7 Horror Books for Young Readers
Horror books are great at any time of the year, but especially during the fall. Fall is the time to get cozy—break out a warm blanket, a hot drink, maybe even an atmospheric candle—and find yourself something spooky to read. Adults, teens, and children alike love horror stories. While the following horror books are geared towards young readers, all seven of the horror books on this list are good enough to entertain (and creep out) readers of any age.
The Cirque du Freak series is the perfect set of horror books for teens, especially for those who love vampires. In A Living Nightmare, the first book in the series, we follow Darren Shan and his best friend Steve who gets tickets to the Cirque Du Freak, a freak show featuring terrifying half-human/half-animal creatures. It's all fun and games until Darren recognizes one of the performers. And he's a vampire!
Horrid is a new young adult horror novel that has been compared to the works of Stephen King and Agatha Christie. After her father dies, Jane North-Robinson moves with her mother from California to Maine. The atmosphere is markedly different from the life Jane is used to, especially the creepy run-down house that was her mother's childhood home. Jane and her mother are searching for a fresh start, but how will they be able to find it when ghosts of their family's past haunt every corridor of this home? Then Jane uncovers a horrifying secret. The storage room her mother has kept locked isn't for storage at all. It's a little girl's bedroom, and there's someone living there...
Madeline Roux's House of Furies tells the story of seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton who is starting a new job as a maid at Coldthistle House, a boarding house. Once she gets there, however, Madeline is horrified to discover the owner of the house, Mr. Morningside, is giving his guests more than they bargained for. Louisa learns that part of the staff's job is to exact judgment on the guests and offer up punishment to those who cannot be redeemed.
Ten is a contemporary young adult retelling of the classic Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None. Best friends Meg and Minnie are expecting to have the time of their lives at an exclusive house party on a Henry Island. But a night that was supposed to be all about partying and drinking quickly takes a turn when the guests find a DVD with an ominous message: Vengeance is mine. With a storm raging outside, the guests have no way of escaping the island, and now a mysterious killer is taking them out, one by one.
Dread Nation is a historical horror book for teens that answers the question we've all asked ourselves: What if the American Civil War had zombies? Jane McKeene was born after zombies began to walk the battlefields, which essentially derailed the War Between the States. Now the country has entered a new era, an era in which children in schools are taught to fight against the undead. Jane is studying to become an Attendant, which means she will be given the tools to protect the well-to-do members of America, thus elevating her own social status. But then families around Baltimore County start to go missing, and Jane finds herself caught in the middle of a conspiracy that worries her more than even the zombies do.
Mr. Griffin is the toughest teacher in school. He gives the lowest grades and refuses to let students have fun. But none of that is a reason to kill him. Or is it? In Killing Mr. Griffin, a groups of students decide to play a trick on their strict teacher to teach him a lesson. But it all goes terribly wrong.
All the Trees Crept In is a haunting story of two sisters, Silla and Nori, who are staying at their aunt's home... a home that's clearly cursed. The house creeks and makes mysterious sounds, and Silla can't help but think the trees surrounding their house appear as if they're creeping closer.
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