As Halloween approaches, I’m reminded of a favorite childhood memory: reading and rereading Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark series. Featuring surreal art by Stephen Gammell, these anthologies awakened in me a love of the horror genre. Part of why I enjoyed them so much was the format: I could mete out the scares, one at a time…or binge when I was feeling more daring. This year, I went in search of more collections of creepy tales aimed at middle graders, and I emerged with several macabre selections, perfect for spooky season. While some stories will have even grown-ups sleeping with the lights on, others are on the goofier side—there’s something for everyone here.
Dan Poblocki’s More Tales To Keep You Up at Night (Penguin Workshop, Aug. 15), illustrated by Marie Bergeron, more than delivers on its titular promise. A follow-up to last year’s Tales To Keep You Up at Night, the work follows a boy who’s convinced that listening to recordings of eerie stories is the key to saving his brother, unconscious in the hospital after a mysterious injury. The Lovecraftian creatures that appear in these tales are nightmare fuel, but even more disturbing are the scenarios the author conjures up: a toddler who finds himself lost in space and time; a young boy with the power to punish wrongdoers by summoning monstrosities. Poblocki weaves the stories together into a bizarre yet brilliantly layered whole that will mesmerize readers—at least, those made of sterner stuff.
R.L. Stine has been giving kids Goosebumps for years, but before that, he wrote dozens of humor books. With his latest, Stinetinglers 2: 10 MORE New Stories From the Master of Scary Tales (Feiwel & Friends, Aug. 29), illustrated by David Sanangelo, he draws on his comedy roots, doling out laughs as well as terrors and twist endings galore. Though nearly all these tales see their protagonists meeting a bad end, he keeps the tone light; kids who prefer their horror on the tamer side will flock to this volume.
In Jeff Szpirglas’ Book of Screams (Orca, Sept. 12), young Tanya becomes disillusioned when she realizes that her favorite author, Joel Southland, may be concealing a disturbing secret. The main narrative—in which Tanya does some investigating—is interspersed with Southland’s stories. Accompanied by Steven P. Hughes’ grisly black-and-white art, the collection moves quickly and packs a wallop—a particularly gruesome entry opens with a girl’s eyeball falling out of its socket. Szpirglas also thoughtfully explores relevant topics, from Covid-19 to the prevalence of streaming services.
Inspired by the 1990s Nickelodeon TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Tehlor Kay Mejia’s first graphic novel, The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales (Amulet/Abrams, Oct. 3), centers on a young girl who tells three frightening campfire stories. From the tale of an owl-witch known as the Lechuza to the story of a bus trapped in time, these tales are all rooted in Latine folklore. Not only are they chilling, but they’re also tinged with sadness, with Mejia folding in real-life horrors like child neglect and parental strife. Each tale is illustrated by different artists—Junyi Wu, Justin and Alexis Hernandez, and Kaylee Rowena—yet the styles meld beautifully, making for a truly haunting collection.
Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.
