31 Days of Horror: Day 31-- The Summer Scares 2026 Spokesperson Is....

As we have done every year since the program inception, the Summer Scares Committee is announcing our next Spokesperson on Halloween. This year we welcome NYT Bestselling Author Jennifer McMahon!

This also marks the end of my 31 day blog-a-thon, but of course, not the end of me talking to you about helping your horror readers. Thank you for going on this journey with me yet again. I hope you had as much fun as I did and that you learned something about the scariest genre that will make it easier for you to help readers going forward.

Happy Halloween to all!

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HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2026 Spokesperson and Timeline 

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the eighth annual Summer Scares, a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle-grade readers.

Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2026 spokesperson, New York Times Bestselling author, Jennifer McMahon:

"When I was a kid, I checked a book out of my local library that had a spell in the back to become a werewolf. I was a freaky, monster-loving girl, not sure how I fit into the world. I thought it would be easier to grow fangs and claws than to deal with all the messy human stuff. I cast the spell, not missing a single step, and was profoundly disappointed when it didn’t work. But there was other magic on those library shelves: doors to other worlds; worlds where ghosts and monsters and terrible things waited for me and taught me not just to face my own fears, but to come out on the other side stronger and maybe with a better understanding of myself. Turns out I don’t need to go full-on werewolf to feel changed—I just need to lose myself is a great spooky story. So I’m thrilled to be here with Summer Scares, inviting you to come on this reading journey with me—transformation into a werewolf not guaranteed!”

McMahon, along with a committee of six library workers, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. The program aims to encourage a conversation at libraries worldwide about the horror genre across all age levels and ultimately attract more adults, teens, and children interested in reading. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available to public and school libraries.

The committee’s final selections will be announced on February 14, 2026, Library Lover’s Day. McMahon, along with some of the selected authors, will kick off Summer Scares at the 10th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day (Friday, June 5, 2026) during StokerCon® 2026 at the Westin Pittsburgh. Click here for more information.

Additional content, including podcast appearances, free webinars with Booklist, and lists of suggested titles for further reading, will be made available by the committee and its partners beginning early in 2026 and continuing through the Spring and Summer. Of special note is the annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, courtesy of HWA Library Committee Co-Chair Konrad Stump and the Springfield-Greene County Library.

“The 2026 guide, developed by the HWA’s Library Advisory Council, is packed with everything library workers need to engage their communities with these great titles, including an iREAD partner title in each age group” states Stump. “From ideas for author events, partner programs with University of Pittsburgh Library Systems, book discussion groups, and much more, this guide is the library worker’s roadmap to creating exciting and meaningful experiences for their patrons through Summer Scares that they can use as a jumping off point for future horror-themed programming.” 

 The guide will be available beginning March 1, 2026, on the Summer Scares Resource page here. 

To see past year’s Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, please visit the program archive here. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming soon from Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD and NoveList®, as well as at the HWA’s website: www.horror.org and RA for All Horror: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html.

Questions? Reach out to HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump via email: libraries@horror.org.

Summer Scares 2026 Committee Members: 

Jennifer McMahon is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve suspense novels including The Winter People, Promise Not to Tell, and My Darling Girl. She’s written about ghosts, serial killers, shape shifting monsters, an evil fairy king, a kidnapping rabbit, a terrifying swimming pool, and more. She lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with her partner, Drea. When not writing, she spends a lot of time exploring and seeking out haunted places, real and imagined.

Becky Spratford is a library consultant and the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition which was released in September of 2021. She reviews horror for Booklist magazine, is the horror columnist for Library Journal and runs the Readers’ Advisory blog, RA for All: Horror. She is the author of Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature (Saga Press/S&S, September 2025).

Konrad Stump works for the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library, where he coordinates the long-running "Oh, the Horror!" series, profiled in The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition. He also created the Donuts & Death horror book discussion group, featured in Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (ALA), and co-created the Summer Scares Programming Guide. His work has appeared in Library Journal, NoveList, and Booklist.

Carolyn Ciesla is an academic library director in the Chicago suburbs and is serving as the 2025-26 Illinois Library Association President. She has worked as a teen librarian and reference librarian and has reviewed horror titles for Booklist magazine. She’s currently teaching horror to first-year college students. You can find her all over the internet as @papersquared.

Kelly Jensen is senior editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults on the topics of feminism, mental health, and the body. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the Year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. She has twice earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her censorship coverage. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. She is currently enrolled in a clinical mental health counseling master's program to bolster her work with mental health.

Julia Smith is a senior editor at Booklist, where she works in the youth books department and harbors a deep love of middle-grade literature. Prior to her career at Booklist, she worked at an independent children's bookstore and in the Chicago Public Library system.

Yaika Sabat (MLS) comes from a background in public libraries and now works at NoveList as the Manager of Reader Content and Services, where she creates genre and reader focused content and services. As a Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council member, she aims to help librarians understand and embrace the horror genre. Her other passions include writing, film and media, and folklore. .

31 Days of Horror: Day 30-- Final Thoughts and a Big Thank You to You, the Library Workers Who Make All of This Possible and Of Course, the weekly #HorrorForLibraries Giveaway

Today is the final day of original posting here on 31 Days of Horror. Tomorrow, as always, is saved for the Summer Scares Spokesperson announcement.

I left this day open for exactly to share my final thoughts. (That is why it didn't post right at 7am). I try to do this every year, but this year, it was more important for me to do this. Why? Because while we went on this blogging journey together, I was also traveling all over to promote WHY I LOVE HORROR. At the same time.

I knew it would be whirlwind, trying to do both, but I needed to get out there to appear with the authors to promote this book AND still fulfill my now 15 year long promise to you-- to give you 31 days of horror posts in October.

And quite honestly, without the 31 Days of Horror blog series, which inspired the "Why I Love Horror" sub-series, I wouldn't be out here with a book at all. I really do owe a lot to you, the library workers who count on me to help you understand the scariest genre better.

In fact, that is why I dedicated the book to librarians everywhere and specifically 4 very special librarians-- Konrad Stump, Emily Vinci, Lila Denning, and Yaika Sabat.

Speaking for Yaika, she just had this personal nonfiction essay about her own chronic illness and horror movies published in Frivolous Comma. I am being very vague on purpose so you go read it here. 

And speaking on Konrad, I just returned from visiting his very successful Oh, the Horror! month-long series of in person events at the Springfield-Greene County Library. I wrote about it on Day 8, here. But the pictures and video from my specific appearances with Grady Hendrix (on stage and on TV) can be seen but visiting my tour page or by clicking here to go to the photos directly.

For each event listed on my tour page (not just this week's event),  I created a shared folder of photos. You can access them all here.

The tour page is pinned at the top of the main blog both so you get easy access and because the tour is NOT OVER YET (more below)

Please also see that page for my podcast appearances. One more dropped today-- Capes and Tights. Here they are all in one place with links now that they are all live.

• Books in the Freezer
• Reading Glasses
• The Scares That Shaped Us
• Circulating Ideas
• Capes and Tights
• Every Library Live via Facebook or YouTube

But back to the Springfield, MO event because it was the perfect example of what I experienced on the road in general. Yes there were people at each stop who were there for the authors I was appearing with-- and that made my heart full, especially the ones who drove long distances. But also, and this shocked me, there were more than a handful of the hundreds of people I met over the last 6 weeks who were there for me. People who wanted to be librarians, those who follow my reviews, and a few who found my textbooks on the circulating shelf at their library and came to thank me for exploding their TBRs and introducing them to new voices.

And then there were the people who had never heard of me, but after hearing me speak with some of my authors told me they were so glad they came and met me so that they could share my book with those they love to let them see why they love horror so much. Or the teachers who are adding the book and specific essays to their curriculum so the students can use it as an exercise for writing their own personal narratives. And there is so much more. 

I knew it would be hard to do this in person tour and my blog, but not neglected all of you while I still got out there to share why we love horror AND get their love back in return was worth every minute of it.

And remember, this year may be coming to an end, but you can relive it all here on the blog a few ways. The easiest way to pull up every 31 Days of Horror post from all 15 years is to use the tag. But you can also scroll down to the blog archive ion think right gutter, below the tags and open any year. Then open October, and right there are the 31 days laid out for you. That is my favorite way to scroll the archives. You can go to a specific year and browse very easily.

Back to the teaser above about more touring!

Please stay tuned to that tour page linked here and at the top of every page on RA for All. I will be in Seattle next week. I have something in the works in NE for late January. And I can confirm that I will be at Scares that Cares Author Con 6 in late February.

Thank you so much for being on this journey for 31 Days of Horror with me, this year and every year. I really mean it when I say that none of this would have been possible without all of you. Everything I do is for library workers first and everyone else second. Without your support and continued encouragement to to this annual event and writing textbooks for you and hiring me to train your staff, without all of it, I would not be in a position to bring WHY I LOVE HORROR out to the readers directly. 

Click here for more
Why I Love Horror,
in book form 

To that end, I have a thank you gift for two of you. To end the month I am giving away 2 finished copies of my book. I will personalize and sign them for you. You do not have to add them to your collection, BUT please make sure you all order my book for your library and their patrons. I am telling people I meet to check the book out from their library. It is available in print (Ingram was just restocked) and as an ebook and audiobook on Libby. I think you need all three to meet your readers where they are.

So that is two of my books for 2 winners. I will draw the winners with this MG anthology from Monday as the first winner and then the the next two names will be my books. Here are your details on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Good luck!

And remember, the giveaway happens all year, so enter now and you are entered going forward. You might not win my book, but since April 2020, I have given away close to 300 books. That is not stopping anytime soon. Once you are in the spreadsheet, you stay there until you win.

Thank you again and come back tomorrow for the 2026 Summer Scares Spokesperson announcement. Big hint-- the author appears in my book!

Happy Halloween.

31 Days of Horror: Day 29-- How Grady Hendrix Came to Love Horror

Last night I appeared live on stage in conversation with Grady Hendrix as part of Springfield-Greene County Library's Oh, the Horror! Details on that month long event are here. Photos from the event are posted to my tour schedule page here, including a video of Grady and I on local TV promoting the event.

As the 2025 version of 31 Days winds down, I think it is fitting I appeared with Hendrix on this book tour at the end of October for a couple of reasons. First, in 2 days, I will be announcing the Spokesperson for Summer Scares 2026, a reading program that was not only Grady's idea but for which he was our first Spokesperson.

And second, the reason Hendrix and I are on stage to gather in Missouri, a state neither of us live in, is to promote my book and Hendrix's contribution to it.

It got me thinking about whenHendrix's essay in that book was excerpted in CrimeReads back in April here. That was also the official cover reveal for the anthology.

But that excerpt, it was the first time the outside world got to see any part of my book. It was an important moment for the book and for me. It was the moment I knew the book was real.

Looking back at it now, it has all been a blur since that day in April. I started promoting the book on the road back in June and I have been on the road pretty much non stop since 9/18 with still one more event with Sadie Hartmann at Seattle Public Library on 11/6 until I stop for 2025 (but there are already 2 WHY I LOVE HORROR book tour event in early 2026 in the works). The book went into its third printing after  only 3 weeks and people are really connecting with it. 

I will reflect on all of this more tomorrow. But today, I wanted to send all of you back to that moment in April 2025-- CrimeReads with Grady Hendrix writing about how he came to love horror.

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Click here for more
Why I Love Horror,
in book form 

31 Days of Horror: Day 28-- How NYPL Makes Their Best Horror of the Year List

Back at StokerCon in June, Konrad and I met Kate and Allison from the New York Public Library and began conversations about how the HWA Libraries Committee and NYPL could work together to promote horror.

Then a few months later, when I visited NYPL at Allison's branch as part of my book tour (photos here), they used the opportunity of having 150+ horror fans in one room to unveil their Best Horror of 2025 list.

As we are closing in on the end of 31 Days of Horror we are also entering "Best Books" season. I thought sharing their list here, in these waning days of October made a lot of sense. But I didn't just want to post a list. Yes, best lists are great and Horror Best Lists are even better but what I loved about the NYPL example is not only how they make this list but even, how the Horror Best Books committee broken through to even be a thing the NYPL did.

So today, welcome Kate and Allison as they give you all a peek behind the curtain of the Best Horror of 2025 committee and list from NYPL. I hope you use what they share to think about how you work together with your staff-- no matter how big or small, no matter where they fall on the org chart-- to include everyone who wants to help make best lists, for any genre, whether they are a fan or not.

Take it away Kate and Allison...

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It all started with a simple email. Dare to Join Our Horror Committee? We Need Brave Souls!

Kate joined the staff of The New York Public Library in July 2024. In her previous role as an Adult Librarian in Upstate New York, Kate maintained the horror section at her library. This led to the creation of a month-long annual horror reading challenge, to help show patrons that the genre has so much more to offer than one might realize. She wanted to bring her love of the genre to her new role at NYPL. 

Having discovered that the Library already had staff dedicated to producing comprehensive surveys of new romance, comics, and poetry each year, Kate suggested that a committee focused on horror would be an excellent addition. And with that the wheels were set in motion. 

After numerous emails back and forth, a call to staff participation was sent. 

Are you a fan of spine-chilling tales, blood-curdling scares, and the occasional monster under the bed? Do you think your bookshelf could use a few more "creepy" additions? If so, we have an offer you can’t refuse!

Responses poured in from branches and library departments in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, representing the city’s wide array of communities and age groups. We had horror aficionados and those who were just dipping their toes in the vast horror ocean. Ultimately, we were brought together by a love of reading, a love of recommending books to readers, and a belief in the power of good books to fix a lot of what ails us all. 

Allison joined The New York Public Library in spring of 2017, as an Adult Librarian in the St. George Library. There they maintained the branch’s local history and fiction collection, the latter where she enjoyed pulling out material related to the macabre history of the borough for researchers. Moving to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) in fall of 2023 as a Supervising Librarian of Adult Programming, she wanted to find ways to stay connected to the collection aspect of librarianship. When Kate’s email came along asking for volunteers for a newly formed Horror Committee, Allison jumped at the chance to join and meet other horror fans on staff.

At our first monthly committee meeting in November 2024, we developed our mission, to curate a comprehensive list of horror books that will captivate, thrill, and inspire readers from all corners of the genre. Our aim was to create a diverse collection that spans all horror subgenres, from psychological terror to supernatural chills, body horror to gothic suspense, ensuring that all horror readers find something that will haunt them long after the last page is turned. Horror, like any genre, is deeply personal and the stories that make a reader’s heart race or give them chills can vary dramatically. Our goal was to honor these varied preferences, finding the common thread of excellence that makes these stories unforgettable.

Our criteria was simple. In order to be considered for nomination, all books must be specifically written and published for adults between Halloween in 2024 and 2025, and must be classified as horror. The titles were to be chosen for their exceptional storytelling, strong narrative drive, well-developed characters, immersive prose, and rich, atmospheric settings. Our hope was that the list would celebrate the genre’s ability to evoke a full spectrum of emotions—fear, fascination, sorrow, joy, and awe.

Committee members were expected to read and review upwards of two books a month. During our monthly meetings, we discussed what we read and why it should or should not be included on our final list. The earlier months of our committee were slower in terms of new horror releases, and we were giving titles a soft yes or maybe. As the months passed, our criteria for nominated titles became clearer and clearer. One of the titles that first caught our attention was the excellent Root Rot by Saskia Nislow. Each member who cracked the cover was immediately enveloped in the stories that ranged from folk horror to body horror and everything in between. 

As the monthly meetings continued, nominated books began to pile up. Before we knew it, it was June and StokerCon was upon us. The committee had the privilege of organizing a group trip to majestic Connecticut to attend Librarian’s Day! Not only did this trip serve as an excellent opportunity to hear from our colleagues in other systems about how they incorporate the genre into their programming and to get a sneak peak at upcoming horror releases we had yet to read, but it was also an excellent bonding opportunity for the group, many of whom had not met in person until this adventure north.

With a new fire lit under us following StokerCon, everyone picked up their reading pace. In August, the group began meeting weekly, and the final list of nominated titles started to take shape. By September the group had a shortlist of 40 books from more than 150 considered for the list, which is where the most difficult part of our work began. Over the month of September, the list was narrowed down to our final 20, which we published in time for Halloween. The meeting before voting took place, members had one last chance to argue to keep any favorites on the list. For The New York Public Library’s blog (where you can also find some helpful read-alikes!) and our own curiosity, we have since narrowed down the list to our top five.

After multiple rounds of voting, our top five selected books became:

5. Root Rot by Saskia Nislow. Chosen for its haunting blend of beauty and unease, Root Rot  is a surreal, fungi-soaked nightmare that lingers long after the final page. Its unsettling imagery, visceral atmosphere, and dreamlike storytelling pushed the boundaries of what horror can be.

4. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was selected for its fresh and powerful take on vampire lore, blending supernatural horror with rich Blackfeet representation and a gripping historical setting. It’s Stephen Graham Jones at his best and impossible to put down.

3. Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen. This haunting blend of history and folklore weaves queer themes and the eerie mystery of bog bodies into a vividly atmospheric tale set in the Netherlands.

2. The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson. The Burial Tide was chosen for its masterful mix of Irish folklore, psychological tension, and eerie island atmosphere. With its unpredictable twists, haunting body horror, and heartfelt core of friendship, it delivers a uniquely satisfying and unsettling read.

1. The Country Under Heaven by Fredric S. Durbin. The Country Under Heaven was selected for its masterful fusion of western, horror, and fantasy elements, creating a world both eerie and enchanting. With rich prose, a compelling main character, and an atmosphere that feels both vast and intimate, it’s a true genre standout.

Overall, we are incredibly proud of our list, as it not only represents a diverse group of authors , but also spans many subgenres. We guarantee there is something for everyone on this list, whether you like a haunted house, something gruesome and violent, or a classic monster. We invite seasoned readers and new genre explorers to dive in and experience the terror of The New York Public Library’s list of Best New Horror for Adults. 

Get updates from The New York Public Library on book recommendations and a range of upcoming events including—coming soon!—a series of virtual author talks featuring a selection of the authors behind our Best New Horror list! We hope to see you there. To see the official list, please visit our website… if you dare!

31 Days of Horror: Day 27-- Spotlight on Middle Grade Horror with Librarian and Author Ally Malinenko and a Bonus Giveaway!

One of the top Middle Grade Horror novels of the year is Ally Malinenko's Broken Dolls. I shared my thoughts on this immersive and terrifying story here. But you don't have to believe me; Stephen King loves this book too.

Malinenko is not just a horror author, she is also a librarian, and the two sides of her collided this month when she chose to celebrate with a 31 Days event of her own by tweeting out 1 middle grade horror book you should read a day for 31 straight days. You can see that entire thread here (don't forget, we still have a few more days for her to add to the thread).

As I watched her add to this thread daily, I realized, I needed Malinenko to come here and share more than just titles. I asked her to write an essay in the vein of why I love middle grade horror. Below is her essay on why middle grade horror is important to kids and why they need access to it always.

Thanks Ally!

(And stay tuned after her essay for a bonus giveaway)

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When I tell people I write middle grade horror I get a variety of reactions. Everything from “what’s that?” to “kids shouldn’t read horror” to “when are you going to write a real horror.” So today I wanted to talk a little bit about middle grade horror – about why I write it, why it’s important, why kids need it and some recommendations that I have been posting this spooky month on middle grade horror YOU should be reading.

So let’s start with what is middle grade horror? Middle grade is a term that is used to refer to the readers between easy readers and young adult readers. Middle Grade horror is usually marketed towards 8-12 year olds. 

Now, for the “kid’s shouldn’t read horror” – my favorite response, here’s why that’s wrong. Middle grade horror is one of the best places to talk about hard things. In my second novel This Appearing House I had my main character have to come to terms with a very serious illness she had when she was younger but never processed. In my most recent book Broken Dolls, my main character has to learn how to process her grief, but also how to talk about it – she has selective mutism. Horror is safe scary. What do I mean by that?  Horror offers Solace. It’s not happening to me, but I’m following along with something scary which is thrilling. Kids live in a very scary world. They live through life-changing pandemics and school shootings. They know the world is scary. But adults tend to want kids to look the other way. Instead, I think we have a responsibility to kids to arm them with the weapons they need. When a kid reads a scary book the learn how to fight monsters so when they’re older they’ll know how to fight the real monsters that eventually show up in all of our lives. 

Scary books give kid’s agency, something that we adults take for granted. We’re used to deciding what time we get up and what we’re going to do all day and what to eat but kids don’t get that. By their nature and status they are powerless. Another thing adults sometimes forget is that kids have the full range of emotions, they just don’t have the language to express it. When you read a book you are rooting for the hero and that is especially true for scary books. You got into the dark but you make it back out again. You survived! 

Horror Tells the Truth. Let’s be honest we lie to kids a lot. We tell them the dog went to go live on a farm. We tell them everything is fine when mom and dad aren’t speaking at the dinner table. We sweep the truth into the corner and hope the kids won’t find it. But horror doesn’t do that. Horror tells the truth. Horror puts you in front of a monster and then gives you a sword to fight it. 

Horror Teaches Important Lessons about Fear – Fear offers no middle ground. You either succumb to it or you overcome it. There is no in between. Storytelling is how we build empathy. It’s how we connect with people. It’s a way of making connection that teaches kids that they can overcome their fears

And finally kids should read horror because horror is FUN. You ever go to a scary movie with a friend and you both get startled so badly by the same thing that you start laughing? No one would ever think about taking a funny book out of a kids hand but they scoff at kids who want to read horror. Horror for kids is a necessary and important genre and not one we need to be afraid of. Honestly it’s a privilege to write horror for kids, to watch them go, shoulders back, head held high, right into the dark and know they’re gonna be okay. 

Wes Craven had this response to the question “Why would people pay money to get scared” and he said, “You don’t enter the theater and pay your money to be afraid. You enter the theater and pay your money to have the fears that are already in you when you go into a theater dealt with and put into a narrative.” 

To my last point – “when are you going to write a real horror book” – let me tell you, adults will give you up to 50 pages or more to get to them. A kid? You have to hook them from the first line and you have to keep them hooked. That takes skill. That takes careful planning. People who dismiss kidlit horror are doing themselves a disservice. And writers, especially should be paying attention. I will one day write an adult horror, I’m sure. But for now, it is an absolute honor to be writing horror for kids.

So to that, I would like to share with you some of my favorite horror stories for the kid in your life, or the one that still lives in your heart. 

1. The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay by Mary Averling. 

This is not only one of my favorite middle grade horror books it’s one of my favorite books. Period. Maude isn’t your typical 12 year old – mostly because she’s a ghost. Along with her best friend Kit and her little brother Scratch she haunts a cottage in the woods and scares off vacationers. When Scratch and Kit go missing, Maudie knows it’s the work of Longfingers – a monster from her own nightmares. Averling has crafted a spooky tale full of love, heartbreak, and the importance of facing the truth. A story that reminds us that the only way to truly know ourselves is to face the scariest parts of our story. This is an instant classic.

2. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. 

When I started writing middle grade this is one of the books I picked up. It taught me how hard you really can go when writing middle grade horror. This book is scary. Steve is a worrier and right now he’s worried the most about his sick newborn brother. So when he starts to dream about a mysterious wasp queen who offers to “fix” the baby, he thinks everything is going to be okay. All he has to do is say Yes. But what does saying yes really mean? Yes is a powerful word that cannot be taken back. Honestly if you read ONE book on this list, read this one.

3. Nightbooks by J.A. White

This modern day spin on the Scheherazade story is a spooky fun ride. Unlike the Nest, that is legitimately frightening, Nightbooks is FUN and for budding writers, contains lots of fun tidbits about writing with suspense, creating plot twists and how interior logic works. It is the story of a boy, imprisoned by a witch who must tell a new scary story every night in order to stay alive. Also they made a great little movie out of it too! 

4. The Clackity by Lora Senf

This Stoker award nominated book is one of my favorites. Book one in the Blight Harbor series, follows Evie von Rathe attempts to rescue her beloved Aunt Desdemona. From the depts of the abandoned slaughterhouse, Evie meets The Clackity who makes a deal with her that he can help her find her aunt in exchange for the ghost of John Jeffery Pope, a serial killer who stalked Blight Harbor one hundred years ago. Yes, a serial killer. In a middle grade book. It’s brilliant.

5. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker. Antler Wood is haunted, and no kit foxes are safe. When Mia and Uly are separated from their litter they discover a world full of monsters. The stories in this collection are both heartwarming and bone chilling at the same time. It’s a fantastic read. 

Horror is good about talking about what makes us human. And about what makes us monstrous. Kids deserve to hear both. I read an excellent piece by Ally Russell (whose books you should also read) called The Lonliness of the Horror Fan in which she said this:

“If you know a young horror fan, protect them at all costs. Let them explore the boundaries of their fear. When the terror becomes too much, kids know how to close the book or press pause. Let them use horror to tackle the traumas that this world will wreak on their young souls. They may use the genre to confront their fears or to heal. They may use the genre for entertainment. They might become lifelong fans… or not. That’s all right. The important thing is that they have support and space to confront their fears in a safe setting, because the monsters out there ::points to the world around us:: are much worse than the monsters in our media.”

Middle grade horror makes a pact with it’s reader. It says take my hand, we’re going to go into the forest. It’s going to be dark. It’s going to be scary, but in the end, we’re going to come back out into the light. And isn’t that why we go into the dark? To return to the light?

With middle grade horror there is always hope. Hope is the root power of storytelling. And that is the power of horror.

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Thanks to Malinenko for sharing her perspective. Now to that promised giveaway. I have one finished copy of Scaring and Daring: Terrifying Takes on 15 Classic Tales, a Middle Grade Horror Anthology from the Horror Writers Association edited by Eric J Guignard. From Goodreads: 

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!

Get ready for a terrifying spin on some of literature’s most beloved tales—no story is safe! From Captain Hook’s run-in with dark magic to Sherlock Holmes narrowly escaping graveyard spirits to a happily never after for Cinderella, this horror anthology is anything but a bedtime story. In this terrifying new collection for young readers, the best-loved stories from the literary canon are revisited and reimagined with a deadly twist by some of the top authors working in middle grade today.

Featuring tales from New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan Maberry and Kelley Armstrong, Carlos Hernandez, Lisa Morton, Maurice Broaddus, and many others, this collection will haunt you long after you turn the last page. Read on—if you dare! 

Rules are the same as every week. Click here for last week's giveaway to see the rules on how to enter. 

There will be one more giveaway this week but all winners will be drawn on Friday 11/1.

Good luck to all. 

31 Days of Horror: Day 26 -- Sunday Links Roundup

Every Sunday during 31 Days of Horror, I will have links that I have gathered throughout the week to share here. 

This is the last roundup of the month and there is a lot here!

Becky related links:

• My interview with Debut Horror author Beatrice Winifred Iker in the October issue of Library Journal
• My book was reviewed in BookPage
• You can watch the video of my panel: Why I Love Horror Panel w/ Clay McLeod Chapman, Rachel Harrison, Hailey Piper from Westport (CT) StoryFest last weekend here on YouTube-- Video of the panel 
• Paul and Emma Tremblay talking about their love of horror and the essay they collaborated on for my book on WBUR

Other links:

• Boston area horror experts share the books that really scared them including Paul Tremblay via Boston.com
• 16 of the Best Horror Books of 2025 (so far) via Vulture.
• 5 Movies That Attempt to Capture the Brilliance of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein via Reactor
• The Horrors Persist: Scary Season Resources For Library Workers via Book Riot's Check Your Shelf Newsletter.
• Best Horror for 2025 via Barnes & Noble
• One-sitting Horror Books to Read on Halloween Night via BookRiot
• PW had Halloween/Horror Coverage
• Booksellers Ride the Horror Wave
• Gothic Horror Goes Global (one of my current horror trends as well)
• Interview with T. Kingfisher about her horror novels specifically
• 5 New Cannibal Horror Novels 
• Interview with Kristi DeMeester
• My review of her new book Dark Sisters from Booklist's October 2025 issue
• Frankenstein: Why Mary Shelley's 200-year-old Horror Story is Still So Misunderstood via BBC
• 5 Underrated Books About Evil Houses via Reactor
• Seven Historical Horror Novels Inspired by True Events via CrimeReads
• So many more Goodreads lists:
• Eight Halloween Reading Lists Based on a Very Specific Vibes, Themes, and Tropes
• 10 Years of Horror Hits to Read This October
• Genre Refresh: Cute Paranormal Rom-Coms for Cold-Season Reading
• Horror for Beginners: A Guide to Horror Reading Based on Your Go To Genre
• Almost Horror Movies via CrimeReads
• Landing page for all Horror Reviews via Book Marks
• Interview with Joe Hill about King Sorrow via USA Today
• Outstanding Horror Reads from 2025 That You May Have Missed via BookRiot
• Horror as a Lifestyle in Chicago via The Chicago Tribune

31 Days of Horror: Day 25 -- Why I Love Horror, Pitt Horror Studies Collection Week Edition Featuring Elijah J. Cooper

Thank you for following along for the last 7 days as I gave you the academic perspective on Why I love Horror. And thank you again to Ben Rubin for organizing it all.

For our final day of this series I am featuring Elijah Cooper, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in film and creative writing. He is a student employee with Archives & Special Collections in the University Library System, where he works with the horror studies collections. Over the past few years, he has found inspiration in the horror genre and developed an admiration for the artists that embrace its darker aesthetics and more vulgar aspects of life and how they use the genre as an outlet for these experiences. 

We have less then a week left in the 2025 edition of 31 Days of Horror, but I still have plenty of surprises planned, unloading 2 giveaways for our final week and the Summer Scares Spokesperson announcement on the 31st. 

But that is next week, let's cap off this week and take a moment to see why Cooper loves horror.

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Why I Love Horror

by Elijah J. Cooper

I love horror because it focuses on the vulgarity and the unacceptable. The horror genre is the only time when these fantasies are considered acceptable. It lets me fantasize about the worst parts about humanity while not feeling shameful. This is how the genre works; as a means of bringing change or peering into the unknown. It is meant for more than scaring people. It exists as a countercultural phenomenon that is meant to be consumed and acknowledged. However, it disguises itself as a simple mode of entertainment—hardly ever considered art—that people have understood as being something that they can enjoy without being shameful.

Horror experiences constant change yet maintains the same intent. This, of course, is only natural, as with every other genre. However, horror, especially in film, has grown to be more obviously outrageous. The genre continues to grow and the audiences grow with it. And they seem like they hardly notice the in-your-face cruelty that they experience on the screen. For example, the highest grossing horror film until 1953 was Frankenstein. But it was eventually replaced by Psycho (1960). As scary as Frankenstein was, it was nothing compared to how brutal and twisted Psycho was. 

Frankenstein was intimate but Psycho was much more. Already a twisted idea, a man built together by body pieces stolen off of corpses from graveyards, and then proceeds to stalk a family admiring their life. However, Psycho was arguably a drastic progression in vulgarity since the release of the 1931 Frankenstein. The mind of a lost man named Norman Bates who preys on beautiful young women as they stay in his motel—but more than anything the bathroom kill scene is brutal. The first time I saw that scene I thought there was more attention to fear, violence, hatred, masochism, etc. than in any film I had ever seen. And to this day there aren't many films I’ve seen that have matched it. 

It is not to the extent of the vulgarity that interests me, but the genre itself. The material is an important element, yes, however, there seems to already be an expectation that is assumed to be fulfilled when stepping into the cinema of a horror film. The material is important but its importance is hardly seen. With the increase in horror film box office revenues, it can be assumed that audiences are consistently getting more desensitized. The escalation of the horror genre like from Frankenstein to Psycho still continues to happen, with films becoming more gruesome. There now seems to be a clear plausible direction that the horror genre could be taken to.

Horror films can only become more violent, and it’s difficult to know where the bar is. Since most people, even the horror film audiences, need consistency when they consume media, the horror genre unfortunately somewhat subscribes to this unspoken rule. However, in this era it is hard to see exactly how much more vulgar horror films can get. In mainstream horror they must all follow the same amount of vulgarity to maintain the consistency for their viewers. But what happens when the boundaries are pushed? There are many times when the push for change is problematic for the masses. One such show that is somewhat recent and while it is not known for being in the horror genre, I would argue that it is. The HBO Max show for example, Euphoria, broke many expectations on the amount of vulgarity that is societally acceptable in a pop-show. 

Euphoria is not part of the horror genre, technically, however, I would argue that it is glamour-horror. It was shocking to me when I saw it the first time. The show is full of vulgar activities such as underage sex, rape, use of hard drugs, self-harm, suicide, pornography, and etc.. And it was surprising to me that it was as popular as it was. However, I think this is the primary reason why the show is successful. I call this horror because the audience’s reaction to the show is similar to horror. The expectation of harm and the assumption that the harm is going to be even greater than expected.

As close to horror as Euphoria seems, the key reason it is not horror is the glamorization. Horror’s vulgarity is special because there is usually no desire to indulge in their activities. Consuming frightening material in a safe position to enjoy the stimulation of it from the other side. Other genres may have these same qualities. All art in a way acts towards the different in our lives. And this is what draws us to it. How art is the only thing that we think keeps us sane or even alive. But what is it that truly separates the horror genre as the one true mode to experience the unacceptable? There’s an emotional response that is associated with horror, clearly. It is a known fact that fear is the most powerful force that can drive a person to do or believe something. This works in favor of the horror genre. It forces the viewer to have an emotional response to the art. 

Euphoria is not meant to be a horror, but it would be better if it was. The intentions of the show are not to induce fear. They show horrific events that are stimulating but not necessarily scary. To be fair, the actions in the show have horrible consequences which is justification for condemnation. However, there is still a desire to partake or at least suffer the ways in which they do. Their suffering is shamefully desirable, there is societal value in these beautiful peoples’ struggles. The suffering of success; the human desire to suffer is only natural and this is what Euphoria thrives on. The show pushed the boundaries of vulgarity even shocking to me. When disturbing content like this appears in mainstream television, without horror's built-in moral condemnation, the audience reaction reveals something crucial about how we process vulgarity. Unlike Euphoria's seductive glamorization, the horror genre offers the thrill of transgression while maintaining moral clarity. I can enjoy the unacceptable without being forced to desire it. I only desire the distance in reality.

There are many horror films that could be similarly interpreted in the way I described Euphoria: glamorous with an adoration for a life that seems more exciting than an ordinary one. This is similar to Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977). This film is about an American girl getting accepted into a prestigious ballet school in Europe that is secretly controlled by witches. The architecture of her new home is stunning and all the girls are beautiful. These are all the qualities of a natural desire towards this life by the audience—much like the glamor of the beautiful people in Euphoria. Instead of beautiful people and drugs in this new home there is dedication towards a life as a dancer/artist—something we can only fantasize about. The main girl, Suzy, begins to suffer due to her new environment, overexertion, and inability to understand the intricacies of the school. However, the film is so unsettling and horrific in atmosphere that there is no possible way to desire to suffer in this way. There is not necessarily a moral, but there is a condemnation that invalidates the value of a bourgeois lifestyle. Their evil methods of discipline, obedience, and livelihood. How Suzy and the rest of the girls are all secretly victims to the school’s psychological torture. In a building full of secret rooms of barbed wire, maggot infestations, and other types of traps—even loud ominous snoring. Then she has to take the scary trek into the catacombs of the school to fight them.

As glamorous of a film Suspiria is, it is only in its appearance. The film exists purely as a story of isolation due to interference from the upper class. Told in a way that is fear-inducingly stimulating to the viewer. But obviously, enjoyable, in the most professionally masochistic way. The unspoken rule about the horror genre is the choice to fantasize about what could be impossible—but the most disgusting and inappropriate impossible.

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Why I Love Horror,
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