Grimericks

Written by: Susan Pearson and Gris Grimly

First line: Dear Reader, please lend me your ear

Why you should read this book: A cute little gothy kids' book featuring twenty moderately amusing limericks about various creepy subjects (ghosts, ghouls, witches, and so on). The rhymes are clearly just vehicles for the delightfully demented illustrations of black cats with mismatched eyes, dead little girls with birds nesting in their hair, and so on. Perfect for big kids with dark senses of humor. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't think there's anything funny about death. 

Bad Dreams in the Night

Written by: Adam Ellis 

First line: My favorite movie as a kid is something nobody seems to have heard of. 

Why you should read this book: A collection of short horror stories presented in comic format, this book runs the gamut from creepy to horrifying, touching on various subgenres, putting new twists on old stories and probably showcasing the author's own fear. There's sci-fi horror, gothic horror, true crime horror, and just weird horror. Nothing too graphic, they're mostly chilling and atmospheric, sometimes touching or even comedic, but also spooky.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Some of it is a bit gruesome. 

Not Quite a Ghost

Written by: Anne Ursu

First line: The house stood a little apart from the rest of the block, as if it did not quite fit in. 

Why you should read this book: Violet Hart is already dealing with that strange uncertainty that accompanies the transition from elementary to middle school and the questions of whether the people you've been friends with your entire life will remain your friends once puberty commences, and now her mom and stepdad have decided to purchase this really creepy house so she can have her own room, even if that room is in the extra creepy attic. This isn't quite a ghost story, although there's definitely something like a ghost in the house, but it draws most of its spookiness from its discussion of undiagnosed chronic illness and its use of symbols and themes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Anyone who's ever been accused of malingering when they felt awful or been gaslit by "friends" who had turned against them will understand what Violet is going through in this well-paced and clever story.

Why you shouldn't read this book: If you still haven't gotten a diagnosis, it might be a bit frustrating. 

Cuentos: The Bilingual Latinx+ Illustrated Mythology Anthology

Edited by: Andres D. Bravo

First line: I grew up in a house decorated with Aztec warrior and gods. 

Why you should read this book: This ambitious volume showcases the work of a number of Latinx artists from around the world, featuring full color illustrations in a variety of styles, most of which are paired with short stories, written in both Spanish and English. These run the gamut from old religious myths like Xipe Tótec to newer urban legends like chupacabra, and every kind of legend in between, some told like fairy tales, others like personal narratives or encyclopedia entries. A creepy little book that will appeal to fans of mythology, horror, Spanish cultures, and deviant art. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You never once listened to any warning given to you by an adult who had your best interests in mind and was leaving you home alone for some reason.

Gris Grimly's Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus

Written by: Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly

First line: You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings.

Why you should read this book: Unquestionably one of the finest (if not the best) graphic novel adaptations of a classic work of literature I've ever had the pleasure of devouring, and not only because Grimly does an excellent job of preserving the original text while judiciously cutting bits that don't serve his work and won't be missed. With Victor and Elizabeth drawn as OG gothic punks (although this does highlight the fact that Victor is also, at heart, the OG emo kid), the monster looming more physically monstrous than in any other iteration (making his depiction somehow even more sympathetically pathetic), and the whole thing being set in a world that appears simultaneously pastoral and post-apocalyptic, naturalistic and steampunk-infused, this book seems to cut to the heart meat of the tale while also reviving its antique heartbeat for a modern audience. As always, this is a story about the price of being an irresponsible white guy with more money than common sense who isn't accountable to anyone and kind of gets away with murder until he horrifyingly doesn't.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I have to admit that I grabbed it off the shelf without really looking at what I was getting, because I just saw the G G of the author's name and my brain assumed it was a book from a completely different author whose title also contains the initials G G and which also has a powerful steampunk aesthetic (God bless the Foglios, my absolutely favorite webcomic creators of all time, but they simply haven't got the control/love of darkness needed for this undertaking).

Get Gris Grimly's Frankenstein now

The Crossroads at Midnight

Written by: Abby Howard

First line: What's it like with the old farmer?

Why you should read this book: As a huge fan of the author's Junior Scientist Power Hour and The Last Halloween webcomics, I was thrilled to discover that Abby Howard has published a devilishly inventive 350-page book comprising five freaky horror comics. With artwork that transcends the more cartoonish images of some of her earlier work, these legitimately spooky comics pull no punches—even children aren't safe from the various monsters that inhabit these detailed black-and-white worlds—and deliver true terror, often from unexpected directions, and occasionally, a drop of compassion. There's no telling what the outcome might be when you befriend a fiend, but if scary stories and dark comics get you going, this collection is highly recommended. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are easily disturbed and all alone.

Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories

Written by: Dan SaSuWeh Jones

First line: Ghost stories were a big part of my life growing up as an American Indian.

Why you should read this book: It sets itself apart from most collections of creepy stories and folktales in two ways: first that, many of the stories were personally collected by the author, and second, that many of the stories really happened. It sets itself apart from most collections of indigenous legends in that the author and illustrator, as well as all their sources, are indigenous themselves. This is a kids' book, but the spooky factor is turned up fairly high on some of them—readers will meet all kind of terrifying spirits, monsters, ghosts, and other fairy tale creatures, none of whom have the best wishes of humanity in mind. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Probably too scary for very young readers.

Doll Bones

Written by: Holly Black

First line: Poppy set down one of the mermaid dolls close to the stretch of asphalt road that represented the Blackest Sea.

Why you should read this book: It's a simple, but rather thrilling story, part thriller, part murder mystery, part road story, and all about that age when boys and girls start thinking about growing up. Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been playing make-believe together for a long time, but when Zach's father pushes him to quit, Poppy will do anything to get him back in the club, including taking her mother's mysterious, forbidden, and apparently haunted doll out of the cabinet. Now they're either being haunted by the ghost of a Victorian girl, or the victim of Poppy's imagination, and either way, they'll be going a very long way to free themselves from the past.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You would do anything to keep the remains of your loved ones nearby.