Trick or Treat: The Best Spooky New Titles for Your Little Monsters

After a long night of trick-or-treating, why not deliver one last surprise to your little ghouls and goblins in the form of a spooky book? Digital Editor Jen Rawlinson recommends these new titles that’ll have your kids checking for monsters and sleeping with the lights on.

Alien Road

by M.J. MCISAAC

Ages 9-12

“Ridge isn't thrilled about the idea of spending his whole Spring Break with his mom, but when they get an invitation from his mom’s billionaire friend to join him on his private yacht for a Caribbean cruise, how can he say no? Karl, the billionaire’s son, is less excited. He knows where they are headed – right into the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. There are dozens of stories about ships and aircraft that mysteriously disappeared while traveling through that legendary region of the Atlantic. Karl thinks it has something to do with aliens. Ridge thinks Karl has been spending too much time on the internet. But when strange and inexplicable things start happening aboard their vessel as it gets closer to the triangle, Ridge starts to wonder if Karl might be right.”

The Midnight Club

by Shane Goth, illus. Yong Ling Kang

Ages 3–7

“A cozy sibling conspiracy unfolds at midnight.

At the stroke of midnight, Milly wakes up her big sister, Becca. It’s time for Milly’s first Midnight Club adventure! With Becca leading the way, the siblings explore the hidden wonders of their house in the dark. They dip into Dad’s jar of jelly beans, try on Mom’s coat, and make more mischief with the help of the Midnight Club president (their cat, Oliver!).

Exhausted from their midnight expedition, Milly is ready to head to bed, but not before she remembers the club’s most important rule: The Midnight Club must be a secret! The sisters quickly clean up before settling into bed. But they might have left a few clues behind . . .

This charming midnight romp celebrates the special bond between siblings with a mischievous but safe spirit. Playful details like The Midnight Club hand signal and the special club rules are sure to inspire readers to plan their own at-home adventures.”

Sink or Swim

by Tash Mcadam

Ages 12+

“Sixteen-year-old shy, socially awkward trans teen Bass reluctantly skips school and goes on a boat trip with his adventure-seeking girlfriend, Rosie. When a sudden storm smashes their boat on a rocky shore off a deserted island, Bass and Rosie struggle to make it to safety. Bruised and battling hypothermia, the pair have to seek shelter and work together to survive until they can be rescued. After a horrible night, Rosie, an experienced climber, decides to scale a steep cliff to find help. She falls and injures herself badly. Now Bass has to find the strength and courage to swim around a dangerous headland and make his way back to civilization before it’s too late.”

Meranda and the Legend of the Lake

by Meagan Mahoney

Ages 8–12

“Anne of Green Gables meets Song for a Whale with a touch of Nancy Drew in this debut middle-grade mystery.

Eleven-year-old Meranda thought her life was complicated enough with physical challenges (she uses crutches to walk) and her helicopter parents. But when her great-uncle Mark dies, Meranda and her family visit Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where her parents grew up and where she hasn’t been since the age of three.

Soon, secrets begin to unfold: Why does the newspaper headline say her great-uncle Mark’s death was suspicious? Why do strangers keep calling Meranda ‘miracle baby’? Why does her usually calm mother seem so panicky and scared? And what on earth does all this have to do with mermaids? Meranda and her new friend, Claire, decide to investigate on their own. But as Meranda begins to separate fact from fiction, she finds herself in very real danger . . .

With an intriguing mystery afoot, and a strong-willed, resilient heroine at the helm, this mythical maritime novel celebrates coming of age and growing into yourself.”

I Dare You

By Jeff Ross

Ages 12+

“Sixteen-year-old Rainey is surprised when a video he made of a schoolyard fight goes viral. Two schoolmates, Jordan and Rowan, convince him to make another one, this time about a mysterious figure in the woods. Soon rumors are circulating that someone is out there kidnapping kids. Or maybe it’s a ghost. The teens are thrilled with the attention their prank is getting and are setting up a follow-up video when things go horribly wrong. A local woman, convinced that the ghost is related to the nightmares she’s been having for years, drives out to the area to investigate. The sight of Rowan in costume staggering across her path causes her to drive off the road. When the police start asking questions, Jordan and Rowan abandon Rainey. No one else knows what really happened but will a guilty conscience force Rainey to admit to his part in the accident or will he keep quiet?”

Urchin

by Kate Story

Ages 12+

“They say Dorthea’s family is cursed. The house built by Great-Great-Grandfather on the Southside Road has never been at peace. Old people say it lies on a fairy path – a gateway to the world of the Little Strangers.

All Newfoundland is enthralled when Marconi arrives with a wireless telegraphy team. Dor takes on a new identity as newspaper errand boy Jack, and joins the famous experimenter on Signal Hill. Becoming Jack is a profound personal awakening. But Jack also discovers that Marconi has a secret mission: receiving the first wireless transatlantic radio signal. And this new technology is wreaking havoc on the Little Strangers.

Then Dor’s mother disappears. Has she been kidnapped in revenge? Will Jack be forced to sabotage Marconi’s experiments to save her?

Dancing between the hidden realm of fairylore and the dynamic world of early 20th-century scientific innovation, Urchin is an exuberant story of self-discovery.”

The Cow Said BOO!

By Lana Button, illus. Alice Carter

Ages 4–7

“A stuffed-up cow, a rogue bedsheet, and a chantable silly refrain. A quintessential read-aloud for a lively story time.

Poor cow woke up with such a bad cold that every ‘moo’ comes out as ‘boo!’ When she stumbles into a sheet hanging from the clothesline, her barnyard friends mistake her for a spooky ghost and run away. But the cow is able to bravely turn this misunderstanding to her advantage when a truly scary intruder arrives at the farm…

In The Cow Said BOO!, author Lana Button delivers a silly read-aloud for a not-so-spooky Halloween, or any time of year. Written in playful rhyme that will shine at an interactive story time, the text includes a repeated refrain that will have listeners chiming in with many an exuberant, ‘The cow said, BOO!’ Watercolor illustrations by Alice Carter catch both the eye and the heart with their humor and energy. Closing scenes of the animal friends nursing the cow back to health bring a tender lull to the riotous story time – until a final twist dissolves the peace in giggles once again.”

Blood Donor

by Karen Bass

Ages 12+

“Seventeen-year-old Jo McNair is one minute late for her curfew, and thanks to her controlling father, she's now locked out, cold and wandering the streets. She has no money and nowhere to sleep. Halfway through the night she meets someone who says they’re with a group working with at-risk kids, helping them get back on their feet. Jo gratefully accepts the offer of shelter for the night, only to find she has walked into a kidnapper’s trap. Now Jo and several other teens are being held prisoner. Their captors drug them regularly and force them to donate their blood. What is so special about the teens’ blood? And how long before they’re drained dry? When one of the teens doesn’t return, Jo suspects their days are numbered. She has to find a way to escape before their time runs out.”

The Seventh Devil

by Suzanne Craig-Whytock

Young Adult

“When nineteen-year-old Verity Darkwood, homeless and devastated by guilt, takes refuge in a bar to escape the unwanted attention of a stranger, she doesn’t expect to meet Gareth Winter, let alone become business partners with him. They discover that they each possess the ability to interact with the world ‘beyond the veil’ and, with the help of Horace Greeley III, editor of the fantastical online journal The Echo, Verity and Gareth spend the next two years successfully crossing over the ghosts who haunt their clients or getting rid of the demons that plague them. But when they stumble upon a series of child disappearances which are eerily similar to the circumstances surrounding the loss of Verity’s younger sister, they embark on a journey that will take them across Canada in their quest to find The Seventh Devil, the dangerous and mysterious figure who may be behind it all.”

A Sure Cure for Witchcraft

by Laura Best

Ages 8–12

“From the acclaimed author of the Cammie series, a stand-alone middle-grade novel about witchery, friendship, and healing, set in 18th-century Germany & present-day Nova Scotia.

Witches are hated in Württemberg, in what is now Germany, in the eighteenth century. It's not so long since they were burned, and any woman who knows too much, who's too clever or quick or skilled at healing, is suspect.

Young Lilli knows this, and yet she also knows that the wise woman she's learning from, Alisz, isn't evil. She is teaching Lilli which plants cure a fever, which help a cough, which speed a difficult labour. She only wants to help people, and so does Lilli. But Lilli's father hates any sign of witchcraft and is furious at their connection. When Lilli is just thirteen, he surprises the family with news: they are moving to the New World. Alisz and Lilli pledge to be soul friends, inseparable by ocean or years and across time, in present-day Nova Scotia, Lilly and Alice are making their own way towards each other.

Lilli's learning and plight in the 1700s take front an centre in this multi-century story of healing, friendship, and the bravery it can take to be a woman who follows her own heart.”