Our Favorite Books about Monsters, Ghosts, Witches, and Other Halloween-y Things

You all know I love a good themed bookshelf, especially for holidays (check out our favorite Halloween books here!), but you all probably also know that I love using our local library to fill those themed bookshelves… That’s especially true for holiday shelves… I prefer to spend money to own books that we can read year-around, rather than just a few weeks of the year. So…

Today, I have a booklist of wonderful books to read in October for Halloween, but books that aren’t Halloween-specific — books that feature vampires, bats, black cats, and so on without specifically mentioning Halloween. These are the books to buy for the Halloween season, if you’re in the market to buy some! Though some of these are more often read during October (such as The Widow’s Broom and Room on the Broom, they’re not about the Halloween holiday specifically, so they’re perfect for reading year-round as well as leading up to Halloween!

*** Affiliate links used. As an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for considering making a purchase through my links! To read my full disclosure CLICK HERE. Most age ranges listed are publishers’ recommendations. Always remember that you know your child best!

Our Favorite Halloween-y (but NOT Halloween) Books about Monster, Ghosts, Vampires, Bats, and Other Halloween-y Things

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster written and illustrated by Mo Willems — Oh Leonardo, you are a favorite monster in our house (and we have some well-loved monster books!). Leonardo is a monstyer who is terrible… Terrible, that is, at scaring people. But when he tries to scare the most scaredy-cat kid in the world, Leonardo changes his outlook on what it means to be a monster. Ages 3-6, but can definitely be enjoyed older (especially if you get into good dramatic character when reading it!).

Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara — Rather than be scared of the ghosts in her house, our clever protagonist knows just what to do with them! She catches them, washes them, dries them, and repurposes them. Your young readers won’t be scared at all by these ghosts! Ages 3-6.

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago — What do you do when you’re a ghost, so you’re already pretty transparent and hard to see, but you’re also incredibly shy? How do you get noticed and make friends? This is Gustavo’s great dilemma, because what he wants most in the world is to be friends with the other monsters in town. This one also ties in a tiny bit of the Day of the Dead celebrations. Be sure to check out the surprise under the dust cover, and spend time with the endpages, too, as both add delightful details to the story! Also be sure to check out Leila, the Perfect Witch by Drago! Ages 3-7.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler — From the duo behind The Gruffalo comes this witchy, Halloween-y classic. It’s written in near-perfect rhythm and rhyme and will definitely cause laughter, so it’s a perfect read-aloud for the month of October! Ages 3-7, but could go younger or slightly older too.

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin — Adults may have special places in their hearts for Little Golden Books, and this Little Golden Book won’t disappoint! Throughout the book, Grover interacts with his readers, trying to discourage them from continuing in the book, as he knows there’s a monster waiting at the end… But he’s in for a surprise when he realizes just who the monster is! Ages 3-7, but great for younger too.

There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott — Interactive books are almost always HUGE hits with children, and this is no exception. The reader has to carefully follow the author’s directions in order to get the scary (not really, he’s actually pretty cute!) monster out of the book… Until things go wrong and you really want him back! Ages 3-7.

I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien — Another book where the monster interacts with the author and audience, I Want to Be in a Scary Storyfeatures Monster, who wants to be in a scary story (you didn’t see that one coming, did you?), but his author wants to write a funny story instead. Will Monster change his mind when he realizes how scary a scary story can be? Ages 2-5, but I’d skew older here, going 3-7.

Bonaparte Falls Apartby Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Will Terry — A story of friendship and teamwork found in unusual places, you could start reading this one before school starts and continue reading it all the way till Halloween, if you want! Bonaparte is literally falling apart, and his friends Franky Stein, Blacky Widow, and Mummicula rally around him to pull him together and boost his confidence before he starts school. Ages 3-7.

The Witchling’s Wish by Lu Fraser, illustrated by Sarah Massini — All Little Witchling, who lives alone, wants is a friend. So, being a good witch, she conjures up a spell to create a friend. But the last ingredient — fur from a one-eyed teddy bear — proves hard to get. One-eyed teddy bears are generally extremely well-loved… Will the owner give some fur up? Will Little Witchling be able to take the last bit of beloved fur from the beloved bear? Ages 4-7.

Frankenslime by Joy Keller, illustrated by Ashley Belote — If your kid loves making slime as much as my younger daughter does, you might need to add this one to your Halloween shelf. Victoria Frankeln is a slime scientist, but one day her slime creation comes to life! Have things gone terribly wrong, or has she created the perfect lab partner? Ages 4-7, but great for older slime lovers too.

The Ninja Club Sleepover by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Mackenzie Haley — Willa, Val, and Fiona, otherwise known as The Ninja Club, are excited for their very first sleepover. Unfortunately for Willa, the sleepover falls on the full moon, and Willa is, you guessed it, a werewolf. Though her mom reassures her that her friends will understand, Willa isn’t so sure. It turns out all three friends are hiding secrets in this delightfully illustrated story of acceptance. Ages 4-8.

The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen — This is a super sweet story of a girl named Ollie and her cat. Ollie loves her cat, Pumpkin, very much. But one day out on a walk, she finds a little lost kitten. In her eagerness to help the kitten find its way home, Ollie gets lost, too… Fortunately her Pumpkin is able to come to the rescue! This one actually toes the line of being Halloween-y versus Halloween-specific, because if you look closely you’ll see lots of pumpkins and even a witch on a broom, but Halloween is never mentioned. Ages 4-8, but great younger too.

Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima — I love Jessie Sima’s books (Not Quite Narwhal , Love, Z, and Jules vs. the Ocean are three of my favorites!) and this not-scary haunted house story is one of my favorites for this time of year! House thinks she is haunted, but she desperately wants people to come live with her. Discerning readers will see exactly what is haunting the house, and all readers will find the end delightful! Ages 4-8.

A Friend for Ghost by Suzanne Kaufman — This would be a great book to pair with The Witchling’s Wish above. Ghost desperately wants a friend, but life seems to move on without anyone (but not necessarily anything) ever noticing him. He finds his first friend in an unexpected place, and that first friend leads to a second friend. Ages 4-8.

Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins — Cummins has written two of my very favorite picture books (Stumpkin, which is on my Halloween list, and Truman, which is on my first day of school list), and this one is delightful too! When the Dracula family decides to spend Saturday at the zoo, no one could possibly predict what will happen that day. After all, who would guess that the baby and a penguin could successfully switch places? Pay close attention to the illustrations here, as they add to some of the humor. Ages 4-8.

A Wee Boo by Jessica Boyd, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan — Ooh, this one is just adorable! Boo is different than most ghosts, because she’s very small and very cute! But she’s determined to get her haunting license, except that it takes her three tries to pass the test (she’s the first ghost ever to need a third try). In the end, she passes, but you’ll love just how she does so! Ages 4-8.

Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson — Sir Simon is a super scarer, incredibly devoted to his job and all the to-dos that it entails. When he finally gets placed at his first house, he’s thrilled to see that the new inhabitant is a cookie-baking grandma (which should give him plenty of time for his leisure activities, like learning French and cross-stitching…). But then he realizes that grandma has moved in not by herself, but with her grandson! And not just any grandson, a grandson who believes in ghosts AND isn’t afraid of them. What will Simon do? How will he get his chores done and still accomplish all that he wants to personally? Ages 4-8.

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown — Okay, so kids love the whole Creepy Tales series, but this one is by far my favorite, AND feels the most Halloween-y to me (probably because of the orange in the carrots against the black background, because it’s really no more Halloween-y than the other two books in the series). But, it’s terrifically fun if you haven’t checked it out yet! Ages 4-8.

A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Vera Brosgol — My friend Nicole from Begin at Home has been raving about this book for years, so I finally grabbed it from the library this fall. What a fun Halloween-y witch story! Our main character, the witch, is on a television show teaching everyone how to make Frog Soup, a witch’s favorite treat. But, as you can imagine, it’s hard to add a spoonful of frogs to something, because they keep jumping away! What’s a witch to do? Ages 4-8, but great younger, too.

Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds — When our younger daughter was in kindergarten, she had a whole bat unit at school, complete with going to downtown Austin to see the bats fly out from under the Congress Street bridge… And she’s been obsessed ever since! I snagged this one for her from the library, and I just know she’s going to love this fictional story filled with tons of factoids and bits of information about bats, as well as ways to take action to protect not only bats and their habitats, but all sorts of nature and animals. Ages 4-8, but awesome slightly older too.

Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh, illustrated by Scott Campbell — A must-have for any Halloween bookshelf! Written in a funny, engaging way, this informational title will help your children (and you!) learn all about their skulls, arguably the most important bones in their bodies. I learned so much from this one, and I love Scott Campbell’s illustrations. Ages 4-8.

Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Scott Magoon — I’m not sure how I had never read this book before 2019 (it was published in 2010), but it’s a delight! Bernadette is a monster, but not your typical monster, and as such, she struggles to fit in at Monster Academy. In the end, she learns how to make friends AND be herself. Ages 4-8.

I Am a Witch’s Cat by Harriet Muncaster — You might think, based on the cover, that this is a book about a child dressing up to go trick-or-treating, but it’s not! This one is likely to make adults giggle as much as children (the main character, who could be a boy or a girl, believes the mom to be magic because “she keeps lots of strange potion bottles in the bathroom that I am NOT allowed to touch.”). Stick with it for the twist at the end! Ages 4-8.

Día de los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Carles Ballesteros — Brightly colored and delightfully rhyming, your youngeset kids will ask for this one over and over again, whether you celebrate Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) or not. Always on the lookout for high-interest books about other cultures, we’ve loved using this to learn a little more about the celebrations and traditions around Día de los Muertos. Skills, skeletons, and ghosts aside, this celebration takes place annually between October 31 and November 2, so October is a perfect time of year to learn more about it! Ages 4-8.

She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton, illustrated by Felicita Sala — I am absolutely thrilled to add this to my Halloween-y list in 2020, as what better time of year to hear about the origins of Frankenstein? And in biography form? And about a woman? Yes, please! I learned so much in this book, such as the fact that Mary Shelley had been challenged by Lord Byron to write a scary story, which led to Frankenstein. And she struggled in the challenge, waiting until the very last minute to get anything written. But then, she had a dream, a dream in which a scientist used electricity to bring life to the lifeless. And thus, Frankenstein was born! Ages 4-8, but could be too much for sensitive kids. I’d skew to the old end of that range and older.

The Widow’s Broom written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg — I just adore Chris Van Allsburg and his amazing twists of fate (not to mention his illustrations!). When a witch falls off of her broom in Minna Shaw’s yard, Minna makes good use of the witch’s magical broom… You can read my mini Instagram review here. Ages 4-8, though I think this would be wonderful throughout elementary school and may be a bit much for some sensitive preschoolers/kindergarteners.

I Need my Monster (and rest of this series) by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam — A favorite babysitter gave us this book a few years ago, and we have LOVED it ever since. Be sure to spend some time with the endpapers, which might inspire some Halloween art and drawing projects designing not-so-scary monsters! You can read my full review here. Ages 5-8, but both of my girls have LOVED this since they were 1.5 and 3.5!

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel — I discovered this one during a Caldecott unit back in my classroom days, and I fell in love with it as a teacher as a tool for teaching perspective… Turns out it’s a delightful addition to a Halloween bookshelf, too! (And no, the cat isn’t quite a black cat, but close enough!). Ages 6-8.

The Bat by Elise Gravel — What would Halloween be without bats? Part of a larger “Disgusting Critters” series, this volume is perfect for a Halloween bookshelf… Or for any kids who love bats, or want to learn more about bats, or live in Austin and love watching the bats fly out from the Congress Street bridge. I need to try to get my hands on The Spider to add to our shelf, too! Ages 6-9, but great for younger bat-loving listeners, too!

Our Favorite Halloween-y Books for the Youngest Readers

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino — A wonderful rhyming tale that can easily be sung (and even accompanied by hand motions) if your kiddos like that. Also, be sure to check out the sequel, Five Little Pumpkins Came Back, released in 2018! Ages 2-4, but also engaging for younger audiences.

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry, illustrated by Sanja Rescek — Super fun because you sing the story to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” while trying to help the roll-away pumpkin find his way home. What small child won’t enjoy that? Ages 2-4, but perfect for babies, too!

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley — Ok, this isn’t officially a Halloween book, but it IS about a monster! Emberley cleverly uses cut-outs and changing background colors to both build and take apart a monster, as well as change the tone from worried/scared to confident. Ages 2-6.

Our Favorite Halloween-y Chapter Books

Araminta Spookie: My Haunted House by Angie Sage — Araminta lives in an old house with her cranky Aunt Tabby and her nocturnal Uncle Drac, and she loves living there. But when Aunt Tabby announces that she’s going to try to sell the house to move, Araminta launches a plan to scare away all potential buyers. Will it work? Ages 8-12, but great for younger readers and listeners.

Night of the Living Ted by Barry Hutchison, illustrated by Lee Cosgrove — Have you ever been to Build-A-Bear? In this hilarious Halloween-y chapter book, Lisa Marie and Vernon go to Create-A-Ted to make teddy bears, but… That night, their teddy bears come to life! And it’s not only the teddy bears they made that day. All sorts of stuffed animals are coming to life, and they’re creating mayhem all over town! Ages 8-12.

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy — Part of a larger series, The Worst Witch is a really fun middle-grade story about a witch who is just starting school at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches… But she just can’t seem to get the hang of it. From wearing her hat backwards to breaking her broomstick, it just doesn’t seem like Mildred is going to make it. You’ll have to read to see what happens! Ages 8-12.

Bella Broomstick: Magic Mistakes by Lou Kuenzler — Bella Broomstick is about as un-witchy as a witch can be, so no one is surprised when she fails the Creepy Castle School entrance exam and is sent to live with a family where magic is forbidden. Will Bella be able to give up magic, however badly she does it, completely? There are two other books in the Bella Broomstick series, so I need to try to get my hands on those to check out for you, too! Ages 8-12.

The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes — What if you could bring a magical world to live just by drawing it with crayons? Amy and Clarissa can! After they accidentally create Old Witch, they decide they must banish her to an old house far away, but they do create more witches to keep her company. All is well and good until magic brings Amy and Clarissa into the witches’ world! First published in 1960, this one has stood the test of time! Ages 8-12.

And, of course, October is the perfect time to read Harry Potter with your children! Emphasis on *with* in that sentence… I’m probably going to need a whole post on Harry Potter, but in my opinion, children are ready for the first one around first grade (or six years old). I’d then recommend holding off on the rest of the series and reading one a year until they’re 10 or 12 and can handle both the vocabulary and the content independently (Common Sense Media tends to agree with me). The Harry Potter books start to get darker around #3, and #4 is definitely intense and dark. We love this illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone! Ages 9-12, though written on approximately a 5th-6th grade reading level.