It’s the season for spooky books, and for kids who want a scare, ONLY a spooky book will do. Some children, though, want their creepy books to be creepy with a difference–not just cheap scares and cliffhangers, but something atmospheric that draws a reader fully into the world of the book. Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz is perfect for those readers. Schlitz takes us into the Gothic, foggy 150-years-ago world of Lizzie Rose and Parsifal, two children who work for Grisini, a not-at-all-nice puppeteer. When Grisini is hired to perform for the birthday party of rich Clara, a girl who seems to have everything (except siblings, all of whom have died), Lizzie Rose and Parsifal think their fortunes are looking up. Unfortunately, first Clara, and then Grisini disappear, and their lives take a turn for the desperate.
This book is beautifully, spookily written, with compelling characters and perfectly described settings. It won’t be for children who hate historical fiction, or anyone who wants a quick read, but for kids who want a long spooky night where they can enter another world, this is an excellent choice.
Posted by: Sarah
With Halloween fast approaching it is time to crank up the creepiness with a good ghost story. Mary Downing Hahn has been sending chills up the spines of young readers for decades, and she does not disappoint with All the Lovely Bad Ones.
This book may take place in Ghastly, Illinois, but it is far from scary. This clever ghost story is about the unlikely relationship between a boy, a cat, a grumpy old man and an old ghost who all live together in a haunted house.
This is book 2 in The Last Apprentice series. I normally do not recommend violent, scary books but occasionally I do like to read them and this is a series that I enjoy and it is October! The moon is bright, the nights are dark and moody and Halloween is right around the corner, so if you like gruesome, scary books this might be a series for you. But beware, it is not for the faint of heart. It is medieval and has a Spook whose job is to rid the country of witches and boggarts and other dark spirits. This particular book also has a Quisitor who gets rich by accusing people of witch craft and then convicting them and burning them at the stake and confiscating all their worldly goods. There is an evil spirit , the Bane, who lives in the catacombs under the cathedral . It is an ancient evil that was locked behind a silver gate but now is growing stronger and corrupting the priests and the people. The Spook was unable to totally defeat the bane when he was young but he has returned with his young apprentice, Tom, to try once again. Tom, though only an apprentice for 6 months is the seventh son of a seventh son and his mother is a good witch so he has lots of inner strength and has already had lots of experience. When the Spook is captured by the Quisitor it is up to Tom to save him and help him with his challenge. Recommended for stout hearted 6th graders and up.
October is a terrific month to read first-rate thrillers and very few authors cover the genre better that Mary Downing Hahn. Closed for the Season is her latest entry into a long list of chillers like Wait ‘til Helen Comes, The Doll in the Garden, The Old Willis Place and All the Lovely Bad Ones to name a few.
I know I’ve dropped the ball on this one—every other blogger seems to have had an Advanced Reading Copy of this book for months and months. 
In this very suspenseful and scary story, which takes place in New York City, 1872, fourteen-year-old Horace signs on as a photographer’s apprentice and becomes entangled in his lazy employer’s scheme to create fraudulent spirit photographs. Horace, a rational and upright person, wants no part of such goings on, and just wants to learn the art of photography. When he gets forced into his employer’s scheme, Horace discovers the photos he takes accidentally free the real ghost of a dead girl bent on revenge against those who harmed her in life.
