Top 21 Middle Grade Horror Novels!

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is genre freebie which is perfect because this week is Read Across America week, and I want to highlight horror for kids.

"Read Across America is an annual event celebrated on or near March 2nd, which is the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss. It is a nationwide reading celebration that was created by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1997 to promote literacy and encourage a love of reading among children."

If you are a teacher or a librarian, there are kids in your current group that love horror. I promise! Please, please, please if you want everyone in your current group to be an independent reader when they move on from you - include fun, spooky content. You will reach a reader if you do. I promise.

Below you will find my recommendations for middle grade horror novels:

Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter

The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

Root Magic by Eden Royce

Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Be Wary of the Silent Woods by Svetlana Chmakova

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

Long Lost by Jacqueline West

Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland

The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence

The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter

The Ghost of Midnight Lake by Lucy Strange

The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby

Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick

Review | Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

It's Read Across America week so I'm dedicating the blog to horror novels for children this week! If you have anyone young in your life, please make sure they have access to fun, spooky reads, OK?

Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

Wait Till Helen Comes is a middle grade horror novel by Mary Downing Hahn.

Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.

I really can't explain what happened as a child. I was eight years old when Wait Till Helen Comes came out. That should have been the perfect age for me to have found and read and loved Wait Till Helen Comes. I spent my entire childhood – every single time I went to the library and every time I went to a book fair – searching for children's horror and specifically searching for ghost stories. How was Mary Downing Hahn not in my life? How was Wait Till Helen Comes not in my life? I can't explain it. Did I somehow forget it?

Regardless of this mystery, I have found Mary Downing Hahn as an adult, and I have made it a mission to catch up on reading all of her books. Wait Till Helen Comes is probably Mary Downing Hahn's most popular book, and I can see why.

One thing I have to confess is I find Mary Downing Hahn's characters (even the adults) to be generally annoying. But kids in real life are annoying, too, and I found myself loving everyone by the end of Wait Till Helen Comes.

This is a great ghost story, and I would have loved it as a kid. There is even some possible possession happening here which is amazing. I think this ghost story would absolutely hold up in 2023. The family in Wait Till Helen Comes is a blended family that has moved out into the country to live in a house that used to be a church. They are dealing with grief and trauma and learning how to be a family together while also having to deal with the haunted graveyard out back.

I've only read a couple of Mary Downing Hahn's books so far so I'm looking forward to continuing my way through the rest of her bibliography.

4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Read more of my reviews of books by Mary Downing Hahn:

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn

If you like Mary Downing Hahn, check out these books by Lindsey Duga:

The Haunting by Lindsey Duga

Ghost in the Headlights by Lindsey Duga

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | February 26

Hi, reader friends! 

Books

Once again I have completed no books BUT! I am in the middle of some amazing, amazing books so that's wonderful at least. 

Baseball

Baseball spring training has begun. I got to watch two games (on TV 😆) yesterday which did wonders for my mental health. I also read during the games which I'm going to try to do during baseball season this year. If you are a baseball fan - what do you think of the new rules? I am living for the new pitch clock rules. I love baseball, but the games are way too long. I like sleeping, you know?

Gaming/Apps

Thank you for the game recommendations last week! So far I've tried the coloring app that Tanya @ Girl Plus Books and Destiny @ Howling Libraries recommended. If you need something mindless to do while you are lying around listening to an audiobook, check out Happy Color.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - This was a reread if you are interested in checking out my thoughts.

Book Review | Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire ⭐⭐⭐★★ - This was a reread as well.

Finished Reading

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid [DNF]- I tried listening to the audiobook of Daisy Jones & the Six last week, and it did not go well. I wasn't going to post about it at all, but I decided I need advice/opinions/recommendations/whatever you've got for me. Have you read Daisy Jones & the Six? The entire book is written in interview style. I hate listening to interviews in audio. They are always in the format of Name! Blah, blah, blah. Name! Blah, blah, blah, and I can't even. This is never the book's fault - it's the format, right? - but I can't listen to it. I looked at the print copy in Target this weekend, and I don't know... I don't know if I just need some distance after the audiobook experience or if this book is just not going to be a good fit for me. Is this story amazing? Is the interview format in print easy to get used to? I need your thoughts!

Currently Reading

This is partly why I haven't finished any books!

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter - I'm still enjoying this, but it's going a little slow for me.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty - This is absolutely incredible. This may wind up as one of my favorite books of all time. Stay tuned!

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez - This is also incredible. I can't wait to devote more time to this!

The Unknown. Weird Writings, 1900-1937 by Algernon Blackwood - And this, too! Absolutely loving this. What even is this reading life right now?

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - I started reading this for my mental health this past week. I need a break from everything so I took a trip into middle earth. Even though I've seen the movies - I had no idea how much of a treasure hunt book this is. This is just what I need right now.

Added to the TBR

Night's Edge by Liz Kerin - Thank you to Tor Nightfire for sending this to me. I love everything they publish - and you know I'm passionate about horror by women. This sounds like some great scary mom horror.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune - Tor sent me In the Lives of Puppets, and I'm so happy already. I haven't even read it yet. Just knowing I have some T.J. Klune on the immediate TBR is already lifting my spirits.

Chlorine by Jade Song - Speaking of horror by women - Chlorine is a debut horror that is being compared to The Vegetarian. I cannot wait to read this super soon. It's one of my most anticipated books. (Thank you to William Morrow Books!)

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Review | Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Come Tumbling Down is the fifth book in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series.

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister—whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice—back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.

Oof. I'm trying to get back into the habit of reviewing everything I read - including rereads. When I started rereading Come Tumbling Down, I couldn't remember what it was about, but I knew I've liked every book I've read of the series.

Come Tumbling Down was a very mid read. I refrained from reading my original review until after I finished my reread, and I'm just going to post it here:

It's not that I didn't like Come Tumbling Down, I just didn't particularly care for it, either.

Come Tumbling Down can't stand on its own the way the other books in the series can, yet half of the book is spent explaining the characters and the worlds.

I still wholeheartedly recommend this series and I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment... I just don't feel like Come Tumbling Down really added anything new.

Honestly, that still sums it up for me. It's quite forgettable.  

3/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐★★

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Review | Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House is the first book in the Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo.

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Reread review! I'm so glad I reread Ninth House. It's been a few years since I read it, and with the release of Hell Bent, I wanted to remember why I was so anxious for the next book in the series. It was definitely a successful reread.

There's a lot going on in Ninth House, and it should appeal to a wide range of readers. There's horror, fantasy, dark academia, ghosts, mystery... This is a huge plus for me, but I can see why this is a negative for some people. It's a lot, and there's a lot to take in. Ninth House definitely builds up over the course of the book, but I enjoyed all of it.

Do seek out trigger warnings, though.

Ninth House is still the only book I've read by Leigh Bardugo. I have a copy of Hell Bent that I will be reading in the very near future.

5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can read my original review of Ninth House here! 

 

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | February 19

Hi, friends! How was your reading week? Mine was a struggle, but the weekend seems to be going better. I didn't finish reading a single book last week, but the books I'm reading are great so it's fine.

Today I'm driving my 10 year old out to a state park to go hiking. Maybe I'll read tonight. We'll see!

I'm thinking of getting some cozy games to play on my computer while I listen to audiobooks. Do you have any recommendations of fun games I can play where I don't have to listen to or read anything? I have Stardew Valley on my phone, and it's not hooking me at all. Is it better on the PC? I'm currently looking at Unpacking and A Little to the Left, but I'm not sold on them being very fun.

Posted Last Week

Books You Can Buy Me For Valentine's Day

Book Review | In An Absent Dream by ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Currently Reading

The Unknown. Weird Writings, 1900-1937 by Algernon Blackwood - I'm loving this so much. It comes out mid-March so I'll hopefully have it finished and reviewed by then.

The Helm of Midnight by Marina J. Lostetter - I'm enjoying this one, too. I was hoping to finish it this weekend, but I'm only halfway done. It's chunky.

The Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson - This is book two of the Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series. I'm lol'ing at this one. Very cute.

Added to the TBR

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - My excitement for this book is off the charts. THANK YOU to Harper Voyager for sending this to me. It's a pirate book by S.A Chakraborty. Look at that cover. (Look at both of these covers side by side! What a book haul.)

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - My husband and I did a little Valentine's shopping, and I got The Priory of the Orange Tree. I don't know when I'm going to fit this behemoth of a book into my reading schedule, but I will!!

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Review | In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

In An Absent Dream is the fourth book in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series.

This fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should. 

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

Oh, my heart. Seanan McGuire continues to break my heart into pieces with each book in the Wayward children series.

In An Absent Dream is another prequel installment to the series. In An Absent Dream follows Lundy who we know works at the school for wayward children. In An Absent Dream is her back story. We get to follow Lundy through her doorway into the world of the Goblin Market where everything has a price.

I don't want to spoil anything because I feel like Lundy's story is everything. I just love this book so much.

Are you reading this series yet? These books are portal fantasies into other worlds. A doorway finds these kids when they need it the most, and it leads them to a world they would consider to be "home". I can't help but fall in love with every character and just ache for them.

In An Absent Dream deals with family and friendship and choices that are never easy. I'm pretty sure I'll reread this series again and again.

 

5/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Books You Can Buy Me For Valentine's Day

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a Valentine's Day freebie. I'm listing the books you are more than welcome to buy me for Valentine's Day! These are all books I would love to read. I have a couple of these on audio but I would love to own the print copy. Have you read any of these? 

If you could buy me one - because obviously I'm kidding - which one would you buy me?

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

The First Binding by R.R. Virdi

We Spread by Iain Reid

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

Cece Rios and the King of Fears by Kaela Rivera

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams