
Looking for a spooky read to get you in the mood for Halloween? Check out these middle grade novels featuring ghosts, witches, and more!
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Eva has to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday, or she will lose her powers. So she sets up a magic shop to prove herself to her new town. But will she have enough power to save her town when a storm hits?

The Girl and the Ghost by Hannah Alkaf

When Suraya’s grandmother gives her a pelesit, a spirit who says it is Suraya’s to command, Suraya believes she has found a new friend. But pelesits are dark spirits and they must find a way to defeat Pink’s shadow before it consumes them both.

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Orphaned while attempting to escape the Great Famine, young Molly and Kip arrive at an old English estate to take up their new jobs as servants. Locals speak of the place as haunted, however, and none will dare to step foot on the property. Desperate to survive, the children take the position, anyway, and dismiss the rumors. But someone walks the house at night and the family all seem to be rapidly losing their health. Can Molly and Kip break an ancient curse or will they become the latest casualties of the night man?

Cinders and Sparrows by Stefan Bachmann

Zita Brydgeborn has inherited a castle, once the domain of witches. Now all the witches are dead–except her. Zita must learn how to become a witch under the tutelage of her new guardian. But will she have to power to save her home when it is threatened?

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Curry

Claire does not believe in ghosts. And she certainly does not want to help her dad with his ghost bus tour. But then she sees a boy on the bus–and he seems to be following her. Now Claire must figure out what he wants, before time runs out.

Begone, the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan

Years ago, Aunty ran with Mup and her mam, taking them from the realm of the witches across the border to the human world. Now Aunty is dead and her magic no longer protects them. And the Raggedy Witches come, stealing Mup’s father. So Mup and her mam cross the border to save him. Aunty always warned them to avoid the realm of the witches at all costs. But suddenly Mup’s mam seems like she might want to take back the throne that could have been hers.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

When Lucely Luna and her friend Syd disturb evil spirits who begin to terrorize St. Augustine, they must seek help from Syd’s grandmother and her cat to save the town.

Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni

There are three types of ghosts that can come back to haunt a house: Friendlies, Unawares, and Vengefuls. When a new ghost erupts in the home of Aunt Bye, the authorities designate it as Friendly. Cousins Alice and Eleanor Roosevelt, however, are not so sure. The ghost is acting strangely, manipulating the people in the household and growing ever more menacing. Can the cousins put aside their differences to uncover the history of the house and destroy the ghost for good?

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cassidy Blake’s parents hunt ghosts. But Cassidy is actually able to see them, ever since the moment she drowned and a ghost named Jacob dragged her back. Now her parents are off to Edinburgh, Scotland, to film a ghost show. But an evil spirit haunts the city and she’s determined to steal Cassidy’s life.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Fifty years ago, the dead stopped staying dead. An entire industry has sprung up with the purpose of eradicating the ghosts that can not only drive people mad but also kill them. Only children, however, have the ability to see and hear the specters and only one agency works without any adult supervision—Lockwood & Co. As a result, the company has a poor reputation, but when a rich patron offers Lockwood one of the biggest cases in the nation, their future seems assured. That is, if they can survive the ghosts of the infamous Screaming Staircase.
Fun list! I have to read the Roosevelt ghosts book; I read everything I can on the Roosevelts, fiction or non-fiction. I’d also add the Newbery honor book The Witch of Blackbird Pond to this list.
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Lindsay Currie is a spooky MG author I really need to get around to!
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Now is the perfect time! I’ve been trying to get through some spooky readers before October ends! 😀
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I just discovered my library is now taking suggestions for digital purchases – I put in a request for Scritch Scratch! 🙂
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Yay! I hope they get it for you!
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I just put it on hold 😊 (You’re not notified when they add the copy but I’ve noticed they usually do it within a few days – but someone already checked it out 😛)
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Oh no! It’s the worst when someone gets to it first! XD
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So many witchy books on this list. Love it! Really want to try Eva Evergreen. I love the cover.
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I requested my library buy Eva Evergreen! They said yes, but I am still waiting. The suspense is too great! 😀
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Wow! None of these books are on my TBR. That’s a new one for me. XD I am reading Dead Voices by Katherine Arden right now, another great MG spooky book. I’m really enjoying it.
I also love the aesthetic of these covers all together. I appreciate the cool shades that dominate the covers overall.
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A lot of them are new this year, I believe! And I know it’s been hard for books to get a lot of publicity during the pandemic.
I just finished Small Spaces and Dead Voices! I enjoyed them a lot!
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I feel bad for those in publishing and who are publishing books this year. Particularly fo debut authors! With all the publishing delays and everything going digital, I’ve heard even less this year about new releases than in the past. And I already heard very little in past years! Poor authors.
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Yes, I agree! I’ve seen very little about new books, even from bloggers, and it feels quite difficult to keep up with the latest releases. Also, my library seems quite behind in purchasing/processing books, so I have books on hold and they seem to be getting stuff in now from May.
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My library is quite behind as well — I’ve gotten a lot of updates saying new releases are not arriving ontime. Such as Hollowpox; I was on the top of the waiting list and the library didn’t get any copies to arrive on publication date! So strange.
I’m over you, 2020.
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I’m still waiting on Hollowpox, too! I think the whole publishing industry is behind with printing and such.
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Do you think this is this a COVID thing? Supply chain problems for paper and binding materials, sickness in the factories and warehouses, etc?
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Yes, I think it has to do partly with employers limiting the number of people in the building and stuff like that. You can’t get the same amount of work done when you are not at full capacity. And it probably gets compounded at each step of the process. Maybe printing is slower but so is shipping and then so is processing at the library..
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