AND THEN COMES HALLOWEEN
written by Tom Brenner
illustrated by Holly Meade
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763636593
Ages 4-7
32 pages

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As soon as geese fly south, children take autumn's cue to start their preparations: it’s almost Halloween! With poetic language and vivid collage illustrations, Tom Brenner and Holly Meade follow all the familiar rituals, from hanging paper skeletons to carving pumpkins, from costume-making to trick-or-treating. Halloween lovers will be eager to grab a bag or bucket and join them on this lively and lyrical journey.

THE BAG OF BONES: The Second Tale from the Five Kingdoms
Vivian French
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763642556
Ages 7-9
256 pages

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When the quill writes GO GO GO frantically on the wall, and the House of the Ancient Crones heaves Gracie Gillypot outside onto the path, it can mean only one thing: there’s Trouble in the Five Kingdoms. This time it’s in the form of a beady-eyed, green-tongued witch named Truda Hangnail, who with her banished Deep Magic has vowed to succeed Queen Bluebell on the throne. Now that her horrible spell has shrunk the good witches of Wadington to the size of, well, rats, can anything stop her? Will the strengths, smarts and charms of a spunky trueheart, a sweet-natured orphan, a scruffy prince, a substantial troll and two squabbling bats be enough to foil her insidious plot?

BILLY BONES: THE ROAD TO NEVERMORE
Christopher Lincoln
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316014755
Ages 8-12
208 pages

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Billy Bones and his cousin Millicent are ready to explore the world beyond the Biglum mansion. When Uncle Grim and Millicent are captured and taken to the hidden world of Nevermore, Billy begins an adventure bigger than even he could have asked for. As Billy searches for his loved ones, Millicent discovers that some secrets are too big for any Secrets Closet to hold --- and may be too dark for any skeleton to overcome.

THE BOOK OF GHOSTS
selected and illustrated by Michael Hague and Devon Hague
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780688140083
Ages 6-11
144 pages

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If you're weak of heart, beware. Don't turn another page. Or if you dare, do so at your own risk. The tales within these pages will haunt long after this book is closed, when the lights have dimmed and something --- somewhere --- is lurking. Is it the thunderous beating of a heart, the silent ascent of a headless horseman, or perhaps a demon arrived from the underworld through a secret portal?

DRACULA’S TOMB
written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763644888
Ages 5-10
24 pages

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Enter, if you dare, the bloodcurdling world of Transylvania's most infamous gourmet --- Count Dracula. This sidesplitting history --- coffin-shaped and complete with Velcro close tabs and a fabulous pop-up finale --- sheds light on the little-known details of Drac's infancy, school days, cherished belongings and lively nightlife. You'll be introduced to his friends and ancestors, get a peek inside his fridge and his closet, and get a taste, so to speak, of what eternal life is like for the world's biggest pain in the neck!

THE GOBLIN BABY
written by Berlie Doherty
illustrated by Lesley Harker
Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375858413
Ages 6-9
128 pages

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Tam wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of laughing…and howling. He runs to his baby sister Blue’s room, but she’s gone and there’s a goblin baby in her place! Blue has been stolen by the fairies and only Tam can get her back. But in order to swap the goblin baby for his sister, he’ll have to face enchanted beasts, cross a wide sapphire lake, and give up the thing he loves most in the world.

HALF-MINUTE HORRORS
Susan Rich
HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780061833793
Ages 10-up
160 pages

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How scared can you get in only 30 seconds? Dare to find out with HALF-MINUTE HORRORS, a collection of deliciously terrifying short tales and creepy illustrations by an exceptional selection of writers and illustrators, including bestselling talents Lemony Snicket, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, R.L. Stine, Faye Kellerman, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Margaret Atwood, Jon Scieszka, Brett Helquist, and many more.

HAUNTED: THE GHOST ON THE STAIRS
Chris Eboch
Aladdin
ISBN: 9781416975489
Ages 8-12
176 pages

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Thirteen-year-old Jon and his 11-year-old sister, Tania, are typical kids --- except for the fact that Tania can communicate with ghosts. Their mom and stepdad are producers of a ghost-hunter reality television show, but they have no idea that Tania possesses this ability --- and Tania wants to keep it that way.

While filming at an old hotel in Colorado, Jon and Tania find themselves trapped in a ghostly love story that happened more than a century ago. Local legend has it that a ghost bride still wanders the hotel, waiting for her lost husband. Can this fearless brother-sister duo reunite a newlywed couple --- and put these ghosts to rest at last?

NIGHTTIME: TOO AFRAID TO SCREAM
Todd Strasser
Scholastic Paperbacks
ISBN: 9780545124751
Ages 7-10
80 pages

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The third installment of the Nighttime series is packed with short scary stories sure to please young readers. A phantom text messenger, a skeleton on the hunt for his missing foot, and ghostly hitchhikers are a few of the topics in these spooky, contemporary tales.

PETER PETER PICKS A PUMPKIN HOUSE
written Christine Graham
illustrated by Susan Boase
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 9780805087062
Ages 7-10
64 pages

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Peter Peter and Wanda love to watch their pumpkins grow fat in the field. Life is lovely, until the rains come and make their mud hut sad and soggy. When Peter Peter needs to buy tin for a new roof, he decides to trade their goat for a bag of treasure. But the treasure turns out to be nothing more than some big seeds! What will Peter Peter and Wanda do now? Little do they know, those seeds might be just what they need.

THE RUNAWAY MUMMY: A Petrifying Parody
written and illustrated by Michael Rex
Putnam Juvenile
ISBN: 9780399252037
Ages 3-7
32 pages

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A little mummy transforms into a series of incredible monsters in order to run away and assert his independence. His mother keeps coming to “get” him, but this little mummy has a mind of his own. Filled with uproarious illustrations, another beloved classic gets a kind-hearted send-up in this utterly monsterized parody. Energetic art and a hilarious text will have kids begging to read this again and again.

SCHOOL OF FEAR
Gitty Daneshvari
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316033268
Ages 8-12
352 pages

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Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders. Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water.

With very few options left, the parents of these four 12-year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.

SKELETON CREEK
Patrick Carman
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545075664
Ages 10-up
144 pages

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Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek --- and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it. But after an eerie accident leaves Ryan housebound and forbidden to see Sarah, their investigation takes two tracks: Ryan records everything in his journal, while Sarah uses her videocam to search things out…and then email the clips for Ryan to see.

In a new, groundbreaking format, the story is broken into two parts --- Ryan's text in the book, and Sarah's videos on a special website, with links and passwords given throughout the book.

SKELETON CREEK #2: GHOST IN THE MACHINE
Patrick Carman
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545075701
Ages 10-up
192 pages

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Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek --- and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secrets buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series.

SUDDENLY SUPERNATURAL: SCAREDY KAT
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316066853
Ages 8-12
256 pages

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In this second Suddenly Supernatural book, Kat can see spirits, but what’s even worse is the fact that the spirits --- especially the exceptionally needy ones --- can see her. As she discovers, there’s really no way to run from dead people, and sometimes being sought out by a whole bunch of them can be pretty scary. So when an exploration of the abandoned house next door leads to Kat and her best friend Jac on a search for a missing boy, Kat is not sure if she wants to help, or even if she can.

SUDDENLY SUPERNATURAL: UNHAPPY MEDIUM
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316066877
Ages 8-12
320 pages

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In this third Suddenly Supernatural book, spirit-seeing Kat has pretty much overcome her fear of communicating with ghosts. But when she and best friend Jac visit the Whispering Pines Mountain House and Kat is challenged to help a deceased medium make her way back into the light, things get a little darker.
 
From battling off dark spirits to fighting with Jac, Kat's week-long stay at the haunted mountain house is anything but relaxing. The question is what will be scarier: facing off with a misguided spirit or with her best friend, whose mother happens to be their chaperone?

WHERE’S MY MUMMY?
written by Carolyn Crimi
illustrated by John Manders
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763643379
Ages 4-7
32 pages

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Little Baby Mummy wants just one more game of hide-and-shriek with Big Mama Mummy before bedtime. The night is deep and dark, full of friendly creatures that click their clacky teeth and whoosh past on flippy-floppy wings. But who will comfort Little Baby Mummy if a small, scritchy-scratchy someone gives him a scare? Big Mama Mummy, of course!

THE WITCH’S GUIDE TO COOKING WITH CHILDREN
written by Keith McGowan
illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 9780805086683
Ages 9-12
192 pages

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When Sol and Connie Blink move to Schoneberg, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average 11-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as a child’s femur, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good.