It is almost impossible to make a selection of spooky tales for middle-grade readers, not because there aren’t any, quite the opposite. This year alone has been amazing for children’s gothic/paranormal/horror fiction. My TBR pile is groaning and I’m sure this blog will soon be updated with more fabulously spooky delights, including my current read, the spine-tingling Sacreground by Angela Kecojevic. Or next up, The Legend of Ghastly Jack Crowheart, written and illustrated by Loretta Schauer. Many of my favourites tip over into teen and above, or a little under my own target age group of 10+ ...yes I'm looking at you Monster Bogey by Anna Brooke! I’ve tried to include as many paranormal themes as possible, from monster-in-the-house to phenomenal world-building, from vampires to the uncanny, from hide and seek to managing unruly ensemble casts. Some are from this year, some from the past two or three years but still haunt me! Will any get mysteriously bumped off the list or snaffled up by a monster in the attic? Time will tell. So, in no particular order.....
The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggit-Phillips: The beast in Ebenezer Tweezer’s attic must be fed and it wants a nice juicy child!
This is an entertaining, pacey overt monster-in-the-house story that’s just gruesome enough. No spoilers, but there’s very quickly a ‘blimey did the author really just do that?’ moment. Reasons I love Jack Meggit-Phillips? No holds barred, no patronising his readers, but deeply darkly funny and still age-appropriate. Little Shop of Horrors meets Dorian Grey, only better.
Rules for Vampires by Alex Foulkes: I think the vampire theme in middle grade is amongst the trickiest. How do you create a likeable main character from a creature that is essentially made through murder and can only survive through consequent murders? How can Leo’s parents be loved by Leo when you consider how they …ahem…acquired Leo? So many questions! But you won’t care because the characterisations are excellent, as are the setting and the plot. Leo’s last Grimwalk (brilliant) ended in her losing her leg and a lot of confidence. To redeem herself, all she has to do is hunt down and kill her first prey, (see what I mean?) but her perfect plan goes horribly wrong and ends in a lot more death than she’d bargained for. When the undead come up against the undead, can there be any winners? Read it and find out.
Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay by Eibhlís Carcione: Graves Pass is 12-year-old Raven’s third foster home after her parent’s disappearance and though the living and the dead seem to live side by side in harmony, Raven soon discovers the dark desires and even darker jealousies that lurk just beneath the surface. A deliciously gothic tale, it’s a lyrical but fast-paced thriller populated by a mind-blowing cast of paranormal creatures. With stunning illustrations throughout by Ewa Beniak-Haremska (I want Raven’s hat!) Looking for optimal spooky world-building? Then take a trip to Graves Pass.
The Red Gloves and Other Stories by Catherine Fisher: A collection of nine strange, spooky and supernatural stories, each playing with an unnerving idea that will continue to haunt you. I found ‘The Hare’ darkly fascinating, the idea of something strange in the house that won’t leave, something that is other than it appears. There are stepbrothers stuck in the same nightmare, the terrifying Red Gloves of the title and, of course, a Victorian ghost story. Be prepared to be thinking about these long after you put the book away. And it’s a gorgeous little book that’s won a permanent place on my shelf. Read for mastery of the uncanny.
The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny: Mirabelle is part of a family of ‘monsters’ who live at the gorgeously gothic Rookhaven, hidden from the world by a glamour/veil, but then a split in that veil allows two children through, and the worlds of humans and monsters collide. The debatably more minor character of Piglet takes this deliciously dark MG towards the terrifying, but I loved Piglet. There is a LOT going on here, but if you’re looking for a perfect gateway to the gothic for MG readers or to managing an ensemble cast for your own writing, this is perfect. Beautifully helped along by Edward Bettison’s illustrations, there are echoes of Ray Bradbury’s From the Dust Returned but appropriately MG, it sits comfortably towards The Adams Family end of the spooky spectrum.
Bella Bright and the Ghost Game by Carolyn Ward: A great introduction for middle grade readers to haunted house fiction. There’s a perfect level of scare and the developing friendships are deftly portrayed in this classic ghost story with a modern twist. You know from the get-go what you’re in for and the book delivers with (no spoilers!) a very satisfying conclusion for the haunting itself. And if you’re looking at fresh ways to get rid of the pesky parent/s…here’s a great one, with the mother heading off to a gargoyle convention (YES PLEASE!!!!! I would happily read a book based on the mother alone, who seems to have my ideal life, renovating gorgeous old houses, and indulging her ongoing passion for gargoyles.)
The Whisperling by Hayley Hoskins: A fresh take on a paranormal gift close to my heart – Necromancy, the power to speak with the dead (or raise them ... just a wee nod to all my lovely fellow paranormal pedants out there.) The Whisperling is set in 1897 and you might be thinking ahhh just another Victorian steam-punkish ghost story But NO!! It’s a spell-binding read, with a darkly gothic atmosphere and fabulously spooky-rich world-building. Peggy Devona hides her gift; people are afraid of the secrets the dead can reveal, and so in turn afraid of a girl like Peggy. But when her best friend is accused of murder, Peggy seeks out ghostly accomplices to solve the mystery. Want to get scarily close to a gallows scene? Want to be shouting at the book? (completely acceptable), read this and join me in the not-so-patient wait for more from this author.
The Witchstone Ghosts by Emily Randall-Jones: Autumn Albert sees ghosts EVERYWHERE, they positively can’t get enough of her, so why can’t she see her father’s ghost? Following a curious instruction after her father’s death, Autumn is swept into a world of folklore and mystery on the storm-soaked island of Imber, just off the Cornish coast. With one of the best sidekicks in children’s fiction (the wonderful Jack) and a great plot twist, the atmospheric writing will suck you in and drive you forward through the wonderfully short chapters (I love a short chapter) It’s a one-session, gloriously absorbing read; warm, funny, dark and twisty. The perfect pick for a stormy night!
Ghostcloud by Michael Mann: Included for its unique take on the ghost story. Blended with a dark trip into dystopia/altered history, re-reading Ghostcloud for this blog sent shivers down my spine. Written before the invasion of Ukraine, it mentions a war in Europe and a climate/power crisis in the UK. Does the author have some paranormal powers of his own? Back to the story: thousands of kidnapped children are shovelling coal beneath Battersea Power Station, overseen by horrendous Tabitha Margate. Luke Smith-Sharma, a shoveller for 2 years, plans on escaping via an elusive ticket only awarded to the best workers, and all is going according to plan until he comes to the rescue of newbie Jess and discovers he can see things others can’t. The amazing ghostcloud scenes above London beautifully balance out the much darker issues that hover behind the plot. An author with BIG, out-of-left-field, mesmerising ideas.
Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray: Included for the hookiest opening scene in recent MG; A half-drowned city where a whale is found one morning, impaled on a rooftop. But when the main character, brilliant inventor/engineer Ellie opens the whale up to stop it from exploding, she finds a strange boy inside. The city quickly decides that this boy (Seth) is the Vessel for a paranormal entity called The Enemy, who grows like a parasite inside a human until powerful enough to wreak havoc and who will destroy them all. This book mixes the supernatural with mythology vibes and steam-punk-style fantasy. Dark and twisty for the upper end of the age range – not just for the darkness but for the complex histories and characters. The ‘oldest’ of these ten choices, I still enthusiastically recommend it for that opening scene alone.