Looking for a collection of books to chill your spine, curdle your blood, and get you ready for Halloween? Look no further! Fall is in the air and the holiday is nearly upon us. Check out our collection of books to get you into the “spirit”.
Ethics of the Undead, by Loren Schechter. Here’s a surprising new twist on the many recent variations in the vampire genre: a charter school for libertarian vampires. When four teens receive scholarships to a wilderness school in rural Idaho, they have no idea it’s a scheme to fulfill a diversity requirement of the school – and then possibly provide a snack for either students or faculty. Offering equal parts gore and humor, this splendid novel delivers a wild ride that’s a page turner and a pleasure. Read review.
Manito, by Kate Kilmer-Jackson. In this engrossing debut, the vengeful spirit of a Native American woman who was raped and mortally injured by two savage white men as she prepared to give birth plagues an Illinois mansion over the course of three centuries. As various pregnant women who occupy the home suffer miscarriages and other violent reactions to the house’s atmosphere, the gripping tale builds to a bravura finale. A natural storyteller, the author offers well-drawn characters and a leisurely narrative punctuated with bursts of scary mayhem. Read review.
The Mystery of Grimly Manor, by Donna Wren Carson: In this first young adult novel in a series, sixth graders Leira, Addy and Skye team to solve the many mysteries of Grimly Manor. Lights flicker at night in the cemetery behind the manor; before every holiday, the manor is mysteriously decorated while the neighborhood sleeps; and Mr. Grimly-always wearing a mask-only opens his door on Halloween. As the girls learn that things aren’t always as they seem, Carson’s story reflects wholesome family values and portrays realistic preteens, a combination that will have readers clamoring for the next book in the series. Read review.
Tricked, by Holly Gaskin. If your kids love sitting around a campfire listening to ghost stories — in this case, super-ghastly ghost stories — this one is for them. Gaskin spins a horror story for the pre-teen set that’s not for the faint of heart. Tricked is much closer to the scary books by Alvin Schwartz than R.L. Stine’s light-hearted Goosebumps tales. Children prone to nightmares should keep this book at arms-length! On the other hand, those who can take it in the spirit it’s intended — as a creepy, campy ghost story — may be delighted. Read review.
Where the Dead Talk, by Ken Davis. Davis takes cues from countless modern zombie stories in this eerie tale featuring an innovative twist: The action is set in colonial Massachusetts in 1775, on the eve of the Revolutionary War. Thus, scenes that normally play out in shopping malls in movies like Dawn of the Dead unfold in the rural setting of 18th century colonial America. Corpses come alive, the dead roam the roads and monsters attack the homesteads of the living. As the ranks of the undead quickly swell, Thomas Chase, the youngest boy in a local family of patriots, is forced into an unlikely alliance with British Major William Pomeroy. Read review.
