New Spooky Books For 8 - 12 Year Olds

Picture of Rachel Marsh

Rachel Marsh

Rachel is the Digital Marketing Coordinator at the New Orleans Public Library, as well as a children’s author. Her debut middle grade novel, Rougarou Magic, delivers just a hint of spooky with a whole lot of heart.

Scary story season is in full swing. The kids who devoured Goosebumps and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark are looking for their next read. Luckily, the New Orleans Public Library has a fresh crop of spooky middle grade books for 8 – 12 year old readers. They’re all brand new—published in 2024—and their authors were nice enough to share some favorite Halloween tricks and treats. 

A BITE ABOVE THE REST by Christine Virnig

When Caleb Fisher moves to Samhain, Wisconsin, he expects strange. Samhain is a Halloween tourist town, after all, where costumes are worn year round and the Halloween decorations never come down. But things quickly go from strange to spooky when  Caleb begins suspecting that the vampire mayor might be an actual vampire and his werewolf teacher might be an actual werewolf. And it’s up to him to uncover the truth!

About the Author:

Christine’s favorite Halloween candy: Either Reese’s peanut butter cups or candy corn

Christine’s favorite Halloween costume:

Author Christine Virnig celebrates a punny Halloween dressed as "a fork in the road." She wears a black hoodie with a yellow line down the middle, like a road, and a plastic fork taped to it.

ACCIDENTAL DEMONS by Clare Edge

As the youngest in a long line of witches, demons used to be no big deal. A spell and a quick prick of the finger, and a witch like Ber can summon a demon to do anything she needs—clean a mess, send a message, you name it. 

But that was before Ber was diagnosed with diabetes. Now each time she tests her blood sugar, accidental demons are slipping into the human dimension…and causing absolute chaos. 

Good thing Ber and her older sister, Maeve, know that every magical problem has a magical solution. They’ll just conjure a low-order demon to monitor her blood sugar! Bonus: they only have to bend one or two teeny, tiny rules. But before they know it, they’ve stumbled into deeper, more mysterious magic than they ever could have predicted. And soon, it’s not just Ber’s magic but her entire coven that’s in danger. 

About the Author:

Clare’s favorite Halloween costume: A Poet-tree! Look close—the leaves are covered in poems.

Author Clare Edge celebrates a punny Halloween dressed as a poet-tree. Her red dress is covered in leaves and poems.

THE CURSE OF EELGRASS BOG by Mary Averling

Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).

But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog.

Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected. She’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late.

About the Author:

Mary’s favorite Halloween candy: Reese’s peanut butter cups

Mary’s favorite throwback Halloween costume:

A child in a pink dress and wig is dressed up for Halloween.

THE LAST RHEE WITCH by Jenna Lee-Yun

Best friends Ronnie and Jack are headed away to sleepaway camp for the first time ever. Camp Foster promises all of the outdoorsy activities that Ronnie has so far managed to avoid: ropes courses, scavenger hunts, kayaking on the lake. Ugh. But she can do this. As long as she has Jack.

As it turns out, an old manor in the woods is the kind of place that’s crawling with secrets. Secrets like a mysterious gwishin haunting the grounds, a blood-red scarf wrapped too tightly around her ghostly neck. And a witch-hunting dokkaebi intent on finding and silencing the last Rhee witch. And the strange habit all the counselors have of rhyming when they speak . . . just like Ronnie has begun to do lately.

For a girl who wants everything to stay the same, nothing is scarier than all the changes Camp Foster brings. New friends. New foes. Souls with unfinished business. And, possibly worst of all, revelations that disprove everything Ronnie knew to be true.

About the Author:

Jenna’s favorite Halloween candy: Original flavor tootsie rolls

Jenna’s favorite Halloween costume:

Author Jenna Lee-Yun poses with her family under a Trick or Treat sign.

STAGE FRIGHT by Wendy Parris

A new locked room scary story about thirteen-year-old Avery, who plans a séance at a deserted theater to bond with her friends, only to realize they’re locked inside with someone—or something—else. 

When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing has changed, but new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. In an effort to reunite her BFFs—Paige, Tyler, and Jaylen—she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a tragedy; what starts as a fun outing soon becomes a fight for survival.

About the Author:

Wendy’s favorite Halloween candy: Anything dark chocolate

Wendy’s favorite throwback Halloween costume:

A vintage photo of a child dressed as a clown for Halloween.

THE LUMBERING GIANTS OF WINDY PINES by Mo Netz

Ever since her dad died, Jerry and her mom bounce around dead-end towns, staying in rundown motels where her mother picks up housekeeping work and Jerry can get around in her wheelchair. 

But the Slumbering Giant motel is mysterious and different. Jerry’s mom keeps vanishing to do “special work” that she refuses to discuss. When her mother doesn’t come home one morning, Jerry springs into action.

Luckily, she’s not alone. Paul, a pocket-size imaginary dragon, and Chapel, a new friend with a penchant for the supernatural, join Jerry’s search for her missing mom. But along the way Jerry discovers her mother’s secret: she’s not a housekeeper; she’s been defending the town from demons.

Jerry and her friends venture into the forbidden woods to save Jerry’s mother. But the “demons” hiding there aren’t what they seem, and Jerry must unravel the truth behind the town’s legend, or risk losing what’s left of her family.

About the Author:

Mo’s favorite Halloween candy: Sour Patch Kids

Mo’s favorite Halloween costume:

Author Mo Netz celebrates Halloween in a merman costume.

Looking for more Halloween reads?

Find book recommendations, upcoming events, and more to celebrate spooky season at the Library.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from New Orleans Public Library

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading