Halloween is right around the corner, so that means that it’s time for spooky stories. Whether you’re into witches or ghosts, this book list has seven fantastic scary books for young children and teens. Check out any of these Canadian books to get into the Halloween groove.

 

Absolution by Gail Gallant (Doubleday Canada, 2014) Ages 13 and up

Absolution is the second part to the Apparation series. In this book, Amelia Mackenzie has a ghost to take care of. Her crush Matthew had recently died from suicide and his ghost is still lingering. Amelia is the only one who knows about his ghostly presence so she decides to take it upon herself to deal with it. The ghost of Matthew is acting out—causing distress for Amelia and her new found crush Kip. Amelia knows she must tame Matthew before he causes too much trouble for the new love interest in her life.

 

Call of the Wraith by Kevin Sands (Aladdin, 2019) Ages 10 and up

This brand new novel is part four of The Blackthorn Key series. In this title, Christopher Rowe has completely forgotten his past. After a devastating shipwreck, he lost all of his memories. The locals tell him he was brought back by the power of a witch. Christopher is unsure of their claims, but tries to get his life back together. That is until he hears of what his happening within the village he washed upon. Children are disappearing, and everyone is talking about a vicious ghost called the White Lady, who consumes the souls of children. Christopher knows he has nothing to lose, if he can figure out what is happening to the children, he may be able to figure out what really happened to him before the shipwreck.

 

Evie and the Truth About Witches by John Martz (Koyama Press, 2018) Ages 5 and up

Most kids are scared of witches, but young Evie is fascinated by them. She wants to be scared too, so she hopes learning more about witches will give her a good spook. Evie decides to visit a shopkeeper, who she thinks will be able to teach her more about these creepy beings. When the elderly shopkeeper hands her over a book, she is brought on an unexpected journey t teaches her the real truth about witchcraft.

 

The Ghost Road by Charis Cotter (Tundra Books, 2018) Ages 10 and up

This summer Ruth decides to switch up her plans. Typically, you would find her traveling with her father, but not this year. Ruth is off to Newfoundland to meet some of her family that she has never met before. When Ruth arrives, she instantly connects with her cousin Ruby, who is surprisingly very similar to her. While hanging out, the two come across information about some individuals buried in the local cemetery. They decide to investigate and soon discover the dark truth about their family’s past. Together, the pair may be more powerful than ever expected.

 

Haunted Canada: The First Terrifying Collection written by Pat Hancock, illustrated by Andrej Krystoforski and Kara-Anne Fraser (Scholastic Canada, 2018) Ages 9 and up

The Haunted Canada series is one of the most well-known scary story collections in Canada. This book is compiled with some of the scariest stories from across the nation. Whether you’re in British Columbia or Calgary, be ready to be scared. From real ghost stories to unexpected tragedies, this series will make you a believe in the supernatural. If you’re looking to get spooked this Halloween, pick up a copy of Pat Hancock’s popular series.

 

Hide and Shriek by Alison Hughes (Orca Book Publishers, 2018) Ages 12 and up

It’s Friday night and Emily, Tess, Dylan and Cam are out on the town playing hide-and-seek. The group is having so much fun that they decide to stay out past curfew and continue their game. While playing, they stumble upon a spooky event down by the river, and they discover the new folks in town are indeed criminals. When the criminals spot the kids watching them, the chase them down and the group is forced to flee. While Cam, Dylan and Tess make a run for it, Emily decides to hide, and she is glad that she did.