Ghostly reads for your tween

Hi friends, does your tween enjoy spooky ghost reads? If the answer is yes, then this is the week for you!! If not, I suggest you move along and look at another cat video online!! Be warned readers, none of my selections are for the faint of heart, and I say this now…well…you’ll have to read on to find out why…

I know I’ve done some spooky stories before when I first started my blog, in fact I think I dedicated the whole month of October in 2018 to it!! These books in this post were some I read not long afterwards, just to see what else was out there!! And boy did they scare the pants off me; and I’m someone who scares quite easily!! Shall we begin then…

This first title is actually the beginning of The Ghost Girls trilogy. The Haunting on Devil’s Den Road by Karen Chilton is not your average ghost story. Yes, it has most of the elements that make your typical tween read: a move to an old farmhouse somewhere out in beyond, local kids who are into the paranormal, and something sinister that’s lurking in the woods. However, Paige Turner’s life changes when she realises the resident ghost in her house has a connection to the vampire buried in the local cemetery!! Yes, a vampire… and no, you won’t get anymore from me!! If you consider this enough to pique your interest, have a go and let me know how it goes. This was one of those that sent goosebumps running down my arms the whole time!! Now, I can’t give you much about the rest of the trilogy as I was unable to locate them, but if you do find it before me, drop me a comment!! 

The next two are a duology. Ways to see a ghost & Voices in Stone by Emily Diamand are a pair of spooky but interesting tales of ghosts and the supernatural. We meet a pair of unlikely characters in Isis and Gray who have to battle terrifying monsters from planes beyond the grave while trying to enjoy their summer holidays and boring school lessons. Both stories are told in a unique style and I thought the writing was expertly executed. If you’re like me and prefer to read such stories during the daylight hours, I strongly recommend you do so. The descriptions and narrative had me jumping at shadows but the characters were quite likeable!! 

Out of the wild night by Blue Balliett is the next one on my list of selections. Taking us readers all the way to the island of Nantucket where ghosts are alive and are choosing to help the local kids when faced with danger. Now, we all know that there are old houses in Nantucket for real, probably with a few ghosts, so it was fairly easy for me to imagine this; but this tale spun me around a fair bit that I had to go back and reread chapters just to get my bearings. Blue Balliett’s writing has taken a lyrical style for this story and had me captivated within its pages even if it was slightly confusing!! A great stand-alone story of family and loyalty with a dash of the paranormal thrown in!!

Right, these last two by Katherine Arden, Small spaces and Dead Voices are the original pair I wanted to showcase but I left them for last. The main characters of Ollie, Coco and Brian find themselves tangled up in a tantalizing and terrifying nightmare of an adventure!! The one thing I will tease you with is that the adventure starts with a book!! Each story takes the kids on a hair-raising journey with a gripping storyline that moves steadily thanks to Arden’s creative narrative and dialogue!! I read both of these as ebooks so I was glad when my phone’s battery ran low which gave me the perfect excuse to stop reading!! If you like ghost stories with twists and turns at every page this set of reads are definitely ones you should try!! The best part is about this is that I don’t think Arden is done with these characters; so keep your eyes peeled for more!!

Well, there you have a small selection of spooky ghost stories from me. If you know any more, I’d love to hear from you. 

Stay safe and keep reading

Miss Mahee