As Halloween fast approaches, it is crucial that you mix up your reading material and add some spooky reads to your TBR. There is no better feeling than getting curled up with a good book during the colder seasons, but as October begins, a spooky read is essential.
Halloween is also a great opportunity to get your class involved in the spooky goings-on, from pumpkin carving to getting dressed up as ghosts and ghouls. If you’re looking for a way to include Halloween in your lessons and get your high school students more engaged then add a spooky read to their reading list too!
Whether you love psychological thrillers or are a true crime junkie, we have the perfect Halloween books for you.
Spooky Reads Recommendations
The Shining by Stephen King
The Shining is one of those classics that you could read any time of the year but hits a bit differently at Halloween. King’s supernatural thriller tells the story of the Torrance family as they head to Colorado to look after the Overlook Hotel during the winter period. Jack Torrance, an alcoholic and struggling writer, and his son Danny start to notice some strange things in the closed-down hotel. The Shining has a lot going on, and you’re going to need to be brave if you want to see it through to the end!
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. An anniversary neither of them will forget. From the author of bestselling novels ‘Sometimes I Lie’ and ‘His and Hers’, the queen of the killer twist is back again. The novel contains flashbacks, forced proximity and marital disagreements with a sinister feel to it.
As Mr and Mrs Wright head off for a free weekend away in Scotland for their anniversary, it might be exactly what their struggling marriage needs. But while they both know that this weekend will make or break their marriage, they don’t know what it has got in store for them. Or the fact that they didn’t randomly win this trip at all. So what are they actually doing there?
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This gothic horror story follows the story of a young woman, Noemi, who receives a frantic letter from her newly married cousin who claims that her husband is trying to kill her. This chic gown and red lipstick-wearing woman is an unlikely rescuer. But Noemi is strong, tough and smart.
But as she heads down to High Place, a remote mansion in the Mexican countryside to investigate, she doesn’t know what to expect. While she starts to be taken in by the grandeur of the place, she needs to focus if she wants to get out alive. Do you struggle to find time to sit and read? Get the audiobook instead!
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
This frightening tale of a modern-day haunted house by Ruth Ware is the perfect Halloween read. When Rowan Caine comes across the ad for a live-in nannying post with an amazing salary, it seems like too good an opportunity to miss. After a few innocent exaggerations to her CV and experience, she lands herself the job!
But when she arrives in the Scottish Highlands at the luxurious Heatherbrea House she has no idea that she is stepping into a nightmare that will result in her being on trial for murder and one child dead. But if she didn’t kill the child, then who did? Believe us, you won’t be able to put this one down. It gives us modern-day Agatha Christie vibes!
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Your Halloween reading list couldn’t possibly be complete without Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. As one of the best literary ghost stories ever written, it has grown even more in popularity since inspiration was taken from it to make the Netflix original show of the same name. But in our opinion, the show is never as good as the book!
The story follows four strangers as they meet up in the notorious Hill House. Here you will get all the spooky troops you are looking for alongside an impressive literary twist that you won’t be expecting.
It is a chilling story that focuses on the power of fear and offers a slow-burning psychological horror as Hill House gathers its own powers against the four individuals. This is the perfect spooky reads recommendation for any young adult in your class and is a short story of only 246 pages.
Make the most of the spooky season and try something different with these scary reads that will give you a fright this Halloween!
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