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I’m not huge into Hallowe’en, but it seems completely inescapable, although thankfully it seems a bit less full on this year. That said, Daniel has been at a Halloween themed sleepover this weekend so he has been talking about it a lot! I thought with that in mind I would share some of the best books to mark the season.
For Young Adults / Grown-Ups
I do like a good horror book and have enjoyed reading The Legend of Mr Ween over the weekend. It’s only a short story and it’s available here and here for free. It’s an easy and enjoyable read, and very atmospheric. It tells the story of Hal who finds himself in Boston where the residents are being sold an elixir which makes all manner of promises. But Hal is not all he seems and it’s up to him to save Boston. It’s a great read and really got me in the mood for Hallowe’en. It’s a short story so it’s easy to get it finished in time for the big day next week!
I used to enjoy Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost stories when I was in my late teens and they’re really good. Roald Dahl is always a good read and these are a series of stories that he chose and have been compiled into a book. But don’t read before bed!
Kids’ Activity Books
You can’t beat a sticker activity book, and all three of mine still enjoy these books. Usborne make by the far the best sticker books so these Hallowe’en themed ones are perfect. There’s the First Stickers book and the sticker dolly one to have a look at. The older two children also enjoy the Usborne activity books and the Children’s Halloween Activity Book is one I’ve ordered this weekend for them.
Amazon also has a whole range of independently published books and this one looks to be good (and I think we have had other books from this author). The reviews are good so it may well be worth a look.
Kids’ Story Books
Not strictly a Halloween book, but fits the autumnal theme is ‘Autumn‘. This is from a series of pop up books and they’re just the most beautiful books to explore and celebrate the changing seasons. They’re a great series to get children to think about the changing seasons and placing Hallowe’en within autumn.
Room on the Boom is one of the classic Julia Donaldson books and the witch, of course, gives this a Halloween feel! We also enjoy Funnybones, which I recall from my own childhood and it’s one we enjoy reading together (and it’s good fun to have a good at making your own straw skeleton too!)
We also like the Moonlight School series of books, Cat Learns to Listen being a particular favourite. They’re very atmospheric and are a nice gentle story at this time of year!
Finally, there’s a couple of new releases called A World Full of Spooky Stories. I’ve not seen it yet but the reviews I’ve seen look good! The ‘A world full of…’ books are fantastic so I am sure this one is too (we had the animal stories and a year full of stories but I think I’ve managed to either loan the books out of misplaced them so I haven’t been able to find the autumn-themed ones so this).
The final book I want to share is one that I’ve been really enjoying – Strange but True takes ten mysteries and explains them. It’s a little old for my children but I have to admit I have been enjoying this one myself! I’ve always had a bit of interest and fascination with mysteries and UFO stories so this book is right up my street!
What other books do you like sharing at Hallowe’en – are there any good ones you can suggest?
