9 October Reads for Kids and YA, with An Extra for Everyone

It is that time. Your mind is filled with the thought of campfires and s’mores…and ghost stories. What kind of creepy story will you come up with to freak out your kids this year? Relax, audiobooks have you covered! Below are 10 creepy good stories perfect for the month of October and the monsters and ghouls in your life. From middle graders who just want to give a scary story a try to older teens who are looking for a fresh take on the creepy. All you have to do is provide the s’mores.

Ages 8 to 12

1. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe

· Audiobook narrated by Victor Garber
· First in a finished series of 7
· Plot in one sentence: Talking dog and cat have to save their family from the new household pet — a vampire bunny?
· Thoughts: This book was first published in 1979 and is now a classic in the world of children’s lit. For young readers who would like to try a scarier read than their usual, this is the perfect pond in which to dip their toes. Garber’s narration brings out Chester the cat’s snark and Harold the dog’s heart perfectly. This comedic romp will raise the hair on the back of your child’s neck, but it will also leave them laughing for more.

2. The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

· Audiobook series narrated by Christopher Gebauer
· First in a finished trilogy
· Plot in one sentence: With the help of a talking dead chicken, Rex and his best friend, Darvish, have to figure out the mysterious deaths of a bunch of chatty animals so they can move on.
· Thoughts: Christopher Gebauer is the brilliant voice for all of the skin, fur, feathers, and scales which fly through this hilarious book. This wacky mystery is a wonderful frolic full of ghostly talking animals. The wit, humor, and not a little bit of ectoplasm, will keep young readers laughing even after the last chapter.

3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

· Audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman
· Standalone novel
· Awards: Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist for Children’s Literature, 2003, Hugo Award Winner for Best Novella 2003, Nebula Award Winner for Best Novella 2003
· Plot in one sentence: Coraline passes through a mysterious door into a better world…or is it?
· Thoughts: Did you know this is not just a movie, but Coraline started out as a book? Listening to the audiobook has an advantage over the physical copy — you hear the rats sing in such a creepy way your spine will tingle, your toes will curl, and you will sleep with the light on for several nights afterward.

4. Lockwood & Co.” The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

· Audiobook narrated by Miranda Raison
· First in a finished series of 6
· Plot in one sentence: Lucy Carlyle joins Anthony Lockwood and George to fight the demons and ghouls roaming London.
· Thoughts: This series is most definitely for the more mature middle graders as the themes and descriptions do convey much more of an ominous and foreboding tone than the above books listed. Stroud is a masterful storyteller, and Raison’s narration only enhances his work. This series shows off Stroud’s talents in sometimes hilarious, sometimes sarcastic, and definitely terrifying ways.

Ages 12 and Up

5. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

· Audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler
· First in a set with a separate bonus standalone collection
· Plot in one sentence: After her mom disappears, 17-year old Alice must team up with classmate Ellery Finch to find the Hazel Wood and bring her back.
· Thoughts: This is the kind of spooky story friends will tell around a campfire. And every year it would be retold so you don’t forget. Do not go into the Hazel Wood. You may never come back out.

6. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

· Audiobook narrated by Kate Rudd
· First in an ongoing series,
· Awards: Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018, Junior Library Guild Selection, 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nomination, 2019 ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Nomination, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2018, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction 2018, 2018 Nerdy Book Club Young Adult Winner, Seventeen Best YA Book of 2018, Lincoln Award Nominee, 2020–2021 South Carolina Book Awards Nominee
· Plot in one sentence: New student, Stevie Bell, shows up at Ellingham Academy with one goal- she will solve the cold case of the kidnapping of the school’s founder, Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter.
· Thoughts: Fans of true crime will devour this fictional account of an unsolved mystery from the past and then a surprise new mystery in the present. It takes a master tightrope walker to intertwine two complex stories such as these. Johnson not only pulled off the balancing act, she did cartwheels along the way. Be prepared to settle in, however, because if you want to solve the mystery completely, you have to read the entire first 3 books. Nicely, Kate Rudd narrates all books in this series so you will be listening to an old friend by the time you reach the third book.

7. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

· Audiobook narrated by Greg Tremblay
· First in a finished trilogy with a bonus collection of short stories
· Awards: Printz Honor Winner
· Plot in one sentence: Citra and Rowan are commanded to pick up scythes and take their places in the world of death and all that it entails.
· Thoughts: Scythe, as narrated by Greg Tremblay, is a book that is going to make you uncomfortable and refuses forgiveness for doing so. Its messages are unsettling and will leave you thinking for a long time after the last word is read. And that is exactly how it should be.

8. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

· Audiobook narrated by Nicola Barber
· First in a finished series of 7
· Plot in one sentence: A lord’s daughter, Audrey Rose Wadsworth secretly learns forensic science in her uncle’s laboratory when suddenly she finds herself involved in the now infamous Ripper murders.
· Thoughts: Wit, sarcasm, guts, and gore all with a historical background? What is not to love?! Nicola Barber uses her lovely English accent and melodic voice to perfectly convey the sinister tones and darkness in this story of where society expects a girl to stand in historical London…and what happens when she steps away from that position to chase real life ghouls.

9. Croak by Gina D’Amico

· Audiobook narrated by Jessica Almasy
· First in a finished trilogy
· Plot in one sentence: 16-year old Lex takes up the family business but will she use her power as a Grim Reaper for justice or vengeance?
· Thoughts: Every book is turned to magic when read by Jessica Almasy. This is a story which should only be listened to as Almasy has a way of pulling every character’s finest selves out into the open and laying them bare for readers to really understand what each one of them is going through. Almasy will have you laughing, crying, angry, and, above all, enthralled and unable to put this story down.

The Best for All Ages

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

· Audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman
· Standalone novel
· Awards: winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hugo Award for best novel, the Locus Award for Young Adult novel, the American Bookseller Association’s “Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book”, a Horn Book Honor, and Audio Book of the Year
· Plot in one sentence: As the only living resident of a graveyard, Nobody Owens must learn to survive in the worlds of both the dead and the living.
· Thoughts: This book IS the essence of Halloween. Because people like their categories, this book is technically rated for ages 8 to 12, but it should be given to everyone. With Neil Gaiman reading his own artfully pieced and spellbinding story, this audiobook will be the first season’s read come October 1 every year for the entire family.

Parting Thoughts

The s’mores are ready, your house is fully decorated, but not one child can be found. Why? Because with this list, all of your monsters and ghouls are home wrapped in blankets and clutching flashlights while they listen to their ghost stories. No worries, there will be plenty of time to create some mischief after the last word has been spoken and the book has been closed. If they aren’t too scared to go out into the darkness, that is.