Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Scary Stories and Young Readers

Consider sharing scary stories with your children this Halloween season. Childhood and adolescence can be scary at times, but children flourish with appropriate tools and experiences. Scary stories not only captivate their imaginations but also help them explore fear from a safe distance. Learning what fear feels like through reasonably scary books can help children build emotional resilience, teach them to cope with their fears, and help them overcome the feeling of helplessness.​​​ They show us that it’s okay to be afraid and that even when we are frightened, we can use our brains (or natural survival instincts) to safely escape dangerous situations. 

Below are some recommendations for young readers, after all, terrifying a child with stories beyond their ability to process can have serious consequences. Find these and other great titles on our shelves and in our eLibrary.

PICTURE BOOKS

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll; Howard McWilliam (Illustrator)

A unique monster-under-the-bed story with the perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this picture book relies on the power of humor over fear, appeals to a child's love for creatures both alarming and absurd, and glorifies the scope of a child's imagination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bad Seed Presents: the Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John

Halloween is the Bad Seed's favorite holiday of the year. But what's a seed to do when he can't find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Postpone trick-or-treating for everyone, of course! Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his baaaaaaaaad ways?

 

 

EASY READERS

 

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories  by Alvin Schwartz

Creak... Crash... BOO! Shivering skeletons, ghostly pirates, chattering corpses, and haunted graveyards...all to chill your bones! Share these seven spine-tingling stories in a dark, dark room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan Berenstain; Jan Berenstain

Three terrified little bears explore the inside of a mysterious old tree and go into, up, through, over, down, and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater by Denys Cazet

It's the farmer's birthday, and Minnie is giving him her last cream puff! Moo has knitted him a special sweater--very special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUNG READERS

 

Rise of the Balloon Goons by Troy Cummings

Monsters + Humor + Fun = THE NOTEBOOK OF DOOM! grow! Alexander has just moved to a new town where he is about to uncover all sorts of monsters!

 

The School Is Alive! by Jack Chabert

Eerie Elementary is one scary school! In this first book in the series, Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is ALIVE!

  JUVENILE FICTION