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Halloween “Chapter Books” for Children and Tweens

In setting out to put together some lists of suggested Halloween chapter books, I discovered I’d already done it. These are a few years old, but classics remain classics. Check these out if you’re looking for Halloween reading for your school-aged independent reader. And if you have suggestions for an update, let me know!

“It Happened At Halloween”” is a list of chapter books with pivotal scenes that take place at Halloween. When I wrote it, I recommended these for ages 10-14, but at this point I’ve read The Egypt Game with my daughter, who is 9, and I think the age range for these books is more like ages 9-12. Your mileage may vary.

“Halloween Scares for Beginning Series Readers” lists mildly scary series books written for independent readers in the early grades and individual titles in a children’s book series that take place at Halloween.

“Halloween Book List for Kids”: This list is sort of a mess, because our “kids” section is for ages 0-12, and obviously there is a huge difference between what a baby and a 12 year old want (at least as far as reading material is concerned). There are lots of titles listed, and these include picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction. Some have been reviewed and some haven’t been. There are plenty of Halloween-related titles here, but there are also books that aren’t specifically Halloween themed that might be fun to read at this time of year. This is actually a different list than our “Scary Books for Kids” page, although some titles can be found in both places.

And a little encouragement here to read with your kid (or any kid) this month, from Spook House Dave and Monster Librarian.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Posted on October 16, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: A Feast of Sorrows: Stories by Angela Slatter

A Feast of Sorrows: Stories by Angela Slatter

Prime Books, 2016

ISBN: 9781607014744

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Australian author and World Fantasy and British Fantasy award winner Angela Slatter’s A Feast of Sorrows is her first U.S. collection and contains fourteen dark fairy tales. This collection includes stories full of strong girls and women, fairy tale retellings, and Gothic themes. Her stories are a blend of horror and fantasy, and it is hard to pick a favourite out of this collection.

In “Light as Mist, Heavy as Hope,” a maiden leaves her home after her father strikes a bargain with a member of royalty whose coffers are drying up quickly. The lovely maiden, whose mother is long dead, is rumored to be able to spin straw into gold, but her mother is the key to her salvation. “Bluebeard’s Daughter” melds the traditional Bluebeard story with Snow White and Hansel and Gretel. “Sourdough” gives us the tale of Emmaline, who bakes pieces of art for a living. She and her mother are called upon by to compete with another bakery in town to supply a wedding with baked goods. The groom, Peregrine, is smitten with Emmaline and they begin a clandestine affair. Peregrine’s fiancé, who garnered the nickname the fox bride, is not pleased and makes her stance on their relationship known. In “The Jacaranda Wife,” an estate owner finds a mysterious woman sleeping under the jacaranda tree on his property. They eventually wed, but he becomes jealous of the grove she spends so much time in and has all of the lovely trees cut down. She’s in agony without the trees, and eventually returns home after the housekeeper leads her to the lone jacaranda tree that the master missed. A coffin maker, haunted by the ghost of her father, takes on a job to bury a widow’s husband in “The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter.” She is in love with the young widow, and thinks the feelings are mutual. They are not, but the coffin maker ensures their ties will be difficult to undo.

Slatter’s storytelling is fascinating and gripping. From the first tale to the last, I couldn’t put this book down. It becomes clear throughout that all of the stories take place in the same universe, as we see familiar characters or settings make an appearance in other tales. Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on October 13, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Dark Seed by Simon West-Bulford

Dark Seed by Simon West-Bulford

Medallion Press, 2016

ASIN: B01JMJLOPO

Available: Kindle edition

 

Simon West-Bulford has written an intriguing, historical, Gothic tale of an ancient evil that threatens to engulf the world through the foibles of humans.  The story is told through the journals of a British archaeologist, Lord Edward Cephas Hargraven (1891), and a teacher, Dr. Alexander Drenn (1923).

We learn that despite ominous warnings from a colleague, Hargraven brought a relic back from a dig in South America.  Years later, Hargraven disappears, and Drenn awakens one night during an earthquake and finds his village enveloped in darkness and fog.  Villagers are missing, or were grotesquely slain by monsters.  Drenn and four villagers– a chaplain, an actress, a housekeeper and a strongman– are trapped in Hargraven’s manor.  Someone, or something, is gruesomely murdering them, one by one, as in an Agatha Christie mystery.

What evil did Hargraven bring to the village?  Is it a catastrophic product of Darwinian evolution?  Can Drenn and his companions stop it from destroying England and the world, village by village, and city by city?

Bulford’s characters have convincing voices appropriate to their era and backgrounds.  For example, Drenn writes in his journal, “ I am an educated man, though unremarkable in achievement; my legacy will be appreciated only by those whose make acquaintance of my students; and should any of them speak kindly of their tutor, Dr. Alexander Drenn, then this is satisfaction enough for me.”

The author’s descriptions are vivid and inventive.  Drenn witnesses the destruction of his village and watches a demon murder a young girl.  He himself kills a crazed, possessed villager.  His thoughts are in turmoil while he rests, sleepless in his deserted home.  “My mind could not settle.  It seethed and swayed and spun through churning seas of events and emotions that vied for attention like the endless tuning of an orchestra denied a performance.”

Dark Seed is an entertaining, chilling read.  West-Bulford has written several other novels, novellas and short stories encompassing fantasy, science fiction, mystery and the occult. Recommended.

Contains: graphic violence and gore

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

Posted on October 12, 2016 by , Reply
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