Halloween is right around the corner and if you’re sick of seeing all the costume inspiration and pumpkin themed everything, why not pick up a Halloween read to get you in the mood? From classic novels turned film adaptations to intelligent portraits that battle modern day problems – these 10 books are sure to get you in the mood this year.
The Deviants by CJ Skuse
‘The Deviants’ follows a group of teenagers as they exact revenge on those they believe have wronged them – think the Famous Five but dark, twisted and far from the idyllic childhood that can sometimes be portrayed in the world of literature. The central themes are the effects of friendship, revenge, childhood’s end and the never-ending impact of childhood abuse on a growing person.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Born Scared by Kevin Brooks
‘Born Scared’ offers a frank and intelligent portrait of mental illness. The much-anticipated follow-up title from Kevin Brooks the author of ‘The Bunker Diary’ follows Elliot, who’s terrified of almost anything. Elliot muddles through life dependent on the medication prescribed to him, one day his mother goes out to fetch his prescription – but she doesn’t come back.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
In The Shadow of Blackbirds – Cat Winters
Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick
‘Saint Death’ is a potent, powerful and timely thriller about migrants, drug lords and gang warfare set on the US/Mexican border by prize-winning novelist, Marcus Sedgwick. The story follows Faustino who’s trying to escape from a gang he’s been working for. He’s dipped into a pile of dollars he was supposed to be hiding and now he’s on the run.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
The Apprentice Witch by James Nicol
‘The Apprentice Witch’ is an imaginative and kooky Halloween read and it’s the pefect light-hearted book to crack open this October. Arianwyn fluffed her witch’s evaluation test and has to continue as an apprentice – to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Haunt Me by Liz Kessler
Can you be unfaithful to a ghost? ‘Haunt Me’ centres around Erin, who has just moved to a small seaside town after a tough few years. She’s struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem and crippling shyness, but things take a turn when they move into their new house and Erin realises her room is haunted. This isn’t your usual tale of paranormal activity because Erin’s room is inhabited by the ghost of a lost, tangibly sad boy names Joe.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons – and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Black Powder by Ally Sherrick
Set in England, 1605. 12-year-old Tom must save his father from hanging. He falls in with a mysterious stranger – the Falcon – who promises to help him in exchange for his service. But on the long journey to London, Tom discovers the Falcon’s true mission – and a plot to blow up Parliament with barrels of black powder. Tom faces a terrible decision: secure his father’s release, or stop the assassination of the king …
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
You’ve most likely heard or seen the movie, but have you read the book yet? A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.
Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate’s baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.
Buy now in the U.K. and the U.S.
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