The sun is shining, everything’s green, and a warm breeze tousles your hair. It’s camping season! There’s no experience quite like the great outdoors. That’s why camping is one of our nation’s favorite pastimes, and the tradition of campfire tales is a large part of the fun. Humans love sharing stories around campfires… especially scary ones.
If you’re hiking in your neighborhood park, planning a trip to one of our nation’s many beautiful parks, or setting up a tent in your own backyard, here are some stories that will give you chills on summer nights.
Creepy Campfire Stories: Frights to Tell at Night
By Anastasia Garcia, illustrated by Teo Skaffa
The great outdoors has never been so terrifying! Featuring iconic landscapes like the Grand Canyon and Redwood National Park, this book will haunt your dreams long after the last ember of the campfire has faded. Here are just a few of the super-scary stories inside:
A strange museum that won’t stay open after dark.
Sinister plants with a taste for human flesh.
Monsters hidden in the snow―friend or foe?
Mysterious lights in the sky leave messages in a cornfield.
Twin brothers Nox and Noah are identical in every way except one: Noah is sick, and no one can figure out what’s wrong with him. They travel to the town of Evergreen, Maine for specialized medical care, but Nox soon suspects that what’s happening to Noah isn’t natural—and that the people around them are hiding something. His search for answers leads him into the surrounding woods; there, he discovers a hidden world where it’s always nighttime, full of powerful magic and supernatural creatures. Nox must venture deeper into an endless night and successfully bargain with the terrifying Keepers of the forest for a cure to Noah’s ailment, or else neither twin will leave Evergreen alive.
The wilderness is in Jenna’s blood. So, when her best friend is taken by a creature that isn’t supposed to exist, Jenna joins a local scout troop and ventures back into the woods. When the troop stumbles across suspicious signs: huge human-like footprints near the camp, scratch marks on trees, and ominous sounds from the woods, Jenna worries that whatever took her best friend is back to take her too! After the unthinkable happens, the scouts, armed with their wits and toiletries, band together to fight the creature and survive the night.
Maudie isn’t your typical twelve-year-old girl—she’s the ghost of one. Along with her best friend Kit and little brother Scratch, she haunts a cottage in the woods, doing her best to scare off vacationers and forget her old life.
But everything changes when Kit and Scratch go missing. Maudie knows something terrible must have happened, and she’s right: Longfingers—a monster from her own nightmares, with spidery fingers and needle-sharp teeth—has stolen her friends away.
But Maudie’s keeping secrets about her past. Unless she finds a way to finally face the truth, she may never be able to rescue her friends from Longfingers’s grasp.
By Fleur Bradley, Ally Malinenko, Josh Roberts, Kim Ventrella, Darcy Marks, Deke Moulton, Erin Petti, Laura Parnum, Sarah Allen, Et al.
Many of the U.S. national parks are huge swaths of wild and barely explored land. While it’s true millions visit the parks each year, most people stay within a mile or so of the popular attractions. Not many people go into the hinterlands where maybe, just maybe, there are all kinds of monsters. In this collection of scary stories set in national parks, 21 amazing authors have chosen a national park, monument, or historic site as a setting for a spooky story. Stories you can read by the campfire, that will haunt your dreams as you lie in your tent, listening to the sounds of nature in the darkness.
In case you need further convincing—each story has a scare rating, and all proceeds go to the National Park Foundation!
*If you order from our Bookshop.org store, you are supporting indie bookstores + ensuring we can continue to offer free virtual visits with schools across the country.
Welcome to another installment of our author interview series, “5 Questions with…” This time around, we’re talking with Spooky Middle Grade’s Mary Averling, author of THE CURSE OF EELGRASS BOG (January 2024) and the brand-new spooky story, THE GHOSTS OF BITTERFLY BAY, which just came out this week!
1. Mary, tell us about THE GHOSTS OF BITTERFLY BAY. How did you come up with the idea? What inspired it?
BITTERFLY BAY is a fantastical middle grade horror about a group of kid ghosts who haunt a lakeside cabin. They have (perhaps too much) fun freaking out vacationers . . . until something starts haunting them right back. It’s about bravery, storytelling, and the importance of facing the truth, and it’s got MANY weird creatures!
It was inspired by an old cottage my family used to stay at when I was little. I have so many fond memories of that place, but it was built right into a sheer mountainside and surrounded by dark, dense woods. (It also smelled a bit strange and had several creepy carved birds inside). BITTERFLY BAY came from those summertime memories of somewhere strange, comforting, and also super eerie.
2. What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Did those books influence your writing?
I was actually more of a fantasy than a horror reader! I loved Prophecy of the Stones by Flavia Bujour, The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, The Land of Elyon by Patrick Carmen . . . so many! Even now, I still write my books with a strong fantastical element. I like blurring the line between horror and fantasy.
3. What are you working on now?
I’m revising another middle grade horror with my editor (shhhh, it’s a secret). I can’t say much yet, but it’s about anger and monsters and belonging and, y’know, fire powers. I’m excited to share more soon!
4. What was the most fun thing about writing THE GHOSTS OF BITTERFLY BAY?
I loved thinking up shenanigans for the ghosts’ haunting games! If I was a 12-year-old ghost trying to scare people, what would I do? It was fun to imagine haunting as a game rather than something terrifying . . . but it was also fun writing Longfingers and a more sinister kind of haunting, too.
5. What’s your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
When I was five, I dressed up as Barbie Girl. (My title). Pink shiny wig, pink shiny dress, rhinestone wand, plastic high heels, and probably some fairy wings to boot. Not spooky, not scary, but I thought I looked SO cool. I always like sharing pictures of this one, because who’d have thought that twenty years later, this little Barbie Girl would get to publish ghost stories? Why not both?!
We’re back with another author interview in our series, “5 Questions with…” This month we’re talking with Bram Stoker Award-winning author Lora Senf, whose brand-new novel THE LOSTING FOUNTAIN came out on New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2024).
1) Tell me about The Losting Fountain. What’s the premise and what inspired you to write it.
The Losting Fountain is a dark fantasy story about what it means to be lost, to be found, and to discover our place in the world. Ember, Miles, and Sam—all from different times and places—have been called home. Only home is a place none of them have ever been before. They find themselves on an impossible island where lost things go that want to be found.
As their timelines converge, the choices they make will not only determine their own futures but will also have bigger consequences—they will either restore a cosmic balance or destroy the dams that separate two worlds, ending them both. Ember was called because she belonged, Miles because his mother belonged, and Sam . . . well, Sam arranged his own invitation.
The seeds for this book were planted more than two decades ago when a young child mispronounced lost and found. He called it losting fountain. My brain immediately grabbed on to the idea of such a place—What would be the purpose of a place like that? What would happen there? Who might benefit from it and who might…not? It took me many, many years to work up the courage to try to write a book and The Losting Fountain was my first completed manuscript although it is my fourth published novel.
2) You’ve described The Losting Fountain as “lower YA.” What does that mean to you, and what should readers expect from a book in that category?
If I’m being really honest, I have a hard time with the age classification for a lot of books. Sometimes a story is just a story and can be for anyone—side note, this is why I love middle grade books so much. They are the one category that can be for just about any reader.
In the case of The Losting Fountain, lower YA is as good a category as any. There’s more blood on the page and light swearing than I would put in my straight-up middle grade books but I think it could serve as a really nice stepping stone for young readers who are ready to try a book outside middle grade.
3) What is your writing process? Are you a pantser or a plotter or somewhere in between?
Oh, how I wish I had a process! It seems to change with every book. I suppose a few things are consistent across my books. While I don’t outline, I do have to mull a story over—for weeks or sometimes months—before I start committing words to page. I usually keep about a page of notes that would make sense to only me. That page has ideas or scenes that are vital to the story I’m trying to tell. The document serves as a sort of touchstone for me as I draft the manuscript.
As for the actual act of drafting, I write when and where I can. I have a family and a full-time job so if I want to get anything done, I have to be flexible. There are lots of very early morning sessions when I’m writing a manuscript. Sometimes I write during lunch breaks. Sometimes I write in the family room while my kids watch TV. Whatever it takes to get it done.
4) The Losting Fountain is your fourth published novel, all of which range from spooky to scary. Why are you drawn to horror stories? Do you have your eye on other genres in the future?
I discovered horror very early and never looked back. I jumped from John Bellairs straight to Stephen King and while I was probably (definitely) too young for King’s books, I was hooked on scary stories. As a kid with a lot of anxiety, those scary stories gave me a chance to practice being brave. And, honestly, I just love the feeling of being terrified and safe at the same time.
I won’t say never, but I have a hard time seeing myself writing something that doesn’t have a ghost or a monster (supernatural or human). I keep a list of all the books I want to write and every one of those is on the spooky-to-scary continuum. I may surprise myself someday and take a different path, but I sort of doubt it.
5) What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on the fifth Blight Harbor book—this one is a prequel set in the 1990’s and Blight Harbor readers will recognize the cast. The tweens and teens in this book are adults in the Evie Von Rathe books.
I’m also working on an unannounced YA horror that I am very excited about. I’ll share more about it when I can! Oh, and I’m also in the mulling-over stage of an adult horror novel with some pitch-black comedy. I think that will be my next project when these are done.
All that said, I have so much love for middle grade. I have (what I think is) a really good idea for a new series. Time will tell on that one!
At Spooky Middle Grade, we firmly believe that spooky books should be celebrated and enjoyed all year long. But even we can admit there’s something a little extra special about reading a spooky book in the fall, when the days grow colder and the nights begin to creep closer and closer into the daylight hours.
So, this Halloween season, settle in with one of our hand-picked recommendations for spooky middle grade books published this summer and fall. And check back in January for our winter 2025 recommendations!
Benji Zeb has to balance preparing for his bar mitzvah, his feelings for a school bully, and being a werewolf in this heartfelt, coming-of-age novel for middle-grade readers. For fans of Don’t Want to Be Your Monster and Too Bright to See.
Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). And all of this is made more complicated by the fact that, secretly, Benji and his entire family are werewolves who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities!
Things come to a head when Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night . . . in wolf form! He’s a werewolf too, unable to control his shifting, and he needs Benji’s help. Can anxious Benji juggle all of these things along with his growing feelings toward Caleb?
After getting bullied at Figueroa Elementary, Stix Hart wants nothing more than to fly below the radar at middle school. He’s heard all the horror stories, but none involved ghosts.
On Stix’s first day of sixth grade, his anxiety is off the charts. It doesn’t help when he spots a kid who reminds him of his old bully, Xander Mack. Soon after, he encounters two other students who take a keen interest in him. He quickly learns the spooky truth—the trio are lost souls in need of a solid. When the ghosts tell him they’ve been stuck in middle school for decades, it’s up to Stix to figure out how to help these not-so-normal new friends.
Solving this paranormal predicament will take some serious sleuthing and tremendous bravery. Can Stix solve this mystery and help these spirits move on before it’s too late?
From the creator of My Life As a Teenage Robot comes the second story in a middle-grade horror series about a horrible bag, the spine-chilling world hidden within it, and a terrifying adventure into the world of GrahBhag. Perfect for fans of Coraline, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and Small Spaces.
Zenith Maelstrom knows he’s forgetting something…
But he can’t quite remember what. He wakes up to notes in his handwriting with messages like, “Prepare for battle!” – but what battle? – and his sister Apogee seems to grow angrier with him by the day. It’s not until he finds Apogee sneaking back into the horrible bag hidden away in their basement that all the dreadful details about GrahBhag resurface. The spiderlike Shlurps. The trio of foul mouths that hunger for blood. Eldritch horrors around every corner.
Desperate to save Apogee from her ill-planned attempt to right the wrongs of their last trip into the bag, Zenith is forced to follow her into the bizarre world that has certainly not forgotten them. Between old foes set on vengeance like Raggedy Albert and terrifying new ones like the haunting Wraith, Zenith will have to put things right with his sister without falling into the clutches of those who would do him harm. For if he is caught, Eternity Tower awaits…
With a combination of dry, absurdist humor and no-holds-barred horror, Rob Renzetti has crafted a delightfully imaginative fantasy world that will hook readers as surely as it will send chills down their spines.
The legend of Bigfoot gets a bone-chilling update in this scary story about a young girl and her scout troop who are willing to brave the woods to find her missing friend when no one else will. Perfect for fans of Daka Hermon and Claribel A. Ortega!
The wilderness is in Jenna’s blood. Her Pap was the first Black park ranger at Sturbridge Reservation, and she practically knows the Owlet Survival Handbook by heart. But she’s never encountered a creature like the one that took her best friend Reese. Her parents don’t believe her; the police are worthless, following the wrong leads; and the media isn’t connecting the dots between Reese’s disappearance and a string of other attacks. Determined to save her friend, Jenna joins a new local scout troop, and ventures back into the woods.
When the troop stumbles across suspicious signs: huge human-like footprints near the camp, scratch marks on trees, and ominous sounds from the woods, Jenna worries that whatever took Reese is back to take her too. Can she trust her new scout leader? And will her new friend Norrie—who makes her laugh and reminds her so much of Reese—believe her?
After the unthinkable happens, the scouts, armed with their wits and toiletries, band together to fight the monster and survive the night.
The Walter Award Honor–winning author of Root Magic returns with a terrifying story in the Southern Gothic tradition, inspired by the hoodoo practice of hair burning.
At night, Roddie still dreams of sitting at his mother’s feet while she braids his Afro down. But that’s a memory from before. Before his mom died in a tragic accident. Before he was taken in by an aunt he barely knows. Before his aunt brought him to Dogwood House, the creepiest place Roddie has ever seen. It was his family’s home for over a hundred years. Now the house—abandoned and rotting, draped in Spanish moss that reminds him too much of hair—is his home too.
Aunt Angie has returned to South Carolina to take care of Roddie and reconnect with their family’s hoodoo roots. Roddie, however, can’t help but feel lost. His mom had never told him anything about hoodoo, Dogwood House, or their family. And as they set about fixing the house up, Roddie discovers that there is even more his mother never said. Like why she left home when she was seventeen, never to return. Or why she insisted Aunt Angie always wear her hair in locs. Or what she knew of the strange secrets hidden deep within Dogwood House—secrets that have awoken again, and are reaching out to Roddie…
This spine-tingling ghost story follows a tween girl who’s being literally haunted by loneliness until a new friendship upends her life. From the bestselling author of the Paola Santiago series!
Sadie Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost—a ghost that doesn’t want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.
Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.
Which is why she’s not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn’t bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself—and she’ll do anything to make sure it stays that way.
A boy travels into an alternate version of his Halloween-obsessed town to save his sister from an evil witch and free the town from the witch’s curse. A ghoulish and creepy middle school read perfect for spooky season!
Welcome to Pearl, a town obsessed with Halloween: the spooky decorations, the costumes, the candy. No one seems to notice that every October 31st, a kid goes missing. Mason Miller does, though. Somehow he’s the only one who has any memory the person existed at all.
When Mason’s sister, Meg, vanishes while they’re trick-or-treating, Mason and his friends are pulled into an underworld where monsters roam the streets. They need to fight the evil taking over Pearl, but none of them know the true danger they’re facing.
Meg has been stolen by a witch who has no plans to let her go. Shadows of death curl around trees and behind doorways as Mason must use every ounce of bravery he has . . . or be haunted forever with the memory of a sister that only he remembers.
The past has come calling in the town of Hush, and for one girl, that means facing her ghosts. Perfect for fans of the satisfyingly scary Small Spaces quartet!
Maddie Maverick likes to win. Whether it’s track team races or one-liners she delivers on her parents’ home renovation show, Maddie knows that if she puts in the work, she’ll always come out on top. But things take a turn when her ghost-hunting nana passes away, and Maddie and her twin sister, Nat, discover that Nana left them an unexpected inheritance: They can now see ghosts just like she did.
While Nat is totally on board to try to help some spirits find peace, a ghostly calling is just not Maddie’s speed. So when history comes back to haunt their town, and the story of a decades-old train crash rears its ugly head, Maddie wants nothing to do with the ghosts of days long gone. But one ghost in particular won’t go away, and Maddie might just be the only one with the power to help her—that is, if she can survive the Night Train herself.
In this eerie tale by beloved author Lorelei Savaryn, one girl’s determination to bring long-hidden secrets to light might just change her town—and herself—forever.
There’s no escaping these deliciously creepy tales of everyday horror, perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Once you open this book, you’re doomed . . . Cursed to stay up late, savoring every line of these terrifying stories. Go ahead and try to resist. The Night Things won’t let you get far.
Master storyteller Josh Allen, hailed as the “heir-apparent to Alvin Schwartz,” brings thirteen nightmare scenarios to life in this page-turning collection. From a shiny abandoned bike, to an innocent classroom icebreaker, to a piano recital that requires unusual sacrifices, there’s no end to the shocking twists on everyday reality.
In Allen’s wondrous world, which looks an awful like our own, danger waits behind every doorway . . . even in the most ordinary places. Kids eager for age-appropriate horror will relish every thrill and chill. Eerie illustrations by award-winning artist Sarah Coleman accompany the stories, packaged in a stunning hardcover edition complete with a glow-in-the-dark jacket. Readers will sleep with one eye open!
The legend of the Pied Piper meets Sal and Gabi Break the Universe with a touch of Coraline in this spooky and suspenseful middle grade adventure about a boy whose wish goes horribly wrong and his fight to reunite with his real family.
Sam Windsor’s parents and younger siblings, Grayson and Addie, are his whole world, so when his parents announce they’re separating, Sam is devastated. He’d do anything to make his parents change their minds and keep the family together. When a stranger offers a flute made of bone that supposedly grants the player’s wish, Sam doesn’t really believe it will work but figures he has nothing to lose.
Surprisingly, the wish on the skeleton flute comes true. The next day, his parents are happily in love, with no plans for his dad to leave. But there’s a major problem: his parents’ relationship isn’t the only thing in his life that has changed, and some of the changes are definitely for the worse.
Caught in a world full of unintended consequences and familiar strangers, Sam has limited options for returning to his old life—worries, challenges, and all. Can he track down the mysterious man who gave him the flute and undo his wish?
Stranger Things meets A Monster Calls in this spine-tingling, emotionally rich middle grade novel about a boy who must protect his neighborhood from a malevolent monster tree while dealing with the recent loss of his father.
Linus used to be an artist, like his dad. Now his father is gone, and Linus’s mom has moved them to the other side of the city, hoping for a fresh start. Maybe, for the first time in months, Linus will even draw again.
But there’s something unusual about their neighbor Maude and something wrong with the grotesque tree in her backyard. At night Linus sees it moving, changing, growing. When increasingly bizarre events plague the neighborhood―massive claw marks appearing on doors and cars, pets going missing, sightings of a red-eyed creature―he suspects Maude and her tree are to blame.
With his home under threat, Linus teams up with his goofy best friend, Spencer, and no-nonsense new girl Abby to unearth whatever sinister seeds have been planted next door . . . where something truly monstrous is just taking root.
The first book in a rich, eerie middle grade fantasy duology full of magic, monsters, and miles and miles of untamed forest, from the author of The Prince of Nowhere. Motivated by desperation and brotherhood, a boy must venture deep into the Nightwood to find a cure for his mysteriously sick brother. Perfect for fans of Over the Garden Wall and Serafina and the Black Cloak.
For twelve-year-old Nox Winters, the town of Evergreen isn’t home—it’s a tourist trap in middle-of-nowhere Maine for amateur cryptozoologists hoping to spot its infamous legend, a batlike creature known as the Evergreen Devil. But his twin brother, Noah, has been wasting away from an illness that has left medical professionals stumped, and the doctors here in Evergreen are his last hope. And Nox goes where Noah goes.
But as Noah’s condition worsens, Nox begins to suspect that Evergreen is doing more harm than good—and that there might be some truth to its tales of fearsome cryptids and mysterious disappearances. When Noah falls into a deep sleep that Nox can’t wake him from, Nox’s only chance at saving him lies in the surrounding forest; there, he discovers a hidden world where it’s always nighttime, full of powerful magic, supernatural creatures, and capricious minor gods. Nox must venture deeper into an endless night and successfully bargain with the terrifying Keepers of the forest for a cure to Noah’s ailment or else neither twin will leave Evergreen alive.
Evie ventures into the Dark Sun Side to rescue her loved ones, only to discover truths darker than she could have ever imagined in this thrilling finale to the Blight Harbor series that’s perfect for fans of Doll Bones and Small Spaces.
As summer comes to an end, Evie Von Rathe is determined to begin the search for her parents in earnest. Armed with her knowledge of the otherworldly, her mom’s violet glasses, and a pendant full of doors, Evie begins to piece together clues. When she realizes her mother’s bedtime story might be a roadmap to finding them, Evie follows it back to the Dark Sun Side.
But stories are funny things, and they change from one teller to the next.
The black nothing of the Radix is waiting, and it knows more than it’s ever let on. Evie will need every bit of courage she has for what’s coming. With Bird at her side, and maybe even a reluctant Lark as well, Evie has what she hopes is her last adventure under a purple sky.
In Pura Belpré Honor–winning author Adrianna Cuevas’s new spooky middle grade novel. Frani must fight to stop the undead from rising in her father’s body-farm laboratory—that is, if she can embrace the true nature of her brain and its ADHD.
No one has ever called Frani Gonzalez squeamish. Seriously, whether it’s guts (no big deal), bugs (move aside, she’s got this), or anything else that you might find at the Central Texas Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, to her and her dad, the university’s body farm is just home.
Having bodies buried in her backyard doesn’t exactly make Frani the most popular kid in school, and the imaginary spider that lives in a web in her brain isn’t helping either. Arañita’s always to blame for the distracted thoughts weaving through Frani’s mind. But when a hand reaches out of the ground and grabs her ankle, Frani realizes that she’s got bigger problems.
Not everything is as it seems at the body farm, and now Frani must help the teenage zombie that crawled out of the dirt…before he gets too hungry. But as more and more zombies begin to appear—and they seem to get less and less friendly—can Frani embrace the true nature of her brain and count on new friendships to solve the body farm’s mystery before it’s overrun with the undead?
Coraline meets Ghost Squad in this terrifying story about what happens when you aren’t careful what you wish for.
Ollie Di Costa wishes things could be different. He wishes the bullies at school would leave him alone. He wishes his parents would stop fighting. He wishes his sister Mia didn’t have to worry about things like paying for college. But most of all, he wishes he wasn’t so angry about all of this.
When he and Mia find a two-tailed cat they name Wishbone, Ollie takes comfort in telling him everything he wishes would change-then suddenly, it does. Everything Ollie and Mia wish for comes true, and it’s like all of their problems are solved. But magic comes at a price. Whatever they wish for is not simply given to them, but taken from others. And to make matters worse, a mysterious shadow man called The Mage is after Wishbone and his power.
With each wish, darkness takes over more and more of their world, and worst of all, it threatens to take over Ollie, too. But can he let go of everything he’s ever wanted?
A new locked room scary story about thirteen-year-old Avery, who plans a séance at a deserted theater to bond with her friends, only to realize they’re locked inside with someone—or something—else. This spine tingling read is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Lindsay Currie!
When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing’s changed.
Unfortunately, new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. To reunite her BFFs, she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a horrible tragedy. What starts as a fun outing, soon becomes a fight for survival after the group gets locked in …and discovers they’re not alone.
Haunted Mansion meets the ultimate escape room in this tense and twisty middle grade horror following four kids who must beat a series of games to make it out of a haunted house.
The creepiest place in Barret Eloise’s small town is the abandoned Raithfield Manor, a decrepit house surrounded by rumors of ghosts and kids going missing. So she certainly never planned on stepping foot inside. But when her history teacher gives her a group project to research a local landmark, the manor is the location her group chooses. Determined to ace the project and fix her awkward first impression on her assigned partners—which include her former friend Helena, smart and confident Wayne, and school basketball star Ridge—Barret Eloise isn’t about to let some tall tales scare her off.
When the kids first enter the house, it seems to be nothing more than an empty building. But when the sun goes down, the doors and windows lock, sealing them inside. Even worse, the room they’re in transforms into an all-too-real game of The Floor is Lava. It doesn’t take long for the group to realize the mansion is a maze of childhood games. Win the game and you keep moving forward, lose and you disappear. And complicating it all is a worrying revelation—they are not alone in the house. If Barret Eloise wants to make it home, she and her dysfunctional group are going to have to learn to work together quickly.
A spooky, heartfelt mystery inspired by Caribbean mythology, featuring the most lovable characters in middle grade fiction!
For once, everything in twelve-year-old Josephine’s life is going according to plan. She’s finally proved that girls belong on the cricket team and earned a spot as a starting player! And she’s confident that she and her best friend, Ahkai, will both be accepted to their dream secondary school. Nothing can stop Jo now — not even the memory of the vengeful sea spirit she vanquished last year.
But then a series of disasters strike. Ahkai suddenly seems to have a new best friend — the annoyingly perfect Lynne. Then Jo isn’t accepted to the same school as Ahkai! Even worse, Jo keeps having eerie encounters with a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows — a figure who bears an unsettling resemblance to the fearsome Heartman rumored to steal children’s hearts…
Jo doesn’t know where to turn. With Daddy away, the only person who’ll believe her is Ahkai, but Jo is too proud to ask for help after being replaced. By the time she musters the courage to approach him, it’s too late. Ahkai has disappeared without a trace. He’s been taken by the Heartman. None of the adults believe Jo. The Heartman is just a legend, after all. But Jo knows that the fearsome creature is real and that if she doesn’t find his lair soon, Ahkai will be lost forever.
From J. A. White, the acclaimed author of Nightbooks, comes another spine-chilling stand-alone middle grade horror novel about a pair of friends who discover a strange creature in a cave that can make any wish come true—including bringing the dead back to life.
The town of Haywood, New Jersey, has a secret. A wish monster. Violet Park discovered its cave by accident, and the wish monster granted her deepest desire by bringing her dog Midnight back to life. It even erased everyone’s memory of his death. Life was perfect. But then an unremarkable boy named Hudson Causeway somehow remembered Midnight had died.
That scared Violet. What if he ruined everything? Even worse, what if the wish monster wasn’t as innocent as it seemed? Deep down, Violet knew: No wishes are made without consequences, and every monster needs to be fed.
A chilling middle grade novel about a girl haunted by a hungry ghost.
Molly Teng sees things no one else can. By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the “zaps” are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely.
The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she’s been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She’s a ‘hungry ghost’ reliant on the livings’ food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition.
Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade’s house, nothing will ever be the same―for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house―before her hunger destroys them both.
Jasmine Garza has a problem: a ghost has been following her for years, ever since her Papi died. Not that Mami will admit anything supernatural is going on. But even the ghost she won’t acknowledge makes real trouble, so Jasmine and her mami are moving (again) to a new apartment in East Hollywood. This time Jasmine is committed to living a normal life with normal friends.
Enter: Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. They’re the only two members of Jasmine’s middle school’s Gay Straight Alliance and they’re already obsessed with all things supernatural. Bea wants to prove herself to her paranormal investigator parents and Jorge is determined to overcome his fear of the beyond. And when Jasmine confesses she’s been tormented by a ghost for years, they not only believe her, they’re thrilled!
Together they set out to prove that Jasmine’s not just acting out after her father’s death–ghosts are real and Jasmine is haunted. But not everyone agrees how to deal with the departed. As Jasmine’s hauntings increase in intensity, her resentment builds. Why is her Mami so secretive about her past? Why is she the center of such a terrible vortex of supernatural activity? And why hasn’t her Papi ever reached out to her since he passed?
In order to face her ghosts―both internal and external―Jasmine must come to terms with her own history.
In this spellbinding sequel to The Witches of Willow Cove, Abby Shepherd and her coven of teenage witches must confront an undead terror that threatens the safety of their friends, families, and maybe even the entire world.
Now fourteen years old and with a year of witchcraft under her belt, Abby finally feels like things are going her way. That is, until her mother announces they’re moving to a new town, her boyfriend stops speaking to her, and her eighth-grade classmates start vanishing in the middle of the night-only to return as something terrifyingly different than before.
When the mysterious Council of Witches summons Abby and her friends to their secret domain, then forbids the young coven from investigating the sinister events unfolding in Willow Cove, Abby begins to suspect the Council knows more about the disappearances than they’re letting on.
With the clock ticking and the danger getting closer and closer to Abby’s doorstep, she and her best friend Robby O’Reilly must both decide what they’re willing to risk to save everyone they love . . . before an ancient curse from Willow Cove’s past sinks its teeth into them all.
A girl tackles a summer filled with mystery, treasure, and learning to be her true self in this middle grade adventure that’s a modern-day Holes set on a dusty dude ranch in Montana.
Becca Soloway’s perfect summer goes up in smoke when her mom flees a looming divorce by dragging Becca to a Montana resort. To make matters worse, her mom’s hasty booking lands them not at a spa, but an aging dude ranch called Far Away.
Becca is miserable until she meets the wrangler’s son, Jon, who shows her what might be the first clue to a century-old mystery: the lost treasure of a Robin Hood–like outlaw known as Pearlhandle Pete.
As they slowly uncover the true history of Pete, venture into the mountains, search haunted ghost towns, and are threatened by a treasure-hunter-social-media star, Becca discovers that treasure is in the eye of the beholder and the important things in life are always worth fighting for.
Then join Spooky Middle Grade for 90-Second Scares, a new series featuring some of your favorite children’s horror authors! Listen as they read short, spooky excerpts from their books between October 13-31, 2024.
Where can you watch?
Every day at 7:00 P.M. ET / 4:00 P.M. PT on the @spookymiddlegrade Instagram or YouTube channel.
Will there be treats?
YES! It wouldn’t be Halloween without a treat! If you survive all 19 days of 90-Second Scares, you can enter a giveaway for a chance to win a stack of autographed horror books from participating spooky MG authors. To enter the giveaway, follow these three steps . . . if you dare!
1. Watch all 19 videos
2. Collect all 19 creepy code words
3. Submit all creepy code words at the link below by 11:59 P.M. PT on Sunday, November 3, 2024. Winners will be announced the following week.
Welcome to our new author interview series, “5 Questions with…” Our first victim—I mean guest—is Spooky Middle Grade author Darcy Marks, whose fantastic novel THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY (the sequel to GROUNDED FOR ALL ETERNITY) comes out in paperback today, July 16.
1. Tell us about THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY.
THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY is the sequel to GROUNDED FOR ALL ETERNITY, which follows a group of regular, everyday kids who just so happen to live in Hell. The suburb part, that is. Also, they can fly. And some of them can do magic.
You know, regular kids.
In GROUNDED, we went on an adventure to Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night. Fun? Yes! Dangerous? Absolutely! Forbidden? You bet! Which brings us to AFTERLIFE.
Malachi and his friends are home and finally ungrounded, although not everyone thinks they should be. Some of his classmates seem to think he should be spending time in the pit, but Malachi couldn’t care less because there is a new resident in Hell (from Faerie!) and that is a Big Deal.
It’s probably just coincidence that their arrival comes with a once in an eon invitation to an interdimensional mixer with Heaven, right? The adults are just paranoid thinking there’s some big plot afoot.
OK, yes, the ground has started shaking, and there’s been a few breaches into Hell that should never have happened, and OK, not everyone trusts Morgan’s expertise with glamour and the deception it involves. But it’s just a party.
What could go wrong?
2. What is your writing process?
Stare into the void and hope the Universe makes the words appear…
OK, but after that doesn’t work (and it never does), I start drafting.
My writing process is kind of like an onion, lots of layers! My favorite author of all time, Terry Pratchett, once said that the first draft was just you telling yourself the story. (As a person who does not outline ahead of time, this is important.) The first draft is not supposed to be perfect, it’s just getting it all out there so you, as the author, understand what the story is and where it’s going.
After I have that framework laid out, I go through it again, and start adding more details. Maybe I add other subplot points or backstory or get deeper into the mythology or character development. Then I go through it again and add more. Once I feel like I have the story fully fleshed out, then it’s time to cut, because at that point there might be some repetition or scenes that don’t really fit anymore. My last go through is really trying to make sure things are tight and ensure that everything is there for a reason. Sometimes I have to kill my final darlings, alas.
3. How did you tailor the level of creepiness or scariness that you wanted for the book?
So, here’s the thing: Kids like horror, and there’s not as much tailoring for the audience as you’d think. A lot of adults think you have to really tone down the scariness when you write for kids, but if you read MG horror, you’ll start to notice that it’s not just scary for kids, it’s scary! There are legitimately scary-to-me MG horror books out there that feature all of the same horror tropes and elements that you’ll see in adult horror.
I’ve never felt constrained in my storytelling in that way. In both GROUNDED and AFTERLIFE, the scariness and creepiness flowed with the story. If I were to compare the difference between the two, I would say GROUNDED has more of the traditional in-your-face bad guy scariness, but in AFTERLIFE the fear is more based on the enemies being inevitable, that feeling like there’s nothing you can do to stop what’s coming. It’s more existential.
4. Why do you think kids are drawn to scary stories?
I think partially for the same reason adults are. Scary stories get your heart racing and the adrenaline pumping! They’re exciting and fun. Kids love Halloween and it’s not just for the candy, there’s excitement to being out on the street in the dark going house to house. To strangers’ houses! There’s a rule-breaking, societal norm defying feel to the holiday and that’s not even getting into thoughts of what might be lurking in the dark…
That love translates very easily to scary stories or movies. And there’s another side to it. Beyond the excitement, kids are already functioning in the world where there are a lot of unknowns, and they don’t really have a lot of control over what happens on a day-to-day basis. MG Horror let’s kids experience the creepiness of the unknown and see the kid overcome the bad guy, and typically the kid main character is succeeding where adults have failed.
There’s something truly empowering to see that happen and to learn that you’re strong and capable and brave, and that just like the main character you can overcome bad things too.
5. What’s your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
This is embarrassing. When I was a kid my mom made all of our costumes, but that’s not the embarrassing part! My mom made fantastic costumes! The embarrassing part is that I just desperately wanted costumes like my friends had.
Now, I was a kid in the 80s, and the commercial costumes at the time were these terrible plastic masks with plastic aprons with the costume printed on it. Seriously, Google it. It’s terrifying. Anyway, I begged for a store-bought costume, and I was Smurfette. I can still feel the condensation under the mask and the sweat from the plastic.
It was terrible.
So that’s not my favorite Halloween costume but that one stands out (as well as the robot costume my brother wore that he couldn’t bend his legs in. That was hysterical!).
My favorite Halloween costumes were ones I did as adults: Columbia from Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon and a horror circus costume of my own design. They were great and I put them together myself which always makes them more rewarding!
THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY and GROUNDED FOR ALL ETERNITY are both on sale now. Check them out at your favorite bookseller today!
Like most kids of the eighties and nineties, I grew up reading the SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK anthology by Alvin Schwartz with haunting illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Unlike other scary books for kids, that collection didn’t sugar-coat things. I remember being in fifth grade and getting super upset when I read a book (that shall remain unnamed :P) where the ‘monster’ turned out to be some big misunderstanding, basically a Scooby Doo ending. I wanted the monsters to be real, so that I could see kids overcoming true evil. So I could believe that I too could conquer my personal demons. I longed for that catharsis, and it required real monsters.
That’s why I’m so thrilled to have a story in a brand new anthology, DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS: A TRIBUTE TO ALVIN SCHWARTZ’S SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, presented by the Horror Writers Association. For me, this was all about coming full circle, returning to the series that inspired my creativity as a child. The anthology features 35 original tales by 35 of today’s top authors, edited by Jonathan Maberry.
I had a chance to chat with just a few of the contributors to ask them about their contribution and the influence of the original SCARY STORIES series. Here’s what they had to say:
Kami Garcia
Kami is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and comic book writer of thirteen novels including the Beautiful Creatures novels, BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS, TEEN TITANS: RAVEN, and TEEN TITANS: BEAST BOY. Find Kami online at www.kamigarcia.com.
Kim: What inspired your contribution?
Kami Garcia: My story is about a bottle tree and a ghost. My mom’s family is from North Carolina and bottle trees are very common there. My mom has one in her yard. According to the superstition, if you put brightly colored bottles on the branches of a tree, ghosts will be attracted to the color and they will get caught in the bottles.
Kim: Oooh, can’t wait to read it! This anthology is a tribute to SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK. What memories to you have of that series from childhood?
Kami Garcia: I loved reading SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK when I was in elementary school. They have a timeless quality. I was a teacher before I became a writer and my students loved SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, too!
Kim: Why you think kids are so drawn to these chilling tales?
Kami Garcia: Reading stories about scary things allows children to experience their fears in a safe way.
Z Brewer
Z is the NYT bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD series, as well as INTO THE REAL (coming 10/20), THE SLAYER CHRONICLES series, SOULBOUND, THE CEMETERY BOYS, THE BLOOD BETWEEN US, MADNESS, and more short stories than they can recall. Their pronouns are they/them. When not making readers cry because they killed off a character they loved, Z is an anti-bullying and mental health advocate. Plus, they have awesome hair. Find out more at http://zbrewerbooks.com/.
Kim: What inspired your contribution?
Z Brewer: When I was a kid, my dad used to warn me that it was bad luck to pass a graveyard without whistling. His mom, my grandmother, had told him that same thing his entire childhood. It was a “fact” that they both passed on in a very serious tone. I was twelve before I was brave enough to not whistle past the graveyard. Fortunately nothing happened to me because of it…yet. But that fear has always been at the back of my mind.
Kim: What memories do you have of the SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK series from childhood?
I was obsessed with SCARY STORIES when they came out. The artwork was terrifying. The tales made my heart race. I loved every frightening moment. But my favorite memory is what transpired after I read “The Green Ribbon.” The story is about a girl who wears a green ribbon around her neck at all times. She meets a boy and falls in love, but the boy asks her over and over again throughout the years why she wears the ribbon around her neck. She eventually gets very sick and as she’s lying on her deathbed, she tells him to untie the ribbon and he will understand why she’d never told him why she wore it. He unties it…and her head falls off. It was gruesome. I loved it.
…which is why I took a bit of curling ribbon from a gift that had been opened and tied it around my neck (looking back on it, I can see how stupid and dangerous that was) so I could tell people that if I removed it, my head would fall off.
Did I mention I had no friends?
Kim: HAHAHA, yes! I think we are kindred spirits! Why do you think kids are so drawn to these chilling tales?
The stories were not at all reflective of children’s books at the time. They were dark. They were gritty. They had imagery that horrified even adults. There was so much about them that was forbidden fruit to so many people. Parents and teachers told kids not to read them, which made them even more tantalizing. Apart from the chill up my spine, I think my favorite thing about them is that SCARY STORIES inspired so many to rebel and pick up the books. I’ve always been of the mind that if someone tells you not to read something, you should absolutely read it to find out what they’re keeping from you. Viva la Resistance!
Barry Lyga
Called a “YA rebel-author” by Kirkus Reviews, Barry Lyga has published twenty-four novels in various genres in his fourteen-year career, including the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers. His books have been or are slated to be published in more than a dozen different languages in North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Kim: What inspired your contribution?
Barry Lyga: I was thinking about something that could happen without reason or logic because those sorts of things, in my opinion, tend to be the scariest. I’ve always liked doppelgänger stories, so the idea of a murderous twin that comes out of nowhere really resonated for me. Originally, I thought a cursed mirror would create the doppelgänger…but then I realized that cursed mirrors have been done to death (literally, sometimes!). So I thought and I thought…and then I looked down at my keyboard…
Kim: Who doesn’t love an evil twin, am I right? Why do you think kids are so drawn to terrifying tales?
There are many different theories on this, but I think it’s because horror provides a way for them to experience and even experiment with things that are dangerous or frightening without actually being in danger. It’s almost like a training session for dealing with the more mundane — but very real — terrors of the real world.
Jonathan Maberry
Jonathan is a New York Times best-selling and five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author, anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator, and writing teacher/lecturer. He was named one of the Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers. His books have been sold to more than two-dozen countries. Find out more at http://www.jonathanmaberry.com/.
I also had the pleasure of chatting with the editor of DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, Jonathan Maberry!
Kim: Sum it all up for us. Why do kids have such an enduring love for scary stories?
Jonathan Maberry: Kids like being scared for a whole slew of reasons. Partly it’s the simple thrill –the physical and biochemical reaction to fear that releases a bit of epinephrine (aka that old fight or flight hormone popularly known as adrenaline) which makes us feel stronger, faster, and more capable of escaping danger or dealing with it on our own terms and with our own resources. Kids, being younger and smaller than adults, have a natural inferiority complex, but the more challenges kids face –however virtual—the more agency they take over themselves.
Scary stories –especially those written expressly for kids—teach problem-solving; they often focus on elements of teamwork and friendship; and they often have better third acts than does the real world.
From a personal perspective, I grew up in a very troubled household that was in a crime-ridden and dangerous neighborhood. I read scary stories of all kinds because in those stories there was always an ending. But the stress in my life went on and on for years. So the stories were true escapism for me. This is something common to many millions of kids –and not just those from bad neighborhoods or abusive families. Kids face the challenges of a scary world every day, but in their stories those frights are encountered, experienced, and ultimately left behind. There is a measure of closure. Or, at least, the promise of one.
Want a sneak peek at the contents?
Here’s the line-up for this totally terrifying anthology:
Editor’s Foreword by Jonathan Maberry “The Funeral Portrait” by Laurent Linn “The Carved Bear” by Brendan C Reichs “Don’t You See That Cat?” by Gaby Triana “The Golden Peacock” by Alethea Kontis “The Knock-Knock Man” by Brenna Yovanoff “Strange Music” by Joanna Parypinski “Copy and Paste Kill” by Barry Lyga “The House on the Hill” by Micol Ostow Harlan “Jingle Jangle” by Kim Ventrella (Oooh, it’s me!) “The Weeping Woman” by Courtney Alameda “The Neighbor” by Amy Lukavics “Tag, You’re It” by N. R. Lambert “The Painted Skin” by Jamie Ford “Lost to the World” by John Dixon “The Bargain” by Aric Cushing “Lint Trap” by Jonathan Auxier “The Cries of the Cat” by Josh Malerman “The Open Window” by Christopher Golden “The Skelly-Horse” by T. J. Wooldridge “The Umbrella Man” by Gary A. Braunbeck “The Green Grabber” by D.J. MacHale “Brain Spiders” by Luis Alberto Urrea and Rosario Urrea “Hachishakusama” by Catherine Jordan “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” by Margaret Stohl “In Stitches” by Michael Northrop “The Bottle Tree” by Kami Marin Garcia “The Ghost in Sam’s Closet” by R.L. Stine “Rap Tap” by Sherrilyn Kenyon “The Garage” by Tananarive Due “Don’t Go into the Pumpkin Patch at Night” by Sheri White “Pretty Girls Make Graves” by Tonya Hurley “Whistle Past the Graveyard” by Z Brewer “Long Shadows” by James A. Moore “Mud” by Linda D Addison “The Tall Ones” by Madeleine Roux
Hold on, what about the artwork?
I know what you’re thinking: The artwork was what made the original books so terrifying, right? I couldn’t agree more, and this anthology will not disappoint. It features gorgeous, ethereal and so-so haunting images by the amazing Iris Compiet.
Iris Compiet
Iris Compiet is an award-winning artist from the Netherlands. She has worked for a wide range of international clients and contributed to gallery shows and art annuals. She is also the creator of the book Faeries of the Faultlines. Drawing inspiration from European folklore, mythology, fairy tales, and the world around her, she strives to open a gateway to the imagination to ignite it even further.
Kim: Your illustrations are gorgeous, surreal and unsettling. Were you inspired by Stephen Gammell’s illustrations from the original SCARY STORIES books? How did you bring your own voice to the project?
Iris: I’ve been working in this illustration style for a while now, mixing ink with pencils and such to create a mood. I always try to adapt my illustrations to the needs of the book and stories, to help get across the feel of them and this style was the perfect fit. Rough and a bit gnarly. I think the use of materials and technique is very important in getting across the feel of the story, the illustration has to give the reader a little bit more information, heighten the mood so to speak. It seemed a perfect fit for these stories and it naturally ended up as a nod to the original scary stories, almost a homage if you will because those originals are pure genius. I wanted the illustrations to just underline that unsettling feel of the stories without giving away too much.
Kim: What scared you as a kid? Do those fears inspire your artwork?
Iris: I think I was afraid of the usual things as a kid, the thing hiding in my closet or under my bed. The creak upstairs at my grandmothers, things like that. I love a good scare and loved watching shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark. When I worked on these stories I tried to tap into those feelings
Kim: You’re known for creating fantastical creatures with touches of darkness and whimsy. How did you develop your unique artistic style?
Iris: Developing a style takes many years and a lot of work. I didn’t set out intentionally to develop my style like this but I love to mix things, I don’t believe something is 100% good or bad. Without darkness there can be no light, that’s the way I see things. So I love to create art that has both in them. Depending on who is looking at the artwork, they’ll be either drawn to the dark or light in a piece. I enjoy creating art that has both.
Kim: Why do you think kids connect so deeply with scary stories/art?
Iris: I think there’s nothing like a good scare, that rush of adrenaline, not just with kids. I think we all enjoy a good scare once in a while, to confront those fears and come out of it as the victor because we ‘survived’ the story. It’s a safe escape, reading scary stories. As a kid I grew up with the real fairytales, the ones with the chopped-off hands and the livers being eaten, things like that. I enjoyed Jaws as a kid even though it made me scared to go into the local pool, because there might be a giant shark there. It gave me a rush but it was a safe rush, nothing would ever happen to me.
Oh, and in case you wanted a sneak peek at the chapter art:
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One of my favorite things about art, whether it be painting,
music, writing, or even cooking, is learning the rules…and then breaking them!
Mind you, this only applies to creative endeavors – breaking
the rules in real life doesn’t have quite the same effect, but thankfully it’s
a lot more fun to be rebellious in your projects…especially when writing spooky
stories!
So what are the “rules” of spooky stories? They vary, but
here are some common elements that you’ll find in any scary story:
SETTING: This is one of the most important elements of any scary book, show, or film. The setting creates the perfect atmosphere to frighten your characters…and your readers. Classic settings are gothic mansions, abandoned hospitals, haunted graveyards, ancient crypts, and foggy swamps and forests, to name a few. Needless to say, these places are often dark and shadowy – perfect for hiding ghouls and other foul surprises. By choosing the perfect setting, a lot of the work is done for you, and you can focus on other spooky things like…
CHARACTER: Part of what makes a scary story so terrifying is that you care about the characters and what happens to them. As you watch them enter a dark basement alone, or lose their phone, or trip on a root while trying to run away, you feel invested in their journey to beat the odds and survive. For this reason, the protagonists of a good horror story are often sympathetic characters. Often they are good, kind people. They’re innocent, and perhaps a little naïve…the exact opposite of whatever they’re facing. The stakes are always high with these characters—there’s a lot to lose if they don’t succeed, whether it be a loved one, or even the fate of the world itself.
Writing good characters also includes writing good villains, and there’s nothing as satisfying as creating the ultimate spooky antagonist. The possibilities are endless: ancient beings like vampires or monsters and ghosts, mad scientists, creepy animated dolls, clowns, and evil dentists…you get the idea!
PLOT: The final piece to the spooky puzzle is the plot. If you watch and read a lot of horror, you’ll notice certain tropes that show up time and time again. For example, when characters split up to investigate something, you just know something bad is going to happen. If there is a phone or a getaway vehicle…it most likely won’t work. And when the bad guy is defeated at the end and everyone think they’re safe…that’s rarely the case! Even though we know what to expect when watching or reading spooky stories, it’s still scary because you never know when the next thing will jump out at you, or what it will be. Also, a good spooky story excels at building suspense, setting the scene and the possibility of something bad happening. Sometimes the long descent into an ancient tomb is just as scary as whatever might be lurking inside.
So now that we know the basic rules of spooky stories, how
can we break them?
SETTING: Challenge yourself to make a setting that normally isn’t scary into something that is. How about a video game arcade where all the games start flickering and malfunctioning at the same time? Or a dog park where all the dogs stop and stare at something their owners can’t see? Or a grocery store where you pull a jug of milk from the shelf….only to see something lurking behind it. By taking your spooky story into unexpected places, this gives you the opportunity to create new rules about what is scary.
CHARACTER: Just like with setting, try new and unexpected ways of creating characters. Maybe your hero isn’t as innocent as they seem. Maybe they USED to be the monster in someone else’s scary story and now they’re the ones being chased down. Maybe your protagonist is afraid of something that no one else is…pickles, for instance! If you write a story about evil killer pickles you’ll be able to make your reader see through your protagonist’s eyes and think twice about their favorite snack.
You can also have fun experimenting with new ways to create villains. One of the spookiest villains in Harry Potter is Dolores Umbridge. She looks like a benign old woman, dressed in pink, with decorative kitten plates on her wall, but she’s one of the most chilling and sadistic characters in the entire series. Even Stephen King, the master of horror, praised her character as “the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.”
Think about ways you can make the ordinary…extraordinary. Think of the least scary thing you can, and find a way to subvert it into something terrifying! Our own authors in the Spooky Middle Grade group are great at this. Take Jonathan Rosen’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING CUDDLE BUNNIES or Kat Shepherd’s BABYSITTING NIGHTMARES series.
PLOT: This one is the hardest to break the rules with, because so much of spooky writing depends on the balance of suspense and surprise. I would suggest that if you break the rules in spooky writing, choose only two of the three categories to do it with. For example, if you want to experiment with setting and character, keep the plot structure more traditional. But if you want to break the plot and character rules, keep the setting more traditional, or else your story might not resemble something spooky at all.
The key thing is to experiment and have fun. Even if you break
every rule in the spooky book, you can be secure knowing you won’t end up in
spooky jail….
Spooky Middle Grade 