Oh the weather outside is (finally) cooler, and it’s time to settle in with your favorite Halloween movie. There are so many great ones to choose from, and we have paired books that share the same vibe with some crowd favorites so you can keep those spooky vibes going!
If you love Halloween, try My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.
If you love Beetlejuice, try Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
In 1977, four teenagers and a dog solved the mystery of Sleepy Lake. The trail of an amphibian monster terrorizing the quiet town of Blyton Hills leads the gang to spend a night in Deboën Mansion and apprehend a familiar culprit: a bitter old man in a mask. Now, in 1990, the twenty-something former teen detectives are lost souls. Plagued by night terrors and Peter’s tragic death, the three survivors have been running from their demons. When the man they apprehended makes parole, Andy tracks him down to confirm what she’s always known–they got the wrong guy. Now they’ll return to Blyton Hills to find out what really happened in 1977.
If you love Halloweentown, try Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches. But on the night of the ceremony, twelve-year-old Seven Salazar isn’t placed in one of the five covens. She’s a Spare! Spare covens are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle, it doesn’t work! They’re stuck as Witchlings — and will never be able to perform powerful magic.The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they’ll gain their full powers. If they fail… Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.
If you love Hocus Pocus, try The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. Lexi has heard this all her life. But when the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, a mysterious boy who seems to fade like smoke falls under suspicion. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
If you love The Craft, try Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis
Katrell wishes talking to the dead made more money. She’s been able to support her unemployed mother so far, but it isn’t enough. And to complicate things, Katrell has started to draw attention — from beyond. And it comes with a warning: STOP, or there will be consequences. Katrell is willing to call the ghosts on their bluff, but when her next summoning accidentally raises someone from the dead, Katrell realizes that a live body is worth a lot more than a dead apparition. And she has no intention of letting this lucrative new business go.
If you love Casper, try Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, he actually summons Julian Diaz, who is determined to find out what happened. And the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
If you love Scream, try The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized — someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again.
If you love Practical Magic, try Weyward by Emilia Hart
2019: Kate flees an abusive partner in London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret that lurks in the bones of the cottage.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind rooted in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet longs for the robust education her brother receives — and for her mother, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
If you love The Addams Family, try We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
A peculiar girl named Merricat guards her the dark secret of her perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family when a cousin arrives at their estate.
If you love Nightmare Before Christmas, try The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
Interested in what’s possible for your book sales and building readership? Check out our services, tell us your goals, and get a customized publicity campaign tailored just for you.
