BLOG: Spooky Halloween Reads by Ms. Cathie of The Ames Free Library

Halloween is almost here and it's time for some scary stories.  I've put together a few of my favorite titles that should scare up some chills and thrills,

For a spooky read-aloud:

Mrs. McMurphy's Pumkin by Rick Walton.  For the five days leading up to Halloween, a farmer finds a pumpkin in her house - at first it has only a grin, but each day it adds another feature: "My mouth is here. I speak to you. When my teeth are here, I'll eat you!" The nonplussed Mrs. McMurphy tries to get rid of the pumpkin, but it always returns. The spookiness builds to and unexpected ending on Halloween.

The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston.  A 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man encounter various spooks - a ghoul, a rapscallion, a varmint and a wizard, as they search for their pumpkin that they need to make a pumpkin pie.

The Tailypo by Joanna Galdone has been one of my favorite stories to read at story times for older children. A strange "varmint" creeps into an old man's cabin.  The man cuts off  it's "..BIG, LONG, FURRY TAIL"  and eats it.  That night he is awoken by sratching and a voice moaning "Tailypo, tailypo, all I want is my tailypo."  Each night the creature gets closer and closer...This is a wonderfully spooky  folktale with wonderfully evoctive language.  It is a perfect tale for the season.  Read it with the lights on!

For older readers looking for a scare:

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. A hidden dollhouse that is a replica of her great-grandparent's house and dolls that move around on their own hold the clues to the murder of 12-year-old Amy's great-grandparents.  Do not read this in a room with dolls!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  After the murder of his family, Nobody Owens is raised in a graveyeard by ghosts.  But the murderer is still lurking and waiting for him to step outside the saftey of the cemetary gates.  A Newbury Award winner!

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. Stephanie always thought that her uncle's horror stories were pure fiction, until he dies and she finds herself in the care of a skeleton mage.  Together they must battle vampires, clay men and the faceless Ones in order to save the world. 

For teens:

The Diviners by Libba Bray. It’s amazing how many genres are seamlessly interwoven in this novel –mystery, historical fiction, horror, steampunk and science fiction.  The setting is New York City in 1926 where 17 year old Evie has been sent to stay with her uncle who runs The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult.  Evie, along with several other characters, has a secret talent – hers is being able to read a person’s history by holding something that belongs to them. These “Diviners”, including a healer and a seer, are being called to face a coming storm.  Meanwhile, New York City is in the midst of brutal serial murders by the “Pentacle Killer” – who may be the reincarnation of an old evil, "The Beast" , that will bring the world to an end.  This book packs so much into its pages that it was impossible to put down! This is only the beginning and I cannot wait for more.

To find these and other spooky titles, visit The Ames Free Library, http://www.amesfreelibrary.org/