Halloween is a magical time of the year – not only do the kids wear some fantastic costumes but stories come alive in the flicker of candlelight while the wind taps its whispering breath against the windows and the rustle of autumn leaves provides awesome sound effects. With the darker evenings, it’s the perfect time of the year for children to curl up with a “scary” book that strikes the ideal balance between spine-tingling excitement, gentle comfort and fun storytelling. Chilling on the sofa, gathered under a cosy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and a Halloween-themed book, young readers can travel to enchanted forests, meet friendly ghosts and solve light-hearted spooky mysteries. Halloween tales invite young page turners to explore new worlds that feature ghosts and ghoulies, vampires and werewolves and, of course, zombies! These spooky tales let the imagination run wild while helping to build literacy skills in the most enjoyable of ways.
Halloween-themed and spooky stories, while perfect for that one creepy night of the year with their seasonal charm, also offer lasting benefits for young minds. When children anticipate the next twist in a spooky tale, it helps them to develop prediction and critical thinking skills. As they follow the brave protagonists while they confront playful frights, they build empathy, learning to understand how the characters feel when facing fears. The rhythmic language combined with the visual storytelling of picture books helps to develop vocabulary skills while the suspense of middle-grade mysteries for older readers helps with concentration and recall. Every page turned during this spooky season deepens a child’s appreciation for storytelling and lays the groundwork for lifelong reading habits.
Many families have traditions that have been passed down through the generations. One of these cherished traditions is Halloween story time. Every Spooktober, that’s October any other time of the year, taking the same well-thumbed book from the bookshelf creates a sense of ritual that children will remember fondly long after the last lonely autumn leaf has fallen from the trees. Whether it’s a witch’s mischievous broomstick ride or a ghost who yearns to join the Halloween fun, these stories become woven into the fabric of family memories. Parents, grandparents, carers and guardians find themselves transported back to childhood as they share distant echoes of laughter and excitement with the next generation of young readers.
When selecting books to read at Halloween for children, matching the story to the child’s age and temperament is key. The youngest page turners, aged three to five, will adore titles like Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, where a friendly witch and her cat welcome a cast of curious companions onto their broomstick. Early readers from five to seven can delight in Ghosts Can’t Play Hockey by Ben Jackson and Sam Lawrence, which combines a gentle spook with sport as a playful ghosts takes to the ice. Children aged seven to nine will enjoy Buttercup Sunshine and the Zombies of Dooooom by Colin Mulhern, with its child-friendly chills, humour and engaging characters – a frightfully fun comedy horror. Middle-grade readers, from nine to twelve, will find themselves racing through the thrill of The Twig Man by Sana Rasoul, a rich folktale–inspired tale filled with atmospheric and age-appropriate chills. For adventurous thirteen-plus readers venturing into early YA territory, Ouija by Zoé-Lee O’Farrell offers an enjoyable dark and tension-packed horror story that builds the fear without resorting to unbelievable over the top horror or gore, a tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page.
Try taking Halloween story time a broomstick ride further, casting a magical spell and transforming it into a fully immersive reading experience. While reading, have a “scavenger hunt” and challenge young readers to see how many spooky words they can spot in the text they are reading, words like “ghost,” “witch” or “zombie”. After finishing a chapter or a story, budding artists can sketch their favourite characters dressed in Halloween costumes, adding their own personal flair to familiar faces. Readers that are more confident might even try “writing their own ending,” reimagining plot twists or creating new challenges for beloved heroes.
Reading sessions needn’t be a silent activity. Giving the various characters different voices enhances the fun, while creating playful sound effects helps to amplify the suspense. After a particularly surprising moment, stop and discuss what made the story exciting, scary or funny, this will help spark conversation and test comprehension. And no reading session is complete without a Halloween-themed tasty treat – why not try a bat-shaped cookie or an eerie eyeball cake pop to make each chapter feel like a celebration.
Halloween reading combines fun stories with the thrill of a gentle scare and moments of wonder and warmth. By carefully selecting stories that suit the reader’s age and interests, Halloween memories are created that linger longer than the scent of a pumpkin spice latte. Dim the lights, gather the little ghouls and goblins and let Young Page Turners guide you through tales that enchant, delight and just might give your heart a happy scare.