The best Halloween books for kids

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

Inquisitive little hands will love the magical moving mechanisms in this board book based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s bestselling picture book Room on the Broom. Wiggle the witch’s broomstick, push and pull the tabs to see what happens when they are joined by a dog, a bird and a frog, and scare away the greedy dragon looking for a snack.

Little ones will love the bright and friendly illustrations, giant flaps to lift and fun textures to touch in this Halloween board book. Touch the shimmery ghost, the fury werewolf and the witch’s silky hat, and find something new to discover on every page. 

My Magical Witch has push, pull and turn mechanisms as well as a sparkly foil cover wheel that is sure to keep little ones entertained. Beautiful illustrations and gentle rhyming text take little readers on a magical broomstick ride with a colourful witch!

With lots to see in Busy Halloween, children can join in the Halloween fun by pushing, pulling and turning the tabs. Carve a pumpkin, then get dressed up, ready to trick or treat and celebrate at a Halloween party!

Children will love playing with this bright and colourful board book with gentle rhyming text and wonderful illustrations by Louise Forshaw.

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

This spooky sticker book for kids is full of games, activities and over 400 stickers. Join the witch and her cat as they fly over forests, mountains and rivers on their broomstick, until the witch’s hat, bow and wand are blown away by the wind. Luckily there are some familiar animal friends on hand to help . . .

Rich Witch, Poor Witch is a fantastically funny tale of witch sisters Rita and Rose. Rose is poor, and helps others for free, while Rita is rich, and charges clients big fees. But when Rita tries everything she knows to make princess Anna Lucinda Cecilia Grace smile and still fails, she might need her sister to save the day. 

Bo the Brave is a rebellious little girl on the hunt for a fearsome monster. Her brothers say she’s too little to catch a monster, but Bo is smart, strong and has big ideas of her own. She sets out to catch a beast, but can she defeat the furious griffin, the hideous kraken and the big scary dragon? Or, will she find herself some new friends instead? This is a vibrant picture book with an empowering message about standing up for yourself and not judging by appearance. 

Which plant likes Halloween the most?

Bam-BOO.

This collection is full of over 200 silly and spooky jokes to share at Halloween. The perfect (trick or) treat to return to for more laughs every year. 

Dracula Boy is more giggles and glitter than beastly and bitter, but will he dare to follow his heart and live life in technicolour? Dracula Spectacular is a heart-warming tale about learning to be brave, kind, and  yourself, with plenty of spooks and sparkle!

There’s a spider in this book. Are you brave enough to take a look?

Eric the spider can’t understand why people scream and run away from him. He only wants to say hello. But Fluffy the cat wants to eat Eric, so he’s hiding. It’s up to the reader to find Eric on every spread and maybe finally catch a glimpse of him with the surprise lift the flap ending . . .

Jake is baking a birthday cake for his best friend Sam, but when his friends help out, things turn rather monstrous. With spider legs, rotten eggs, slugs and slime, Sam is in for a very smelly surprise.

Have you meet the Gruffalo who lives in the deep dark wood? With his terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws, it's no wonder fox, owl and snake are all terrified of him!

The witch and her cat love flying over forest, rivers and mountains on their broomstick until a stormy wind blows away the witch's hat, bow and wand!  They are retrieved by a dog, a bird and a frog, who are all keen for a ride on the broom. They climb on, one after the next, until the broom is so heavy that it snaps in two! What will happen next as they tumble into a bog and meet a greedy dragon looking for a snack?

There is no thing too small, and no creature too big for the monster doctor! Ozzy was just an ordinary boy – until his job at the monster doctor’s surgery. Now he’s spending his summer helping the monster doctor cure her patients, but can he help her save the whole surgery? This is the first in a howlingly hilarious series of monster adventures from John Kelly. Don’t miss the second book in the series, The Monster Doctor: Revolting Rescue.

A spooktacular collection of poems about all things creepy - from ghosts and ghouls, to witches and vampires. 

This book may well disturb you,

it creeps into your dreams,

for nothing you read in this book

is ever quite the way it seems . . . 

There are musical goings-on at Ghastly-Gorm Hall and a spooky mystery for Ada Goth to solve in Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony, the fourth book in the Costa Children’s Book Award winning Goth Girl series by Chris Riddell, Children’s Laureate 2015-2017.

Discover all the books in the Goth Girl series here.

This thought-provoking and chilling novel from Pádraig Kenny, beautifully illustrated by Edward Bettison, explores ideas of difference and empathy. When the glamour that protects Mirabelle and her unusual family is broken, an orphaned brother and sister stumble upon their home of Rookhaven. Mirabelle has always known she was a monster, but she soon learns that there are friends to be made in the outside world. But then something comes along that threatens them all . . .  

Life has been great for the orphans of St Halibut’s since they buried the matron (it was an accident!) but they must make sure no one finds out that they’re on their own. When they find out an inspector is on his way, they need to convince him everything is ok, or he’ll send them straight to the Mending House – where badly behaved orphans go and never return. But when the inspector isn’t quite what they expected, things get out of hand very quickly. 

The Beast is the second book in the darkly suspenseful Darkdeep series from Brendan Reichs and Ally Condie. After saving their town from a monstrous figment invasion, Nico, Opal, Emma and Logan just want to stay out of trouble, enjoy Halloween and explore their mysterious clubhouse. But then a dangerous new breed of figments start appearing . . . 

Discover The Darkdeep, the first book in the series, here. 

Fredegonda, Goneril, and Drusilla are Great Hagges. They think that ghosts these days are decidedly lacking and it's time for them to learn a thing or two about being scary. And what better way to teach them than to set up their very own school for ghosts?

Under Platform 13 at King's Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island that appears only once every nine years.

And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London. A wizard, an ogre, a fey and a young hag have come to find the prince of their kingdom who was stolen as a baby nine years before. But the prince has become a horrible rich boy called Raymond Trottle, who doesn't understand magic and is determined not to be rescued.

This gripping YA chiller from Kara Thomas is the perfect Halloween read for young adults. There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook. Since the last cheerleader died five years ago, no one wanted to be reminded of the girls they’d lost. But for Monica, the sister of the last cheerleader to die, it’s not that easy to forget. And soon, Monica realises people know more than they’re letting on . . . 

Makani Young is still adjusting to her new life after moving to Nebraska from Hawaii. However, one by one the students begin to die in a series of gruesome murders and Makani doesn't know who's next on the list. This school year may turn out to be one to die for . . . Literally. 

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows something isn't right. She has an insatiable hunger, her sister is scared of her and her parents keep whispering behind closed doors. Soon Triss finds out that what happened to her is more terrible and strange than she could ever have thought, and to fix things she must travel to the terrifying Underbelly, before it's too late . . . 

Leon and his sister Grace have recently moved to London, and are struggling to settle into their new school,  when rumours of a deadly unidentified virus start to fill the news. Within a week the virus reaches London, and the siblings have to run for their lives. But the virus isn't the only danger out there . . . 

Discover all the books in the remade series here.