By Emma Whitney Barhydt
“I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers…” So said Anne of “Anne of Green Gables.” Much agreed. It happens to be my favorite month too. It is the perfect transition month between the last warmth of summer and the descent into winter.
In October it seems as though you wake up one morning and almost all at once the verdent greens of summer are set alight in the blazing oranges of autumn; the air becomes crisp and sweet, and the ground is covered in a blanket of leaves. Even the rainiest, dreariest of days of October are lit up by the beautiful colors of the world around us.
For me, there is no greater joy in October than spending time outside reading a book. Call me crazy, but I bring a book with me everywhere– work, the doctor’s office, to the tops of mountains, and out on boats in the ocean there is no place too adventurous for my intrepid stories.
All this to say– I read a lot, and as an English teacher I also am always encouraging others to read a lot. So to inspire your own reading adventures, here are my top picks for some seasonally appropriate reads. Halloween is near, and what better way to get in the holiday spirit than to read some spooky, some scary, and some thrilling stories? Spend all month in the spooky spirit with the perfect books! Just make sure to leave your lights on…
The above-mentioned quote from “Anne of Green Gables” continues: “it would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill – several thrills?”
For Kids
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
This fun family read-aloud is the perfect way to start Halloween celebrations and an ideal gift book. A sweet story of quick wits, friendship, and inclusivity. The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch’s hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?
Alice & Greta by Steven J. Simmons
Alice is a good witch. And Greta… well, Greta and trouble are never far apart. But when a forgotten spell comes back to haunt her, Greta’s stuck learning something she should have learned long ago. Alice and Greta are two sisters who learn that maybe good and bad aren’t as black and white as they may seem.
How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green
What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.
For Middle Grade Readers
Nightbooks by J.A. White
Alex loves all things spooky and scary, but what happens when he gets trapped in a real-life nightmare? After being lured into a neighboring apartment by a young witch, he teams up with fellow prisoner Yasmin to find a way out of the enchanted home while also writing scary stories to keep the witch (and apartment) entertained. With interwoven tips on writing with suspense, adding in plot twists, hooks, interior 
logic, and dealing with writer’s block, this is the ideal book for budding writers and all readers of delightfully just-dark-enough tales.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gamen
Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. Neil Gamen is a master storyteller and brings the world of Bod and his comrades to life in sparkling detail.
The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts 
It’s not easy being a teenage witch. Seventh grader Abby Shepherd is just getting the hang of it when weird stuff starts happening all around her hometown of Willow Cove. Green slime bubbling to life in science class. Giant snakes slithering around the middle school gym. Her best friend suddenly keeping secrets and telling lies. The classic condition of seventh grade shown through the eyes of Abby the teenage witch is a delightful coming of age read with a spooky twist.
For High Schoolers
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. A fun and spooky book that’s just the right amount of suspenseful but not quite scary.
TEN by Gretchen McNeil
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie are looking forward to two days of boys, booze, and fun-filled luxury. But what starts out as fun turns twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. And things only get worse from there. An Agatha Christie-esque, 
tense novel with a surprising twist, perfect for Halloween.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin. Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. A true Halloween classic, this book is perfect for chilly October nights.
For College Students
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Alvin Schwartz
Take a trip down memory lane with a classic reminder of spooky childhood nights. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark contains some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Walking corpses, dancing bones, knife-wielding madmen, and narrow escapes from death—they’re all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories. Make sure you read these books with the light ON!
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. But the bonds they share will bring them back together—almost as if by magic…
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Korede’s younger sister, Ayoola, has a tendency to kill her boyfriends “in self-defense.” Korede cleans up after her because she wants to take care of her baby sister and she loves her. But when Ayoola sets her eyes on a doctor that works with Korede, a man she’s been in love with, she is faced with the choice to sacrifice one or the other.
For Grownups
Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe by Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe is a classic horror novelist: Poe perfected the psychological thriller, invented the detective story, and rarely missed transporting the reader to his own supernatural realm. His novels are the perfect Halloween read and will have you questioning whether or not that really is just a branch outside your window…
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Erik Larson intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World’s Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction. Perfect for history lovers and horror lovers alike, this book will suck you in and won’t let you out until you’ve reached the very last page.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Sleepy Hollow is a strange little place…some say bewitched. Some talk of its haunted valleys and streams, the ghostly woman in white, eerie midnight shrieks and howls, but most of all they talk of the Headless Horseman. A huge, shadowy soldier who rides headless through the night, terrifying unlucky travelers. This story is perfectly spooky but not outright scary, so you won’t need to worry about sleeping with the light on for the foreseeable future.
