Let's Get SPOOOOKY!!

by Amber Miller

October 5, 2025

Spooky season is upon us, friends, and I have some spooktacular reading recommendations for all ages! Whether you're looking for an engaging Halloween read-aloud, a pumpkin-filled picture book, a ghostly graphic novel, a middle-grade fright, or a STEAM-based scare sure to inspire hands-on learning experiences to enjoy this Halloween - I've got you!

I've handpicked a selection of spine-tingling reads and paired them with exciting, hands-on educational experiences to engage young learners in thrilling adventures and mysteries.

Aggie and the Ghost, written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

Aggie’s new house is haunted. At first, she'd been excited to live on her own, but now “the ghost follows her everywhere.” Setting rules for it (“No haunting after dark. No stealing my socks. And no more eating all the cheese”) only leads to a lot of broken rules. A frustrated Aggie challenges the ghost to a game of tic-tac-toe; if it loses, it will have to move out.

In Aggie and the Ghost, author and illustrator Matthew Forsythe creates a smart female protagonist who reassesses her needs, learns how to problem-solve, and mostly gets what she wants (the clever ending is for introverts). The story’s repetition and brief sentences will appeal to beginning readers, and the double-page-spread art is nicely measured, particularly at page-turns. As for the expressive characters, Aggie’s gnome-like appearance is endearing, with the shapeshifting ghost playing a whimsical counterpart. Forsythe’s style of aesthetically pleasing, textured watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations features a soft palette of fall colors, especially fitting for this slightly spooky tale. Bonus: readers will enjoy spotting the ghost's eye throughout.

Released in August 2025, Aggie and the Ghost was one of my most anticipated picture books of 2025! I have a strong feeling there will be a nomination come ALA award season. Companion hands-on activities include playing an epic game of tic-tac-toe with classmates, friends, or family and inventing classroom/house rules for the game, just like Aggie, creating a "superstitious and nutritious" recipe for a ghost snack, like mud tarts or earwax truffles, or sketching or painting scenes from the book, focusing on the humor and visual gags in the illustrations, or create your own "shapeshifting" ghosts! For more ideas, see my full review of Aggie and the Ghost.

How to Spook a Ghost, written by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Simona Sanfilippo

Halloween is about gathering with friends and family, selecting costumes, and going trick-or-treating! Sometimes spooky, always delicious! But would you be brave enough to investigate strange noises? If you are, you may meet a friendly ghost who only wants to be part of the fun! Be kind and include them in your trick-or-treating adventure, and you may make a new friend! They'll be sure to enjoy the thrill of going out on Halloween night.

Sue Fliess’s bouncy read-aloud rhyming text and Simona Sanfilippo’s energetic, whimsical illustrations will bring joy to young readers as they cheer on the kids and their new ghost friend. Also included are guides for teachers and parents on how to engage children in costume-making or an easy Halloween puppet craft. These activities help them learn about the history of Halloween, pumpkin carving, and the value of friendship and inclusion on this fun day when they gather with friends to dress up and collect treats. 

Grab some supplies—scissors, fabric, markers, and a partner—and get ready to make a costume for the biggest candy event of the year!

The Last Resort, by Erin Entrada Kelly

Kids looking for a scare will love this ghost story by Erin Entrada Kelly. The Last Resort is just as spooky and spine-chilling as it is hilarious and endearing! Lila is an incredibly real eleven-year-old girl who readers of all ages will instantly connect with. Her tendency to overreact and flair for drama have led to her reputation among both friends and family as overdramatic. Just as she begins to adopt her new cool, calm, and collected persona, Lila’s parents break the news that her Grandpa has passed away. Now, she will have to spend the summer in Ohio while her parents decide what to do with Grandpa Clem’s creepy old Victorian Inn.

As soon as the family embarks on their road trip from Phoenix to Castle Hill, Ohio, strange things start happening. First, the family is involved in a car accident where, in reality, Lia could have been seriously injured, but miraculously is not. Then, at every stop, Lila starts to see people in weird old-fashioned clothes - people that no one else seems to see or hear. Lila’s strange visions continue once they arrive at Grandpa Clem’s. Still, Lila convinces herself it's just her overactive imagination at work until she encounters an old man lingering outside her parents' bedroom door. She quickly recognizes him as Grandpa Clem. He tells Lila that he didn't die of a heart attack, but was murdered, possibly by someone who wants control of the inn. Because the Inn is not just a creepy old Victorian turned bed and breakfast, but rather a portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead—a hotel for ghosts passing onto the afterlife.

Scholastic Kids has created an interactive experience allowing readers to enter the world of The Last Resort, accessible via a QR code located at the end of the final book. Check out the preview and The Last Resort trailer on Scholastic Kids. Teachers, librarians, and parents can explore Scholastic Home Base for additional interactive opportunities that enable young readers to delve beyond the book. Please read my full review of The Last Resort here.

Ghosts, written and drawn by Raina Telgemeier

(Colors by Braden Lamb)

Author and illustrator Raina Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn’t happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya, who has cystic fibrosis, will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister’s sake – and her own.

The Skull, written & illustrated by Jon Klassen (Caldecott Medalist)

The Skull is a weird and wonderful story about a girl and her new, spooky best friend. Based on the cover, you might assume The Skull, which is based on an old Tyrolean folktale, will have a traditional opening, such as “Alas, poor Yorick!” But thankfully, no, it opens with a young girl on the run, and as Otilla runs through the snowy forest, readers are plunged along with her. It’s an unusual and completely engaging story. Klassen’s version is accompanied by his uniquely odd and beautifully dark illustrations, following a young girl named Otilla who, one snowy night, “finally” runs away from home. She becomes hopelessly lost in a deep, dark forest. Just before dawn, nearly dead from the cold, she stumbles upon a rambling old house inhabited by a gentle, retiring skull.

The skull gives Otilla shelter, and she returns his kindness by helping him do things a bodiless skull can’t manage alone, such as drinking tea by a fire and dancing (with a partner) in the ballroom. A touching, surprisingly uncreepy friendship begins to blossom. But the skull warns Otilla that a headless skeleton comes every night to try to steal him away. Instead of fleeing in terror, Otilla proves herself brave, loyal, and resourceful. Through various feats of ingenuity, she vanquishes the skeleton, saves her new friend, and stays on to live with him in the rambling old house — a happily-ever-after worthy of Tim Burton. After reading The Skull, challenge students to create their own book cover for the folktale. This can be a great way to assess their understanding of the story. Alternatively, have them create masks using simple art supplies, similar to the masks worn by Otilla and the skull in the story.

Spooky Engineering and Design STEAM Challenges!

What better way to start your Halloween fun than with books that capture the fun of trying to design and build monster, ghost, or witch traps? While your students are designing, building, testing, and revising, you can also review the different steps of the engineering and design process. Check out the following books to set the stage for your own STEAM-based monster trap-building fun:

Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson, illustrated by Michael Robertson

If Your Babysitter is a Bruja by Ana Siqueira, illustrated by Irena Freitas

Additionally, you'll want to explore Steve Spangler’s Halloween workshop and videos, which offer fun, themed STEAM activities that your kiddos will love!