collection for ages 8 – 12 are sure to bewitch a whole new generation of young people.
Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Madness illustrated by Gris Grimly
A sweet little cat drives a man to insanity and murder…. The grim death known as the plague roams a masquerade ball dressed in red….
A dwarf seeks his final revenge on his captors….
A sister calls to her beloved twin from beyond the grave….
Prepare yourself. You are about to enter a world where you will be shocked, terrified, and, though you’ll be too scared to admit it at first, secretly thrilled. Here are four tales — “The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, ” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” — by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The original tales have been ever so slightly dismembered — but, of course, Poe understood dismemberment very well. And he would shriek in ghoulish delight at Gris Grimly’s gruesomely delectable illustrations that adorn every page. So prepare yourself. And keep the lights on.
Ghost: Thirteen Haunting Tales to Tell by Illustratus
A finger against the inside of a mirror… a wood where the trees look back… a basement door blocked by a brick wall so thick, it stifles the screams from below … This original collection of chilling poems and tales contains the only true ghost stories in existence (as the book itself will tell you)—13 eerie encounters perfect for sharing…if you dare. Accompanied by striking illustrations and building to a truly spine-tingling conclusion, this haunting book will consume the imagination and keep readers of every age up long past their bedtimes.
Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods: 20 Chilling Tales from the Wilderness by Hal Johnson
Just for kids, twenty bone-chilling tales about the most dangerous fantastical beasts in American folklore. Meet the Snoligoster, who feeds on the shadows of its victims. The Hodag, like a spiny-backed bull-horned rhinoceros. The Hoop Snake, which can chase prey at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and then, with one sting of its tail, cause it to turn purple, swell up, and die.
Illustrated throughout, including eight drawings printed with glow-in-the-dark ink, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods is for every young reader who loves a good scare. The book was originally published in 1910 by William Thomas Cox and is now inspiringly retold by Hal Johnson, author of Immortal Lycanthropes. The creatures are all scales and claws, razor-sharp teeth and stealth, camouflage and single-minded nastiness. Straight out of the era of Paul Bunyan, they speak to an earlier time in American history, when the woods were indeed dark and deep and filled with mystery. The tone is smart and quirky. The illustrations have a sinewy, retro field-guide look. Read them around a campfire, if you dare.
Terrifying Tales to Tell at Night selected by Stephen Jones
The stories in this book are scary. Real scary! After reading these horrible tales and staring at the creepy drawings, don’t complain that you couldn’t sleep or they started haunting your dreams—we warned you!
If you love ghosts and monsters and enjoy getting goosebumps, this spine-chilling book is for you! Inside, you will find a creature that lives in the dark and feeds on those who do not pay attention . . . a monster created by the descendant of Doctor Frankenstein . . . a haunted house at Halloween . . . a big cat that snacks on schoolteachers . . . a boy who is afraid of what will come down the chimney at Christmas . . . a school with very strange pupils . . . a decidedly odd zombie costume . . . a puzzle set by a ghost . . . a drawing that comes to life . . . and a babysitter who likes to play terrifying games . . . .
Compiled by award-winning horror editor Stephen Jones and featuring the authors Ramsey Campbell, R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Neil Gaiman, Charles L. Grant, Stephen King, Lisa Morton, Lynda E. Rucker, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, and Manly Wade Wellman, this book is filled with nightmarish illustrations by acclaimed artist Randy Broecker. So, whether you’re reading this book alone or with friends, get ready to be afraid. Very afraid!
A World Full of Spooky Stories: 50 Tales to Make Your Spine Tingle by Angela McAllister
Get ready for Halloween with this child-friendly collection of spooky stories from all over the world.
Feel your pulse race and your skin tingle as you read about the fearsome witch Baba Yaga, the serpent woman from Spain, the rescue of Tam Lin from the bewitching Queen of the Fairies, how Father Death gets caught in the Enchanted Apple Tree, and the waterdwelling Bunyip from Australia. Make sure you have your candle ready as it’s sure to be a long night… This gorgeous gift book is the perfect anthology for Halloween, or any time you want to be spooked!
Features stories from Germany, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Africa, Brazil, Japan, Australia, India, UK, Canada, France, China, Ireland, Syria, Korea, Sweden, Egypt, Iceland, New Zealand, Arabia, Spain, Tibet, Iran, Greece.
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack
In that special half-hour of twilight—the dark-thirty—there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing and breathtakingly original, these tales are inspired by African American history and range from the time of slavery to the civil rights era. With her extraordinary gift for suspense, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
Dancing With the Devil and Other Tales From Beyond by Rene Saldaña, Jr.
Joey is excited and nervous about the school dance because Marlen, the love of his life, has agreed to be his date. But Joey has heard rumors that she might be meeting someone else, and as he waits for her to show up he can’t help but worry the gossip may be true. Sure enough, a suave, well-dressed stranger asks Marlen to dance before Joey can even get to her. And soon the handsome couple is burning up the dance floor literally!
In this collection of stories based on Mexican-American lore, author and educator Rene Saldaña, Jr. spins age-old tales with a contemporary twist. Lauro and Miguel run for their lives with La Llorona’s cold breath on their necks after being caught smoking cigarettes down by the river. There’s Felipe, who s so determined to win back the Penitas Grand Master Marble Champion title that he’s willing to make a deal for a shooter with a supernatural edge. And when Louie’s leg swells up after he cuts his toe playing with a knife, he can’t help but wonder if his mom’s warning could be true. Are his guts really going to spill out of his wound because he cut himself doing something stupid?
Set in the author’s native South Texas, these are the stories parents have told their children for generations to discourage bad behavior and encourage kids to stay close to home. But Saldaña breathes new life into these traditional tales with contemporary settings, issues and conflicts that are sure to resonate with today’s youth.
Short and Shivery: Thirty Chilling Tales by Robert D. San Souci
Short & Shivery invites you into the world of hair-raising tales chock-full of chills. The thirty stories in this book have been carefully selected from international ghost lore and skillfully retold with ghastly details and strong, shuddery endings. Come inside and meet the young miller’s daughter in “The Robber Bridegroom,” who may have discovered too late that she has been betrothed to a madman; the dancing skeleton who returns from the dead to haunt the friend who betrayed him in life; the Golem, who tires of serving his greedy master and suddenly turns evil; and the many other intriguing characters in stories from the Brothers Grimm, Washington Irving, and other world-famous authors. But before you settle down in your cozy reading chair, make sure all the lights are on!
[San Souci has a ton of scary story collections; this is just one of them.]
Scream and Scream Again!: Spooky Stories from Mystery Writers of America presented by RL Stine
R.L. Stine—the godfather of Goosebumps—and some of the most popular authors today bring an unrivaled mastery of all things fearsome, frightening, and fantabulous to this terrifying anthology of all-new scary short stories.
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.
Read it if you dare! With twenty never-before-published scary stories from some of the most popular authors today—including Chris Grabenstein, Wendy Corsi Staub, Heather Graham, Peter Lerangis, R.L. Stine, Bruce Hale, Emmy Laybourne, Steve Hockensmith, Lisa Morton, Ray Daniel, Beth Fantaskey, Phil Mathews, Carter Wilson, Doug Levin, Jeff Soloway, Joseph S. Walker, Alison McMahan, Daniel Palmer, Tonya Hurley, and Stephen Ross—it’s sure to leave readers screaming for more.
Tales From Beyond the Brain by Jeff Szpirglas
Imagine walking home from school one day and seeing a brain on the side of the road, a brain that, it turns out, is looking for a new home. Or instead of paying attention to the teacher, you shoot a paper airplane across the room and accidentally rip a hole in the fabric of the universe. And what would you do if you discovered that your class reading group was actually recruiting kids with telekinetic powers? Tales from Beyond the Brain is a collection of thirteen spooky stories that are as outrageous as they are terrifying. It’s a throwback to the weird tales of yesteryear, in the vein of Tales from the Crypt and The Twilight Zone, but with contemporary characters and settings. Getting an education has never been more dangerous.
Dead Man’s Gold: And Other Stories by Paul Yee
These ten original ghost stories dramatize the history of Chinese immigration to North America — from the poor village men who first came searching for gold in the late 1850s to the new immigrants who arrived from Hong Kong in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. These stories describe the resilience and struggle of people trying to make new lives for themselves in a strange land. But these are also ghost stories, a popular narrative form in China. Though men and women seek their fortune in the New World, the links to China are strong.
Wherever they go, the Chinese immigrants are reminded of their home country — the curse of a friend betrayed, the ghost of a faithful spouse, the spirit of a dead parent. The tales describe the plights and dreams of men and women, rich and poor, greedy and good, young and old. Together, they tell the tumultuous story of 140 years of Chinese immigration to North America, creating a New World mythology of immigrant stories.