In addition to these stories not for the faint of heart, we also have a display of (not too) scary books for younger readers.
Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel. Great new ghost story set around a lighthouse right off Toronto. Lighthouse keepers used to watch for more than just storm-tossed boats; they kept ghosts at bay, too. Gabe doesn’t really believe the stories he tells about the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, now a tourist attraction ... until he meets a ghostly girl who was murdered. Gr 5+.
Can You Keep a Secret? by R.L. Stine. Probably the best known children’s horror author, with the Goosebumps and Fear Street series among others. In this Fear Street installment, Eddie and Emmy are high school sweethearts who find a bag full of money while carving their initials in an old tree. When they decide to take some, it has disappeared. And since these are the Fear Street Woods, we can be pretty sure the forces at work will not be human. Gr 5-7.
All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn. Another master of the genre, more spooky than gory, with plenty of ghosts and hauntings. While spending the summer at their grandmother's Vermont inn, two prankster siblings awaken young ghosts from the inn's distant past who refuse to "rest in peace." Gr 4-7.
Frances and the Monster by Refe Tuma. Frances Stenzel was just trying to prove her scientific worth to her parents -instead, she reawakened her great-grandfather's secret and most terrible invention. Now she has to hunt it down before it can destroy the town. But monster-hunting isn't easy, and she'll have to face a persistent constable, angry locals, and an unexpected friendship ahead. Gr 3-7.
This Appearing House by Allie Malinenko. A strange house appears on Jac's street on the five-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis, and when she gets trapped inside, she will have to confront horrors from her past to find a way out. Gr 4-6.
Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt. Copper Inskeep holds Windydown Vale's deepest and darkest secret: He is the ghoul who haunts the Vale, donning a gruesome costume to scare travelers away from the dangers of the surrounding swamps. But a young girl claims she and her father were attacked when Copper knows it wasn’t him. Could there be a real ghoul? Old timey story told with a real Southern flare. Gr 4-6.
Lily and the Night Creatures by Nick Lake. Lily is staying with her grandmother while her parents are welcoming the new baby. When she sneaks home, she discovers “parent-things” have moved in. Gr 3-5.
The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy. Great storyteller Meloy ventures down a dark lane to the town of Seaham, where “nothing ever happens.” But then odd, seemingly insignificant moments start to pile up, especially after construction excavation uncovers things best left buried. Gr 4-8.
Krazyland by Mar Romasco-Moore. Every preschooler’s nightmare – falling through the ball pit into another world - where the arcade is running the show. Gr 3-7.
Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden. As she finishes her Small Spaces quartet, Arden again touches on truly creepy, this time the summer carnival at night. Friends are still battling the Smiling Man, who appeared before as a the leader of a group of scarecrows who came to life. Gr 5+.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Another Kind by Cait May. Tucked away in a government facility nicknamed the Playroom, six not-quite-human kids learn to control their strange and unpredictable abilities. Life is good--or safe, at least--that is, until a security breach forces them out of their home and into the path of the Collector, a mysterious being with leech-like powers. Gr 5-7.
Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner. More funny than scary, 11-year-old A.J. pretends to be a vampire in order to get the attention of Nia, the girl he likes, unaware that she intends to be a slayer. Gr 5+.