Freddy may not be the best student, but who cares? It's the final day of school! He's excited to finally get it over with. Then he's excited to finally get over with again. And again. And again... Charlson captures an elementary school kid's worst nightmare: never graduating from fifth grade!

The members of Club Loser weren't trying to spend their Saturday fighting a squad of giant arachnids, but when the eight-legged freaks take out their teacher it's up to them to stop the legion of spooky spiders! Whether or not this horrifies you may depend on how you feel about spiders. 🕷️

Secrets are funny things. Sometimes we keep them for good reasons. Sometimes they're harmful. In this book, Shelley Moore Thomas examines how a big secret in the Sullivan family leads to mistrust and perhaps even to a world the young Sullivan sisters were destined to find.

The new kid is Albert Z. Ombee. Don't make fun of him for his pale skin, shoes full of yellow goop, or his love of jelly beans. His new friends Kiki and Evan don't care, and neither should you. This tale of accepting differences strikes at the heart of an era of divisive ideologies--for kids!

Is that a cat or stinky meat covered in fur? Don't say that to Mellie, though. She loves her new cat. Even when he gifts her with headless animals and leads her to the bizarre happenings at YummCo food factory... A fun start to this series about a cat who's been put through the mad science ringer!

Adam hasn't been in town 5 minutes before his friend Sally tells him all about Spooksville. Then they try to find a place they're not so sure they want to find... Pike's language and humor per minute is exceptional. It makes for a real fun journey through the shadowy underworld of a quiet town.

Celeste and her cousins were looking forward to the lake house. Rest and swimming--a perfect vacation! Until a voice begins to whisper in Celeste's ear... This loving ghost story reminds us of the horrors of racism in America and how harmful stereotypes can develop from sad and tragic realities.

Zelda and her brother Mario are sick of their parents' obsession with the 90s! Get over it! And now they've been hauled to a place called the Retro Rad Zone. Their parents may be fooled but the kids know there's something wrong with the whole setup. Another dread tale for kids by A.D. Aro!

The invaders are eager to enslave humanity, but when Jake and his friends are given the power to morph into any animal, the aliens must contend with more than they expected. Applegate's introductory chapter in the long-running series has excellent worldbuilding and some memorable scifi body horror.

Eight boys on Halloween night are led by a spooky Willy Wonka-like figure on a magical and mysterious journey through time to rescue their friend and meditate on death. The poetry of this book is an astonishing literary achievement. I'll be thinking about it for some time to come.

A surprisingly complex story dealing with death, parental relationships, cultural preservation, and indigenous rights! The burial ground in the cave is the find of the decade. But Will Marc, Hermie, and Eddie escape the caves to report what they've discovered? And are they... alone?

A terrifying tale of actions and their consequences! Samantha is the meanest kid in school, especially to her ex-friend Rachel. She even bullies Rachel when she finds her alone at the lake. But then Rachel falls into the lake. Then she doesn't come back up. Then she does come back... different.

They played the game for years. Now they're twelve years old and everyone wants them to stop playing. If only the haunted doll would let them... The exceptional writing and heartfelt journey lends a lot of pathos to this tale of kids responding to the trials of growing up.

Katherine Arden crafts a spooky small town tale of scarecrow terror! Ollie hasn't wanted to do much after a terrible loss. All she needs is a book to read. It's about the Smiling Man who makes deals for wishes. But the details in the book are a little too weird… a little too close to home.

Lena's love for photography leads to the greatest find of all: an Impulse polaroid camera. She gets it for a steal! Lena's over the moon until she notices the strange boy who appears in every photo… This spooky mystery reminds us that there's intrigue in the shadows of every simple burg.

The Amazon is no place for sightseeing, but Jake decides to go help his dad in his bat research. Now something bigger than a wee bat is stalking Jake and the rest of the research team. Will they survive the night? What a great creature feature! The action is tense and the threat is very real.

Nick claims there's another boy behind all of the disturbing events in Stoneybeach. A boy who looks just like him. But the townsfolk have had it up to here and may take matters into their own hands. A well-told tale of the ways terror-stricken communities can lash out in the worst ways.

Florence lived a tough life at the orphanage, but then she moves to Crutchfield Hall, where a strange voice and mysterious presence begins to haunt her. Wow! A real proper gothic ghost story for kids! Hanh's writing is exceptional and really elevated this tale with its spooky Victorian vibe.

Krish and his friends Pete and Nancy are as curious as everyone else about the plane crash out near the woods. Then the pets start to disappear, and townfolks fall into weird comas... A creature feature with mystery stylings, the story will be especially horrifying to readers with certain phobias.

KayKay and her sister Annie knew their lives would change when their mom became president. They didn't anticipate just how creepy and strange it could be in that old house. A light mystery with amusing turns throughout, but it also serves as an interesting look at life inside the White House!

Molly never knew she had an uncle until he came in to save the day. But he's strange. His lanky limbs. The way he disappears for hours. How he locks Molly in her room every night... What a chiller! The author keeps the reader on edge the entire time, with nightmare visions and mystery upon mystery.

The Ooze is the nastiest villain around. He's gloppy, oily, and loves to pour hot ooze on his enemies. No wonder he's Marco's favorite supervillain! That is, until he isn't just a character in a comic... Stine's love for comics shines again with a hunt for a comic book that has mysterious powers.

It's Halloween! Time for scares and creepy dares! Meg is certainly ready, at least until she meets Bim from the planet Weirdo. The little guy is cute unless you make him unhappy... and you don't want him unhappy. This double-length tale provides a series harrowing and horrifying adventures!

Jessica and Ryan love tricks, but their new two-headed coin pulls a nasty trick on them when it sends them to a kingdom with a headless prince! A fun time travel romp that hearkens back to the classic tale A Night in Terror Tower.

Sam and his friend Lexi have taken jobs at the new hamster pet shop in town. What’s cuter than that? But these hamsters are acting strangely... dangerously. The HorrorLand series ramps up in its second arc! I’m genuinely curious to see how it all ties together.

The mall in Susan's new town is full of cool shops, but the creepy old store gets her attention. There's something about that dollhouse in the corner... A taut spooky story that doesn't waste a second and remains focused on the action!

The perfect sleepover turns into a cheesy nightmare when Sidney's order from the mysterious new pizza place develops a mind of its own. And it won't sit by and let itself be eaten when there are so many delicious humans around. A fun series of events on one wild night with twists and turns galore.

Charlie's the biggest horror fan around. He's read more horror books than any other kid at school! But when the new librarian brings in her own horror books for kids to read, he gets way more horror than he bargained for. A fun monster mash-up!

Lauren has had a rough time since her dad was killed in the woods and her best friend started caring more about boys than her. Then the horrible visions begin when two more girls are brutally killed. This supernatural thriller reckons with a small town's unusual run of prosperity.

You can't keep a good dancin' bones down. So when Boogie Bones gets a chance to enter the local dance content, he rattles his ribs and shimmies his shin bones to dancing glory! A real hoot! Loredo's writing and Hawkes's illustrations make this friendly bones tale one to remember.