From sweet to spooky and picture books to novels, we’re excited to share with you our list of the best new Halloween books for kids. Pumpkins, kitties, ghosts, monsters, vampires, hairy spiders, witches, and even mutant mushrooms (yes, that’s right, mutant mushrooms) star in this collection of books. With so many great choices, which Halloween book will you treat to your kids?
Written and Illustrated by Nicola Killen
Talk about sweet, charming, and autumnal! When Ollie and her cat Pumpkin head outside to play, they discover a lost little kitten. Ollie is determined to help the kitten find its way home. Things don’t go quite to plan, but of course, the story ends in pumpkin perfection.
Available Here
Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books | ISBN-13: 978-1534466968
Written and Illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago
The striking cover artwork alone stole our hearts. Plus, who can resist a story about a shy ghost? In Mexican artist Flavia Z. Drago’s debut picture book, readers are treated to a sweet tale of how Gustavo, a violin-playing ghost, finds the courage to make new friends.
Buy the Book
Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Candlewick | ISBN-13: 978-1536211146
Written by
Here’s a story that addresses the childhood fears that often surround bedtime and monsters. This sweet gift set will have young readers feeling comforted and confident as they read the story and snuggle their new fluffy monster friend. The beautifully presented set even comes with tips for grownups seeking a happy and restful bedtime routine for their kids.
Buy the Book
Ages 3-8 | Publisher: Compendium, Inc. | ISBN-13: 978-1970147056
Written and Illustrated by Kelly Leigh Miller
This is a wholly original tale—a vampire loses his first tooth! When young Dracula loses one of his fangs, he is not happy about it. He tries all sorts of things to stick it back in and is quite distressed when the tooth fairy comes to take it away. Let’s just say this picture book has a sharp and on-point ending.
Buy the Book
Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: 978-1534452107
Written and Illustrated by John Loren
Bwa-ha-ha! This picture book is so fun and relatable. Nobody wants to have to put on a pair of earmuffs when you have a killer Halloween costume picked out. Frankenstein’s parents keep making him add warm clothing before heading out the door to trick-or-treat. Will he ever make it out the door? Don’t Worry, you’re bound to know the answer soon because kiddos will want this one read on repeat!
Buy the Book
Ages 4-8 | Publisher: HarperCollins | ISBN-13: 978-0062941145
Written and Illustrated by Martin Handford
Once a Waldo fan, always a Waldo fan! We love traveling through the pages of a Waldo book attempting to seek him out. In this adventure, readers get to use a cool glow-in-the-dark wand to help find Waldo and friends in the dark and spooky-themed pictures. There are hours of fun packed into this book!
Buy the Book
Ages 5-9 | Publisher: Candlewick | ISBN-13: 978-1536211580
Written by Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Science-mad Stink is not a huge fan of spiders—his fear is so great that he can’t even read about them! Will he be able to overcome his arachnophobia when he encounters one of these hairy creatures in the backyard? As always, Megan McDonald’s writing and Peter H. Reynold’s illustrations combine together to create an engaging tale for chapter book readers. Readers will also discover some fun facts about spiders as they read along.
Buy the Book
Ages 6-9 | Publisher: Candlewick | ISBN-13: 978-1536209204
Written and Illustrated by P.J. Lynch
A picture book for older kids, The Haunted Lake is a beautiful and hauntingly illustrated love story that takes place both above and beneath the water. Filled with both sorrow and hope, this is an eerily moving tale that readers will readily plunge into and remain captivated from start to finish.
Buy the Book
Ages 7-10 | Publisher: Candlewick | ISBN-13: 978-1536200133
Written by Ariel Kusby
Illustrated by Olga Baumert
So lovely is this enchanting, illustrated book of spells for aspiring witches. It’s filled with all sorts of activities—including spells and potions. Readers will be charmed into everything, from making wands to reading tea leaves to practicing self-love to engaging in the natural world. Readers will be empowered and inspired when they immerse themselves in this book!
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Chronicle Books | ISBN-13: 978-1452183619
Written and Illustrated by Aliza Layne
If you’re a fan of graphic novels, you’ll love this playful debut about a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall! It’s set in a perfectly eerie backdrop for young readers that love to dabble in a little spooky storytelling. Ghosts and goblins, the afterlife, and learning to ride a broom without crashing make for a highly entertaining tale.
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: 978-1534441538
Written by Julie Beer
Illustrated by Michelle Harris
The popular National Geographic Kids Weird But True! series has added this fab new book filled with 300 all-new spooky facts about candy, costumes, pumpkin carving, and more! Kids will have so much fun whipping through the pages discovering all kinds of facts, stats, tidbits, and trivia about Halloween! The best part about the book is that everything inside is true. Fun and bold fonts pop from the pages filled with photographs and Halloween inspired artwork. Did you know that it’s actually considered good luck in Germany if a cat crosses your path from right to left?
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: National Geographic Kids | ISBN-13: 9781426338281
Written by Erin Bowman
Described best in the publisher’s synopsis as The Secret Garden meets Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. This middle-grade novel stars a twelve-year-old protagonist spending the summer in a grand house with a garden filled with secrets. Filled with magic and new friends, readers are bound to be charmed by Erin Bowman’s enchanting story.
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: 978-1534461581
Written by Jessica Townsend
If you haven’t read Nevermoor or Wundersmith, stop what you’re doing right now and start with the first two books in the New York Times bestselling series of Nevermoor! We are huge fans and can’t wait to see what danger Morrigan Crow finds herself in this latest installment.
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: 978-0316508957
Written and illustrated by Svetlana Chmakova
Written in a voice perfect for the tween-set, Be Wary of the Silent Woods is the first to come of a series of entertaining, spooky graphic novels by Svetlana Chmakova. The winning combination of mystery, spook, sass, and humor will have readers willingly turning the pages to the end. The creepy and perilous moments—including kidnappings, a masked night creature, a mysterious evil villain, and a ghostly old mansion—are infused with just enough humor to take the scare factor down a bunch of notches.
Buy the Book
Ages 8-12 | Publisher: JY | ISBN-13: 978-1975311223
Written by Summer Rachel Short
Spooky and mysterious is this debut novel perfect for readers that love a little spinetingling action! Maggie—who loves nature—and her best friend Nate—an aspiring YouTuber— discover a rare bioluminescent fungus that’s threatening the town. The pair put their brains together to attempt to solve this scientific mystery that is becoming more and more dangerous to the inhabitants of Shady Pines.
Buy the Book
Ages 9-12 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | ISBN-13: 978-1534468658
Created by Chronicle Books
Sometimes our fave publishers go beyond their books and release fun extras like this Old Mummy Card Game. It’s a spooky twist on the classic game Old Maid and adds a little seasonal boost to family game night. We love that the cards—featuring a deck of werewolves, zombies, vampires, and more—come stored in a sarcophagus-shaped box!
Buy the Game
Ages 4-10 | Publisher: Chronicle Books | ASIN: 1452174865
This book list, The Best New Kids’ Books for Halloween 2020, was curated by Bianca Schulze. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Books About Witches, Halloween Books, Monsters, Pumpkin, Scary Stories, and Spooky.