Halloween Countdown: 26 Sleeps!

My Halloween Countdown continues today with a look spooktacular books, perfect for some late-night reading under the covers...with a bright flashlight... Or maybe, in a crowded living room. <grin>

Here are five scary reads guaranteed to put you in the Halloween spirit:

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family...

A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness

An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting — he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

BUNNICULA by James Howe and Deborah Howe, Illustrated by Alan Daniel

Is he or isn't he a vampire? 

Before it's too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits... and fangs!



WELCOME TO THE DEAD HOUSE  (Goosebumps #1) by R.L. Stine

Amanda and Josh think the old house they have just moved into is weird. Spooky. Possibly haunted. And the town of Dark Falls is pretty strange, too. But their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. So Amanda and Josh do. But these creepy new friends are not exactly what their parents had in mind.

Because they want to be friends...

...Forever.

Note: Pretty much ANY book by R.L. Stine is a safe bet, but I thought I'd highlight the first book in the Goosebumps series, which is my favourite.

BENEATH THE SOIL by Dawn Ius, Illustrated by James Grasdal

Chase is supposed to be babysitting little Jack Lawrence—but in the blink of an eye, the mischievous toddler runs off into the wetlands, and gets stuck in the mud. He starts to sink and over the sound of the croaking frog, Jack’s terrified scream starts Chase’s heart racing.

Dawning a pair of special Steampunk goggles from his sister, Chase dives after Jack and together, they must navigate the tunnels beneath the soil, where monsters of all shapes and sizes lurk in the shadows. This is Chase’s most spooktacular adventure ever!

You can pick up the first four books at your local library or bookstore. To order your FREE (for Alberta schools) copy of BENEATH THE SOIL, contact the Alberta Canola Producers' Commission. Did you know you can even request a school visit from the author? Ask the Alberta Canola' Producers Commission or contact the author directly!

Gotta jet! Happy reading—and see you tomorrow for more creeptastic fun!

~ Chase Superman Duffy