(click on the title to listen to the podcast)
Creepy boarding schools where students are locked in their rooms. A chain letter that leads to death. Young girls with supernatural powers. A prank on a teacher that goes horribly wrong. When I was a kid I wanted to get my hands on all of the horror books I could find. In middle school I devoured everything by Lois Duncan and Christopher Pike and as a high schooler I sought out titles by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul. There’s just something about sitting in a darkened room all alone, wondering what a supernatural baddie or evil teen will do next to make your skin crawl. Which is why I thought I’d get back in the swing of things with an episode about spooky titles aimed at readers ages 8-12 (and those of us who adore middle grade fiction, despite being just a tad older).
Welcome to the first episode of the second season of Happy Reading, a podcast that spotlights fabulous middle grade books that center around a specific theme. I’m Sarah Threlkeld, a current elementary librarian, former middle school reading teacher, and fan of having her pants scared off of her. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it only fitting to celebrate with some horror stories. So lock the doors, turn on all the lights, and prepare yourself for some bone-chilling titles that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention.
Moving halfway across the country when you're twelve is hard enough without throwing a haunted house and possessed ventriloquist dummy into the mix. Luckily, Tessa, the protagonist in The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Curry, doesn't have to suffer in silence. She befriends three kids at school who don't scoff at her claim that there's a ghost in her new house and they even offer to help her explain the locked doors, flickering lights, and eerie noises. In fact, they are so determined to solve the mystery that they do what any savvy group of tweens would do in this situation - go to the library to do research (how could I not love this book?)! The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street is a creepy tale of the supernatural, as well as a beautiful celebration of friendship and bravery. The lack of violence and gore makes it perfect for middle grade readers who enjoy being frightened, but want to skip the nightmares. I showed the book trailer to my fifth graders this week and thirty-nine of them practically knocked over my desk for a chance to read the book first. Here's what happens to Tessa on her first morning in her new house.
excerpt - pages 14-17
If you want to up the creepy quotient a smidge, I highly recommend Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty. Like the previous book, the protagonist lives in a spooky old house, but instead of ghosts and talking dolls, Serafina is dealing with a mysterious figure in a black cloak who is kidnapping children. Unbeknownst to the owners of Biltmore Estate, Serafina and her father live deep in the basement of the sprawling mansion. Her father works for the family, but they have no idea he sleeps on the property or that several years ago he adopted a strange child that he found in the woods. One evening Serafina, who has always felt more comfortable among the creatures who patrol the darkness, hears an unfamiliar sound. Here’s what happens next.
excerpt - pages 15-17
When students ask me to recommend a scary story I almost always ask them if they've discovered Mary Downing Hahn’s books yet. Deep and Dark and Dangerous is the first book of hers that I read and I immediately understood why it was constantly missing from the library shelf. Like Lindsay Currie, Hahn crafts a chilling ghost story that will give you goose bumps, but not bad dreams.
Summer vacation is just around the corner for thirteen year-old Ali. At the last minute her parents agree to let Ali spend a few months with her Aunt Dulcie and younger cousin, Emma, in a lake house in Maine, the same house her mother stayed in each year, but has never mentioned before. Ali should be excited to get away from her controlling mother for awhile, but something at the lake is making her uneasy. Could it have anything to do with Sissy, a secretive ill-tempered girl who seems to show up at the worst possible times? And what's the story behind the photograph Ali found of her mom and aunt when they were younger, the one that contained a third person who was torn out of the picture? Ali better find out the truth about the lake house quickly or someone may end up dead.
excerpt - pages 25-27
When John Schu, ambassador of children's literature, recommends a book, it's wise to give it a shot. That’s how I came to find out about the Shadow House series by Dan Poblocki. The Gathering, the first book in the series, was so disturbing that I had to read it with all the lights in my bedroom turned on. For those readers who want even more of a frightening experience, there’s a companion app that reveals bonus scenes and lets you see different parts of the mansion that’s referenced in the series’s title.
The story opens with five kids receiving invitations to Larkspur House, a place that claims to be something different to each recipient. Poppy believes a long lost aunt is freeing her from the group home she despises; twin brothers Dash and Dylan think a film production company has hired them to be in a horror movie; Marcus is thrilled to get away from his family and enroll in a private music academy; and Azumi can't wait to start a new life in an American boarding school after a family tragedy that she takes responsibility for. Of course, Shadow House is none of these things, and if it has its way, these five kids will be trapped inside forever. Here's what happens when Poppy first arrives at Larkspur House.
excerpt - pages 31-34
The last book I’m going to tell you about was a favorite of my 6th graders. I would read from it every Halloween and inevitably one or two kids would come back the next day claiming that they couldn’t sleep because they kept having visions of the creepy old lady in the mirror or the demonic gargoyle from the apartment building. 3:15 Season One: Things That Go Bump in the Night by Patrick Carman isn’t a novel, but a collection of short stories that are missing their endings. The book instructs readers to visit a website and enter the code listed at the beginning of each story to hear a brief audio introduction. Once your interest is thoroughly piqued, you read the story, which ends at the most climactic moment. Oh, the torture! Enter a different code and you can find out how the story ends by watching a short video. Some of the stories are definitely creepier than others (and some are downright laughable), but the concept is utterly brilliant and grabs kids’ attention immediately. I used to have my students write their own endings before revealing the real ending via video, so not only did they get to hear a spine-tingling tale, they also practiced their predicting skills. Because of the format I’m not going to read an excerpt from Things That Go Bump in the Night, but trust me, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy as soon as possible, especially if you’re a middle school teacher.
I hope at least one of those books got your heart beating a little faster and put you in the mood for a good scare. I couldn't get my hands on it before a student checked it out, but I also have to mention Nightmares! by Kirsten Miller and Jason Segel, my secret best friend. It's perfect for readers who like a little humor with their horror. I’d love to hear about your favorite middle grade horror titles. You can find me on Twitter as WordNerd153 and message me through my blog at happyrdng.blogspot.com, where you can also find a transcript of every episode and links to the books I spotlight. Thank you so much for joining me for the first episode of season two of Happy Reading! I’m looking forward to sharing a ton of incredible middle grade books with you in future episodes. Have a safe, cavity-free Halloween and happy reading!
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