The excitement for Halloween is building as kids start thinking about their costumes and anticipating the fun of going door-to-door collecting treats. As parents and grandparents, we love to see our kids and grandkids so excited. To add to the build-up and anticipation of the occasion, you might consider purchasing some scary (but not too scary) Halloween books. Here are a few choices:
Ghost Chickens: Omelet from the Other Side by Adi Rule; Illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy
Synopsis: Aspiring young journalist Florence Fortescue did not want to move to the country, leaving her best friend behind. After eating a glowing green egg, Florence is shocked to discover a Minions-esque flock of ghostly chickens are running amok all over her new house and her parents seem not to notice! Florence wants to move back to the city asap! Using her writing skills, Florence invents a sizzling expose for her homemade newspaper called Terror in the Haunted Coop. She also enlists help from her new weird and eccentric elderly neighbour, two bizarre dogs and perhaps even the ghost chickens themselves!
Filled with comical characters, oddball illustrations and goofy ghostly chickens, this book is ideal for early middle-grade readers aged 8 to 12. It’s humorous, short, and kid-friendly. If kids like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, they are likely to enjoy this book.
My eight-year-old granddaughter Paisley Lynch read the book and told me what she liked best: “I liked the part where the girl or boy or alien or whatever it was said something like, ‘there are chickens over the place that look like ghosts and whatever you do, DON’T eat the eggs! The book was funny, entertaining and easy to read.” Her rating (10 being the highest) 7 out of 10.
Ghost Chickens; Omelet from the Other Side, copyright © Adi Rule, Illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy. Published by Tundra Books (2026), an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd.
Scaredy Squirrel: Scared Silly, Scaredy’s Nutty Adventures by Melanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel can’t wait for Halloween! This funny early illustrated novel follows Scaredy Squirrel as he gets ready for the big day. Is he ready? Bright lighting? Check. Adorable pumpkin décor? Check. Costumes? Check. Scary ghosts, vampires and monsters? No way! Scaredy Squirrel is scared silly by those things. He just wants a friendly (a.k.a. non-scary Halloween). With some encouragement from his friends, Scaredy learns that he can still have a good time and overcome his fears and maybe even get a little spooky.
The picture-style illustrated book is filled with short, easy-to-read narrative with adorable illustrations geared to children aged four to eight. One chapter illustrates how to make your pumpkin friendly or scary, while Chapter 3 called “A Scaredy Costume” shares how Scaredy Squirrel picked out his costume three months in advance and has his selection filed away in a folder marked Top Secret.
This novel is the fourth in the Scaredy Squirrel series and explores both the anxiety and the joy kids have about Halloween and how to overcome their fears. The series has a huge following with over three million Scaredy Squirrel books sold as well as the Scaredy Squirrel animated TV series which airs on the Cartoon Network in the U.S. and YTV in Canada. This book is a fun and engaging read for young readers gearing up to Halloween or any event.
Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly copyright © 2024 by Melanie Watt. Paperback edition published by Tundra Books (2026), an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd.
The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith
It’s a mystery! Twelve-year-old Mizzy is out to prove to the world that she can solve mysteries just like Sherlock Holmes, despite her reputation for telling tall tales. This charming new mystery novel stars a girl with Down syndrome who dreams of being a detective. Mizzy won’t let anything stand in her way. Mizzy is intrigued when she discovers her Great Aunt Jane’s diaries in a locked wardrobe and realizes that her aunt didn’t just die in her sleep, but under suspicious circumstances, and someone in the family appears to have been involved! Pretending to be doing a family tree project for school, Mizzy has a chance to prove herself to the world.
Written for middle-grade readers aged 10 and up, this mystery novel is by Claire Hatcher-Smith, a speech-language pathologist who has worked with children with Down syndrome for 35 years. Originally from the UK, she currently lives on Vancouver Island. The book features family tree art by UK illustrator Lester McGoogan, a celebrated illustrator with Down syndrome. Children will love this adorable sleuth as she proves that anything is possible when you believe in yourself.
A Skeleton in the Closet: The Mizzy Mysteries is a great book for middle grade readers and reading it reminded me of how much I loved Nancy Drew detective books as a kid. Highly recommended for young readers 10 and up.
A Skeleton in the Closet: The Mizzy Mysteries, Book 1 by Claire Hatcher-Smith, text copyright ©2025 by Claire Hatcher-Smith. Cover art copyright ©2025 by Robyn Kearns. Published by Tundra Books, an imprint of Tundra Book Group a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd.
Readers can find these Halloween-themed books at bookstores everywhere and online at Amazon.
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