These chilling tales, recommended for ages 9-12, will leave you howling with delight (and fright).
Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai
When an evil force is unleashed during a game played all in good fun to communicate with spirits of the dead and one begins communicating with Hannah through her journal, she must escape the horrifying consequences.
Coming back from the dead after a tragic accident, Shane is pulled into a dark world where the evil Nightmare King collects children and keeps them as treasure, forcing him to hold onto the good in himself long enough to destroy the King.
Zombie Train by David Macinnis Gill
Riding out the zombie apocalypse on his crew’s pieced-together train, Dax must decide between searching for the cure and protecting those entrusted in his care when a mysterious girl arrives with stories of a so-called Nirvana and a potential cure for the zombie parasite.
The Creepening of Dogwood House by Eden Royce
After the death of his mother, Roddie and his aunt move to Dogwood House, their family’s home for over 100 years, and as they start fixing up the rotting house, he discovers a ghostly presence and strange secrets linked to their family’s hoodoo roots.
Exit Nowhere by Juliana Brandt
Visiting the abandoned Raithfield Manor, a decrepit house surrounded by rumors of ghosts and kids disappearing, for her history group project, Barret and her assigned partners find themselves trapped in this mansion that’s a maze of childhood games—ones they must solve to survive.
The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien
When it’s her turn to play the Bellwoods Game, a tradition for sixth graders to save the town for another year—or so the story goes—Bailee enters into the woods on Halloween night with two other players and discovers something sinister is at work.
Camp Twisted Pine by Ciera Burch
Sent to Camp Twisted Pine for the summer, where campers start disappearing, 11-year-old Naomi must use her years of studying the scientific method to identify and stop a dangerous predator before it’s too late.
It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell
Jenna, determined to save her best friend Reese, who was taken by a creature unlike anything she’s ever seen, joins a new local scout troop and ventures into the woods where, when the unthinkable happens, they must band together to fight the monster and survive the night.
