Horror books for kids that are perfect for Halloween
Is your kid starting to show an interest in horror books? There are tons of horror books for kids out there that are perfect for their age group. I started to show an interest in horror books and movies at a very young age. Instead of watching and reading age-appropriate, I started to read and watch pretty adult horror things.
I know I know I shouldn’t have been watching things like this while I was so young. It scared the crap out of me and it resulted in me making sure I stay around my parents. This changed the older that I got and I started liking horror even more.
I don’t think it helps that I have older brothers who would often babysit me and would constantly make me watch horror movies with them. So, I guess I blame them that I got into all things horror.
I’m glad that it was something that I got into at a young age rather than when I got older. It gave me the chance to really enjoy horror movies. I got the chance to really figure out what kinds of things I like when it comes to the genre and figuring out what sort of things I can really enjoy.
The only thing is now that I’m an adult I’m struggling with the genre. It is a struggle to find anything that I enjoy anymore. It seems like it’s even worse when it comes to movies. I have gotten so critical that I don’t even watch many horror movies anymore.
Does that mean I’m not a horror fan anymore? NO! That just means I have lost my way for a little bit. I’ll eventually find my way back.
Here are some horror books for kids that are perfect for kids under thirteen.
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Horror Books for kids
This post on Horror books for kids is one I’m going to stay on top of! I was one of those kids that always wanted to read horror but I always struggled to find ones that are age appropriate. At this point, I read a lot of R.L. Stine books. Not that there is anything wrong with that but at this point just about everyone knows who he is and I kind of want to include other authors that many do not know about.
Here is a list of horror books for 12-year-olds and maybe a little bit older.
Goosebumps
I can’t create a horror book list for kids without adding Goosebumps to it. I loved it as a kid and I still love them as an adult.
Every single book in the Goosebumps series is by no means connected. That means that you can buy a book later in the series and it won’t be confusing to the reader.
That also means that the characters aren’t the same in each book either. But that’s okay. This just means you get a fresh start when you start a new Goosebumps book.
These stories are on the creepy side, at least they were to me, so I would maybe read through them before letting your kid read them. Every kid is different so that means some kids might be able to handle it while others can’t. Either way, that’s okay.
If you do let your kid read the books then make sure to let them watch the movie as well.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
So, I don’t remember a lot about Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I do remember really liking it though.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a book full of short stories that will scare your pants off. I do remember it scaring me a little bit as I was reading it.
But I was here for it. It wasn’t so scary that I never wanted to read it again.
This is the perfect book for those who want to read a book with shorter stories and be able to get through it a lot faster.
If your child does read this book and enjoys it then I suggest maybe watching the movie as well. The only thing is that the movie is kind of aimed toward teens and an older audience. So, I would maybe look into it before letting younger kids watch it.
Coraline
Coraline is one of my favorite animated movies! It is one movie I love being able to watch over and over again.
Trust me I have watched it plenty of times and I will probably watch it even more throughout the year.
When the movie came out I don’t think I realized that there was even a book that the movie was based off of. It didn’t take me long to find out that there was a book though.
Here we are years later and I still haven’t read the book!
I know I want to change this soon though. I figured if I loved the movie then I would probably really enjoy the book as well. I’m just kind of curious if the book has creepy aspects or if that was Tim Burton just incorporating it into the movie.
The movie is always different from the book which is why I’m starting to question it.
The story follows a young girl who moves into a new home with her family. When she starts to explore the home she finds a little door that is locked. She can’t find the key and eventually moves on. But that night she woke up to the door open and it enticed her to go in. She finds a different but similar version of her home and her parents when she goes in.
Half-Minute Horrors
Half-Minute Horrors is a new book for me. But that makes sense because this book didn’t come out until 2009. By then I was still reading horror but I had completely stopped reading books for young audiences by this age.
Now that I’m looking into it this is a great book to start with because it includes R.L. Stine, Neil Gaiman, and Lemony Snicket.
I’m sure most of you guys know who these people are especially since I have already included R.L. Stine and Neil Gaiman in this list.
This book is great for those who love to read short stories. They are something that I used to love as well but lately, I have just picked up books with short stories that just don’t make any sense to me. Which is pretty much why I have stopped picking up short stories altogether.
But I may try picking this one up just for R.L. Stine alone. His short stories are great and I love them.
Breakfast of Monsters
This is the first time I’ve heard about Breakfast of Monsters.
So, this book actually gives me Goosebumps vibes. I’m going to try and read it soon though just to see if the storyline gives me the same vibe.
The length of Breakfast of Monsters is a very short book ending at 32 pages. So, depending on how fast your kid is at reading this might be a really fast read for them.
Breakfast of Monsters is on Kindle Unlimited so if you have that then make sure to go check it out. If you do read it then let me know what you think of it.
Here is what Breakfast for Monsters is about.
Lately, Brenden has had problems at his school. He is failing his classes and arguing with his teachers. The only thing his parents can think of to do is to put him on a healthy diet. They believe his behavior is caused by his overreacting sugary snacks.
The diet only makes him more angry. One day when he’s walking home from school he notices that someone has left their garage open full of delicious food. So, he helps him with that food. Who cares if he’s stealing? The food tastes amazing and now he’s even doing better in his class. Now he feels stronger and smarter. He likes what he’s changing into…
The Horror at Grover Canyon State Park
So, at first, when looking this book up I thought I accidentally added a book that was aimed toward an older audience.
The story follows a thirteen-year-old who is going on vacation with his family only to find something they really shouldn’t have.
This book is actually new to me and I kind of want to get my hands on it. This book is another that is on Kindle Unlimited so I will probably try reading this one soon.
I did notice that an Amazon reviewer has compared this book to old-school Goosebumps which means I need to try and read this one soon. Goosebumps is one of my favorites but I’m going to try and not go into this one thinking it is exactly like Goosebumps.
What are some horror books for kids that you want to see on this list? These are some of the best horror books for kids that I was able to find. Some I have read and some I haven’t. The ones that I haven’t read I’m hoping to get too soon so I can add the reviews on the blog.
Pretty much all of these books are great horror books for 12-year-olds even though some of them are aimed at a little bit younger audience. Let me know what books you think I should add to this list!
If you liked this post you may also like my post on children’s horror books.
