25+ Great Books for Halloween: New Favorites to Read With Your Kids

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To Knit a Ghost by Z.B. Asterplume, illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee
This Halloween picture book is such a fun mash-up of illustrations and real images of knitted work, following a little witch through every step of knitting a ghost – tea breaks, baths, feeding the cat, all of it! Her house fills up with ghostly company along the way, and if you’ve ever wanted to try knitting yourself, there are even instructions in the back.

The Scariest Sleepover Story You’ve Ever Heard! by Ron Keres, illustrated by Arthur Lin
When two brothers host a sleepover with their friends they decide to have a scary story telling contest – scariest story wins! But once the stories wrap up, the lights flicker, strange sounds start creeping down the hall, and a real creature turns out to be lurking nearby – and the actual winner of the night is a bit of a surprise.

Candi the Candicorn by Robyn Wall, illustrated by Joelle Murray
The spooky town of Ghastly Falls is full of monsters who love their tricks, so when Candi the Candicorn shows up with nothing but treats, she gets banished. Feeling a little spicy about it, she decides to take matters into her own hands – this one’s got just the right mix of tricks and treats, sweetness and spice.

The Scariest Book in the Whole Entire World by Joey Acker
If you have a middle-grade boy, I could see this one being an instant hit – the humor is right up their alley (though my girls thought it was hilarious too!). Poor Rock is trapped inside the scariest book in the whole entire world and does everything he can to warn you of the dangers that lurk within. (If you’re worried about spooky, don’t be – this one’s nothing but laughs.)

School Spirits by Charlotte Gunnufson, illustrated by Rebecca Crane
When a boy starts his first day at a new school, he is very nervous. And not only about being new and making friends, but he is a little worried his school is haunted. This one is a fun mix of back-to-school and Halloween.

Vampurr by Justin Colón, illustrated by Lenny Wen
On a dark, foggy night in the graveyard, a litter of kittens is born, but one of them, Vampurr, is different than the rest. A boy named Victor grows fond of her during his nighttime visits, and when the groundskeeper decides the kittens need homes, Victor’s left hoping his dad will say yes to Vampurr.

The Pumpkin Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater
You might be familiar with Squirrel and his friend Bird from this well-known series. And you can imagine the absolute shock and disbelief when Squirrel’s five pumpkins start disappearing, so he takes it upon himself to try and find the thief!

Who Knows the Way to Mr. Grimly’s Classroom? by Chris Priestley, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Grace, the new kid at school, volunteers to deliver a book to Mr. Grimly’s classroom without having any idea where it actually is, and what follows is a long, strange journey through cobwebby staircases, foggy playgrounds, and a zipline straight into a kitchen window.

The Cow in the Dark at Night by Jess Hannigan
This book is hilarious, and I love that it’s not so Halloween-y you couldn’t read it any other time of year. Cow decides to sleep all day so she can go out and see what nighttime is really like…and let’s just say, things get a little wild!

Scritch! Scratch!: An Itchy, Witchy Halloween Tale by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Zuzana Cupova
In this spooky rhyming Halloween picture book, a group of siblings hear a scritch-scratching sound outside and immediately start wondering what could be making it – it’s the witch! What is she up to, and will she ever leave? I really loved the ending on this one!

Where’s Waldo? Spooky Spot the Difference by Martin Handford
Where’s Waldo? is an absolute classic and this Halloween version has you scanning pages full of witches, vampires, and mummies to track him down. The fun twist here is that each spread comes with nearly two identical pages side-by-side, so you’re not just finding Waldo – your spotting the differences too!

Giggling Ghosts by Fiz Osborne, illustrated by Tim Budgen
I love an interactive book, and this Halloween one about a group of giggling ghosts is such a fun pick for little readers! It’ll have you wiggling, tip toeing, gliding, spinning, and giggling your way through their house and around town, right up until it’s time to send them off to bed.

The Haunted Playground by R. J. Palacio, illustrated by Brett Helquist
Written in fun rhyme, this one’s spookier and perfect for older kids. Ghosts sneak onto the playground after dark, digging through leftover Halloween costumes and ready to play all night long. When a brother and sister show up wanting in on the fun, it’s anyone’s guess whether the ghosts will let them join – guess you’ll just have to keep an eye on your own playground at midnight after Halloween.

Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House by Peggy Archer, illustrated by Gaia Bordicchia
Three little witches find the perfect place to brew their magic in the spooky old house down the road, complete with spiders, ghosts, and creaky floorboards. But as they get to work, the house becomes less and less spooky – turns out these witches aren’t casting the kind of spells you’d expect.

Mr. Crump, the Heartless Grump by Pog, illustrated by Stephanie Leon
Mr. Crump is about as heartless as they come – he hates animals and children, steals from his neighbors’ gardens, cuts in line, and never once says “thank you”. But underneath all that grumpiness, he’s hiding a big secret, and once it comes out on Halloween night, it changes everything for him.

A Witch Lives Here by Kristen Dickson, illustrated by Justine Gilbuena
When Felix and his dog find a tall dark spooky house in the woods, he immediately knows that a witch must live there! And when 23 other clues hint that a witch lives there, Felix is sure it’s true (although his dog may not be buying it).

The Great Pumpkin Pancake Party by Celeste Pewter, illustrated by Kelly Wu
Lily’s grandfather, Lao Ye, wants to have a big Halloween party and serve up his pumpkin pancakes, but Lily gets nervous about sharing food people may not be familiar with. Lao Ye reminds her that sharing family recipes is how others become part of the family too – and by the end, Lily is the one begging to host the party every year. (There is even Lao Ye’s pumpkin pancake recipe at the back!)

But I’m a Pumpkin! by Kat Choppy, illustrated by Heidi Moreno
A little girl plants her pumpkin seed in spring and watches it grow from sprout to vine to green fruit. But as Halloween creeps closer, her pumpkin still hasn’t turned orange. When her family picks it for their Labor Day party instead, it sparks a whole new tradition: Summerween!

Leonard Grows a Haunted Garden by Mike Ciccotello
My kids and I loved Leonard Builds a Haunted House, so this sequel was an easy win too! Leonard the ghost thinks he is spooky (he’s really not), and this time he’s set one building himself a haunted garden. His ghost family pitches in ideas with all the classic spooky touches – weeds, headstones, gargoyles, and bat boxes – and the finished garden turns out absolutely spectacular!

How to Scare a Mouse and Bear by Ross Collins
You might be familiar with Ross Collins bear books already, and his Halloween one is just so much fun! Bear is determined to scare Mouse on Halloween night, but Mouse isn’t fooled by his half-hearted costumes. But, then a mysterious knock at the door might just give them both a real fright.

The Bats on the Bus by Alison Jackson, illustrated by Scott Magoon 
If you have a preschooler who loves “The Wheels on the Bus,” this Halloween version is going to be a huge hit! Find out what sounds the vampires, giants, and witches make when they climb aboard. Spoiler: none of them say “beep, beep, beep!”

The Ghost Who Saved Halloween by Jen Anyong, illustrated by Kaly Quarles
A group of kids show up at Ghost’s haunted house on Halloween night, and they don’t stick around long – not because he isn’t trying his hardest to scare them, but because he didn’t leave out any candy. When the lights go out all over the neighborhood, Ghost decides it’s on him to save Halloween.

Mysterious Mittens : A Moontime Cats Halloween Story by Jordan Morris, illustrated by Charlie Mylie
This Halloween picture book about four kitten friends is absolutely delightful! Each kitten dresses up for the holiday, and Mittens’ costume turns out to be very realistic! After a fun night out, they’re all called home, bringing one more friend into the mix.

Pumpkin Smash by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Rilla Alexander
Everyone knows a pumpkin’s big job on Halloween (becoming a Jack-O’-Lantern), but no one really talks about what happens after, when it starts rotting away on the porch. Told in fun rhyme with bright, colorful pictures, this one follows a decaying pumpkin all the way to a pumpkin smash, where it gets to decompose in style.

Millie Fleur’s Pumpkin Problem by Christy Mandin
We really loved Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden, and this Halloween version is so much fun! Millie sets out to make fall less drab, by planting some pumpkins for a pumpkin patch, but when her shed escapes and scatters pumpkin seeds all over town and pumpkins started growing everywhere – she ends up having a bit of a pumpkin problem.

The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James Scott
A garden-loving skeleton isn’t looking for company when a cat shows up knocking at her door, but she eventually lets him in anyway. From there, the two end up sharing sandwiches, dancing in the garden, reading, star gazing together, and discovering they actually enjoy each other’s company.

And if you’d like a printable copy of this list of new, great Halloween books for kids that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!