Tween the Weekends: Halloween

I love October…the changing leaves, the crisp cool air, but mostly it’s because of Halloween. There is nothing quite like putting spooky decoration up around the house, picking out ghoulish costumes to wear, and planning out how much candy a human being can possibly consume. Above it all though are the Halloween stories.

Ever since I was a kid I loved the frightening tales only shared at Halloween time. They would creep, seep, and chill me to the bone. I remember my first time when I was a tween listening to an audiotape of The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, by Washington Irving. I can recall the goose bumps that prickled my arms and back as I wondered if the headless horseman would get Ichabod Crane. Stories like that never leave a kid not wanting more. 
Because it is Halloween time and because it is also Tween the Weekends I’d like to share some fantastic Halloween stories that tween readers would like to read. To quote a favorite series of ghostly books, “BEWARE…You’re in for a scare!” –Goosebumps, by R.L. Stein. 

Curse at Zala Manor, by BBHMcChiller
Synopsis: It's almost Halloween, and twelve-year-old AJ Zantony's world is threatened by an ancient curse that releases wicked pirates who had been trapped for centuries in his Aunt Zsofia's creepy mansion, Zala Manor. The pirates--a vampire count, a pegleg skeleton, and a zombie--have three goals: to find a lost treasure, unleash the restless dead from their graves, and to settle a very old score by destroying the Zantony bloodline. AJ has to stop them before midnight during Aunt Zsofia's annual Halloween party. Except he has a big problem--monster phobia! He's scared to death of monsters. But if he doesn't act fast, the streets of Craggy Cove will be crawling with zombies. Will AJ overcome his fear and stop the monsters or bail out? Will Craggy Cove become Zombie Central? Who will be alive when midnight tolls?

Case File 13: Zombie Kid, by J. Scott Savage
Synopsis: You hold in your hands a very dangerous record. I have collected every side of the story and every piece of evidence on case number 13. Now, in this file, you will find all you need to follow the dark adventures of Nick, Carter, and Angelo, three boys who possess an unhealthy obsession with monsters, in a town so grisly, so horrific—
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're telling it all wrong, dude. You make it sound like it's a scary story.
Ahem. Well, Nick, it is a scary story. In this volume alone, there are voodoo queens, graveyards—even the dreaded Zombie King himself.
Yeah, but there's also the part where Angie gets mashed potatoes all in her face, and the part where I use my cool zombie powers to—
All right, point taken. Now, if you don't mind . . .
You hold in your hands a very dangerous, very funny record, detailing the hilarious adventures of three boys who have an awesome obsession with monsters. This is the first volume. Read on if you dare. . . .


The Spook's Apprentice, by Joseph Delaney
Synopsis: 'Someone has to stand against the dark. And you're the only one who can.'
For years, the local Spook has been keeping the County safe from evil. Now his time is coming to an end, but who will take over? 
Many apprentices have tried . . . Some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Just one boy is left. Thomas Ward. He is the last hope. But does he stand a chance against Mother Malkin, the most dangerous witch in the County?

Other great Halloween books for Tweens:The Graveyard Book, by Neil GaimanWait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story, by Mary Downing HahnThe Witches, by Roald DahlA Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam GidwitzSplendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy SchlitzMay Bird and the Ever After, by Jodi Lynn Anderson
What are your favorite Halloween books? 

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