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 ANNIE WAS WARNED
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Knopf
ISBN: 0375815678
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Annie was warned never to step foot inside the creepy Montgomery mansion. But when her friend dares her to go in, she simply cannot resist. After all, Annie isn't afraid of anything. Bats, spiders and haunted houses don't scare her one bit --- or do they?
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 CREEPY THINGS ARE SCARING ME!
by Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey
illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060289627
Ages 4-8
32 pages
When the bedroom grows dark at night (and when the shadows hit just right), it's easy to be scared by creepy things that aren't really there. Told with just the right amount of humor and understanding, CREEPY THINGS ARE SCARING ME! reminds young people that shadows are nothing to be afraid of, and provides reassurance to those overly imaginative children who need one more bedtime story before turning out the lights.
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 DRACULA AND FRANKENSTEIN ARE FRIENDS
by Katherine Tegen
illustrated by Doug Cushman
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060001151
Ages 3-8
32 pages
Dracula and Frankenstein are friends. They have good times together, even though they don't always see things the same way. But when Dracula decides to throw a Halloween party on the same day as Frankenstein's party, their friendship is put to the test.
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 EVEN MORE SHORT AND SHIVERY: Thirty Spine-Tingling Tales
by Robert D. San Souci
illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers
Yearling Books
ISBN: 0440418771
Ages 8-12
162 pages
Thirty stories from around the world provide plenty of spine-tingling enjoyment in this spooky collection. Curl up with familiar friends like Washington Irving ("Guests from Gibbet Island") and Charles Dickens ("Chips"). Or make the acquaintance of "The Skull That Spoke" and "The Monster of Baylock." But beware of spectral visitors like "The Blood-Drawing Ghost." This exciting mixture of classic and contemporary tales from Mexico, China, Poland, Nigeria, and other lands are sure to send shivers down your spine.
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 THE FIERCE YELLOW PUMPKIN
by Margaret Wise Brown
illustrated by Richard Egielski
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060244798
Ages 4-8
32 pages
This never-before-published story by Margaret Wise Brown, which has been brought back to life by Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Richard Egielski, is about a little pumpkin who dreams that he'll one day grow up to be a fierce orange jack-o'-lantern. One fall day, three children come to his field --- and he finally has the chance for his dream to come true!
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 THE FLYING WITCH
by Jane Yolen
illustrated by Vladimir Vagin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060285362
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Baba Yaga, the hungry witch, is on the prowl, looking for plump young children to eat. The search ends when a little girl who has just fallen off her father's turnip truck agrees to ride with Baba Yaga. But instead of looking for her father, they fly directly to Baba Yaga's house. Can this innocent young girl do anything to prevent herself from becoming the main course in Baba Yaga's next meal?
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 HALLOWEEN BUGS: A Trick-or-Treat Pop-up
by David A. Carter
Little Simon
ISBN: 0689859163
Ages 3-7
This spine-tingling pop-up book is what fans of David Carter's Bugs have been waiting for. Knock on each door (if you're brave enough) to meet a variety of bizarre insects, including the One-Eyed Spotted People Eater Bug, The Luscious Lollipop Bug, and The Very Hairy Scary Bug. The pop-up on the book's final spread is sure to make you shiver, gasp and even giggle.
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 "HALLO-WHAT?"
by Christel Desmoinaux
Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 0689847955
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Marceline, a young witch, wonders why the grown-up witches are collecting pumpkins one crisp, autumn day. She can't figure out what all the commotion is about. They tell her it's Halloween, to which she replies, "Hallo-what?" Marceline's grandmother explains to the little witch what Halloween is, why we dress up, where jack-o'-lanterns come from, and how to trick or treat. Now Marceline and her little witch friends are ready for some real Halloween fun!
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 JEOFFRY'S HALLOWEEN
by Mary Bryant Bailey
illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles
Farrar Straus Giroux
ISBN: 0374336776
Ages 4-8
32 pages
On a warm afternoon at the end of October, Jeoffry the cat spends some time with the hound. As darkness approaches, the hound becomes frightened by the hiss of ghosts that turn out to be geese and by the scuffling of bristly bandits that are really raccoons --- and so he heads for home. But Jeoffry isn't so quick to do the same and decides to stay outside for just a little bit longer. What exactly does the night have in store for him?
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 THE PICTURE OF MORTY AND RAY
by Daniel Pinkwater
illustrated by Jack E. Davis
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0066237858
Ages 6-10
32 pages
Friends Morty and Ray watch a classic film on the late show one night, about an evil handsome man who gets his picture painted. The picture turns more and more ugly with every mean thing he does. Morty and Ray think this is really cool. So they try it too, and it works. Readers will learn the ghastly results for themselves!
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 PUMPKINHEAD
by Eric Rohmann
Knopf
ISBN: 0375824162
Ages 5-9
32 pages
Otho was born with a pumpkin for a head, but surprisingly his family never looked at him curiously. One day, this unusual boy loses his pumpkin head --- quite literally --- when a bat decides it would make a good home. But this is not the end for Otho; rather, it marks the beginning of a great adventure that will make you think, think, and think some more!
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 TELL ME A SCARY STORY... BUT NOT TOO SCARY
by Carl Reiner
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316833290
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Everyone loves scary stories, and award-winning comedy writer/director Carl Reiner invites readers to gather around the fireplace as he tells a little boy's tale of the mysterious house next door. As the story becomes scarier and scarier, Reiner pauses to ask, "Shall we turn the page --- or is it too scary?" The decision is entirely up to you!
Parents and children can read along together as they listen to the spooky sound effects and Reiner's hilarious reading of TELL ME A SCARY STORY on the accompanying CD.
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 THE WICKED, WICKED LADIES IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE
by Mary Chase
illustrated by Peter Sis
Knopf
ISBN: 037582572X
Ages 7-10
128 pages
At age 9, Maureen Swanson is one of the biggest troublemakers in the neighborhood, and the other children don't like her. So sometimes when Maureen passes the crumbling (and perhaps haunted) Messerman mansion, she imagines that she is Maureen Messerman --- rich, privileged and powerful.
Maureen eventually finds a way into the forbidden, boarded-up house. In the hall are portraits of seven young women wearing elaborate gowns and scornful expressions. Maureen has something nasty to say to each one, but then she notices that the figures seem to move. So she decides to touch the paint with her finger, but instead touches silk! These seven daughters of privilege are colder and meaner than Maureen ever thought to be. They are wicked, wicked ladies, and Maureen has something they want.
-- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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WHAT? YOU WANT MORE SPOOKY TALES? CHECK OUT THESE: Spooky Books and More Spooky Books
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