Do you have any scary stories fans at home? Now’s the perfect time to check out one of these spine-tingling reads, all available for free download on Overdrive and great for scary story fans ages 9-12.
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (2015). Corinne isn’t afraid of jumbies, the supernatural creatures rumored to haunt the mahogany forests on her island home. She knows they don’t exist. But when she goes into the forest in search of her stolen necklace… something follows her out. With the help of some new friends, Corinne will have to face the most powerful jumbie her island has ever known.
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (2014). When two abandoned Irish siblings find work at a crumbling mansion in the middle of the sour wood, they get the uneasy feeling that things are not well with the family there. Everyone has terrible nightmares every night and each morning, they find muddy footprints throughout the house that don’t match the foot size of anyone in the family. Can they save the family from The Night Gardener?
The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki (2010). Ever since Abigail, the new girl at school, showed up, Timothy’s been having terrible nightmares… and now they seem to be coming true. Can Timothy figure out what about Abigail’s secret past is causing these terrible thing to happen?
Scary Stories Complete Set by Alvin Schwartz. These classic horror tales are available on Overdrive as individual volumes, or if you can’t get enough download the entire set and scare yourself silly.
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden (2018). When Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl who made a deal with “the smiling man”, she’s horrified to realize during their class field trip to a local farm that she’s stumbled on the graves of the very people she’s been reading about. And then the school bus breaks down on the way home and Ollie’s broken digital watch blinks an ominous message: “RUN.”
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh (2017). When Harper’s family moves into a new house, Harper gets a weird feeling. And when Harper’s brother starts talking to people who aren’t there, Harper must figure out who’s haunting her house and save her little brother.
