35 of the Best Halloween Books for Classroom Shelves

Halloween is such a fun and unique time of year. We'll dress up in costumes and indulge in some delicious sweet treats. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without some spooky good stories! Here's a list of some great Halloween books for kids of all ages who enjoy a good scare.

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If your students love the Food Group series as much as ours, this Halloween story is a snap to add to your classroom library. In it, Bad Seed goes in search of the perfect Halloween costume.

In this latest installment in the Pig the Pug series, Pig embarks on a wild quest for treats. An entertaining read that will make your students laugh.

We love the cute illustrations and lyrical text in this ode to Halloween that focuses on the magic of the celebration.

An old house just wants to be loved, even if it gets a little haunted in this sweet and spooky tale of self-acceptance.

Monster is excited to see who will move into Vampire's old house. He's even starting to practice his welcome growl for the new neighbor. But when the moving truck pulls up, it's not a greedy goblin, ogre, or sneaky dragon that steps out. Instead, it's something even more terrifying than Monster could have imagined!

Jasper Rabbit loves carrots - especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them when he goes to little league. He eats them on the way home. Until the day the carrots follow him... or do they?

7. Skull! by Blair Thornburgh

This intelligent, skull-positive story cheerfully allays any fears children might have about their skeletons, and shifts our view of skulls from a creepy symbol to an intriguing, cool, and crucial part of our bodies.

When a spooky old tree blooms with the prettiest pomegranates ever seen, the neighborhood kids' mouths water. But the tree isn't theirs - and it has a protector! Thus begins the Pomegranate War!

Pick a pumpkin from the bed. Tall and slim or short and fat. Bright orange, ghostly white or mottled green could be just right!

Coming up short rarely has an advantage, and this verse-written story is no exception. The one who loses out has to enter the haunted house. Beware!

11. Big Pumpkin by Erica Silberman

The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to bake herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween - but the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the bush!

Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He's not afraid of the dark, and he's definitely not afraid of anything as stupid as underwear. But when the light goes out, his new big bunny underwear suddenly glows in the dark. After trying everything to get rid of them, why do they keep coming back?

13. by Joan Holub and Jan Smith

Fall is here, and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch! From 20 name tags on cloaks to a final pumpkin song, the class counts everything in sight!

Three children use a flashlight to light a path through their garden at night; another world appears in the beam of the flashlight.

When the wind blows away a witch's hat, bow and wand, three helpful animals find the missing items. In return, they all want to ride their broomsticks - but is there room for so many friends on the broomstick?

16 bone soup by Cambria Evans

Finnigin is never seen without his dining stool, tablespoon and giant eating mouth - but no one in his new town wants to share anything with him. Armed only with his wits and a special ingredient, will Finnigin be able to unleash a cauldron of Halloween magic?

When Splat goes to the pumpkin patch with Seymour, he's determined to find the biggest pumpkin ever. But when he finally does, Splat finds out that the real challenge isn't picking the pumpkins - it's bringing the pumpkin home!

You want to be friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks and most people can't even see him - because Leo is a ghost too.

19 stub by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Stumpkin is the prettiest pumpkin on the block. It's the perfect choice for a Halloween jack-o-lantern. There's just one problem: Stumpkin has a stump, not a stem. And nobody seems to want a stemless jack-o-lantern for their window.

Attention readers! This is the scariest book ever! At least that's what his melodramatic ghost narrator claims. You can go ahead and turn the page, but don't expect him to come with you. Anything could jump out of this black hole in the middle of the forest!

beep! beep! It's Halloween! Little Blue Truck picks up his animal friends for a costume party. Lift the flaps in this large, sturdy cardboard book to find out who's dressed in which costume! Will Blue also wear a costume?

Rebecca Estelle has hated pumpkins since she was a girl, when pumpkins were often her family's only food. When a giant pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes into her yard, she shovels dirt over the pieces and forgets about them. But those slimy pumpkin slivers sprout in the fall, and Rebecca Estelle finds a sea of ​​pumpkins in her garden.

What do you do when you encounter a ghost? If you follow a few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips How to befriend a ghostyou will see a ghost friend lovingly grow up and grow old with you.

Bonaparte is having a hard time. It's hard for this young skeleton to just hang around when he can't hold himself up. When he plays tag, his throwing arm literally takes a flyer. Lunch can be a real eye-catcher. How can he start school when he has so many screws loose?

The little old lady who wasn't afraid of anything

Once upon a time there was a little old lady who was afraid of nothing! But one autumn evening, as the little old lady was walking in the woods, she heard . . . smack, smack, shake, shake, smack, smack. And the little old lady who wasn't afraid of anything had the fright of her life!

This wordless picture book tells the story of how sometimes the mundane things in our lives can seem scary!

Pete loves Halloween and candy, but not so much scary surprises. Follow Pete as he trick-or-treats from house to house and discover what's waiting behind each door.

It's Halloween and ten shy ghosts in a haunted house have a problem: a wicked witch has moved in and plans to drive them away one by one! Will the ghosts scare the witch away in time for Halloween night?

A peaceful galaxy is changed forever when five friends open a door to a witches' burial ground. Will the crazy dead idiots they set free destroy the kids and everything they know?

As 10-year-old James and 7-year-old Mandy set out to pick their pumpkins, they spot two thugs wearing skeleton masks scaring kids deep in the corn maze.

Tony Gilbert never has anything to do with his weird Uncle Charlie until he moves in. Then they quickly become friends. Unfortunately, Uncle Charlie dies and Tony is devastated. Suddenly he sees Uncle Charlie everywhere, everywhere, everywhere!

In this third book in the series, life after the zombie apocalypse is looking pretty good for 13-year-old Jack Sullivan. He hangs out with his best friends, races around town and plays real-life Mario Kartand regularly fights zombies. Turns out they can not after all be the last children on earth. This is great news for everyone... except Jack.

Fourteen-year-old Zach Hall begins Halloween with his patent miserly disdain. Even the sudden appearance of a zombie named Kevin and a little witch named Alice - his friendly new neighbors - can't get him out of his nervousness. Until Zach encounters a magical scarecrow and makes a wish on the jack-o'-lantern.

Lilac Skully is afraid of ghosts. And many other things too. After her father's mysterious disappearance, Lilac must find a way to deal with the infamous ghosts that are haunting her home - or better yet, causing her to leave.

Perfect for Halloween, the five scary short stories in this book tell scary stories in the dark, around the campfire in the woods, or any sleepover.

Also check out 40 Hauntingly Fun Halloween Games, Crafts & Learning Activities for Kids.

If these ideas inspired you, join our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group and talk to the very teachers they suggested!

By: 35 of the Best Halloween Books for Classroom Shelves