Here is a list of great crossover books (that is, for older children and younger teens) about lots of scary subjects. You’ll find plenty of ghosts, witches, vampires, demons, and other things that will keep you in suspense!

You’ll be able to find some of these books in our children’s collections (CR), some in our young adult collections (YA), and some in both collections (CR & YA). If you’re looking for even more books like these, check out my first post on the same subject!

Need by Joelle Charbonneau (YA)

A group of students at Nottawa High School are invited to join a networking site called NEED. Students put in requests for things they want, like phones, computers, or better grades. In return, they just have to invite their friends to join. But the more kids join the site, the more the site asks them to do in return.        

The Weirn Books Vol 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods by Svetlana Chmakova (CR)

Ailis and Na’ya are weirns—they belong to the Night Realm, and they each have a demon guardian spirit called an astral. When Na’ya’s little brother goes missing, the girls need to work with their astrals and their friends, and venture into the Silent Woods to save him.                            

Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea and Yana Bogatch (YA)

In the town of Blackwell, all of the girls are witches. When Bucky’s little sister is kidnapped, panic spreads through the town. Bucky’s father is the sheriff, but his investigation is limited by Blackwell’s laws. Bucky is able to investigate in ways his father can’t. He is determined to save his sister, even if it means going up against the most powerful witches he’s ever known.

The Fall by Bethany Griffin (YA)

Madeline Usher is 18 years old, and she’s just been buried alive. After years of living with a family curse, it almost feels inevitable. Will she be strong enough to escape from the coffin, the curse, and the house? This reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher” twists an old tale into new directions.

Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso (YA)

Cassidy can’t remember everything that happened the day of the fire. The only thing she knows for sure is that she lived, but another girl died. Now the bullies at school torment her and call her a murderer. One of the worst bullies is Melody Davenport, and when Melody goes missing, Cassidy worries that people will think she’s responsible. 

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan (YA)

Friends don’t let friends date vampires. At least, that’s what Mel believes. So when her best friend Cathy starts falling for the undead boy who just transferred to their school, Mel has to figure out how to save her from literally throwing her life away.

The Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand (CR)

Victoria and Lawrence have an unusual friendship. She cares about her appearance and has excellent grades, while he’s messy and awkward. When Lawrence disappears, it’s almost like nobody cares that he’s gone or even remembers that he existed. But Victoria cares, and when she searches for Lawrence, the clues all point to a weird old house with a strange reputation.    

Camp So-And-So by Mary McCoy (YA)

When 25 girls were invited to spend a week at a place called Camp So-and-So, none of them could have imagined what an unusual place it was. Some of the girls will find their soulmates. Some of them will find magical creatures. Some of them will find themselves trapped in their cabin. And some of them will find a killer in the woods.

The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell (CR)

Danny thought that his biggest problem was that he wasn’t going to be able to move into his brother’s old room, after his parents decided to rent it out to strangers instead. But when Danny discovers that his brother’s room is haunted by an angry ghost who wants to drive people away, that turns into a much bigger problem.   

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (YA)

When Samantha Mather visited Salem for the first time, she discovered that being a descendant of Cotton Mather made her instantly unpopular among the locals. Then their distrust turned to anger when people started having accidents and even dying around her.                                        

The Girl From the Other Side Vol 1 by Nagabe (YA)

Shiva is a little girl who is waiting for her family to find her. Her demonic guardian is called Teacher. She is from the Inside and he is from the Outside, so they were never even supposed to meet. They cannot touch each other, but they still have a strong bond between them. They live together in an abandoned village, but Shiva wants to rejoin the humans. Only Teacher knows how dangerous that would be.    

Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega (CR)

Lucely and her father share their home with the spirits of their family. Most people see them as fireflies, but Lucely can see them for who they really are. When she learns about a spell that can bring spirits back from the underworld, she wants to cast it herself. But the spell goes terribly wrong, and Lucely will need lots of help to save her town and the spirits of her family.

The Agony House by Cherie Priest (YA)

Denise was pulled out of her life in Houston when her mother and stepfather decided to fix up an old house in New Orleans. The more time she spends in the house, the more she thinks it might be haunted, and that at least one of those ghosts wants to destroy her and her family.

The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth (CR)

Nate’s family moved to a new house in a new town, and Nate was unhappy about it. While he was exploring his room, he found an old tape recorder and a note under a loose floorboard. The note was addressed to him, and when he played the tape he heard the recorded voice of a boy named Walter who disappeared many years ago. 

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (CR)

Ever since Cass drowned and was rescued by a ghost named Jacob, her life has been different. Now Cass has the ability to see ghosts, but nobody else knows about it. When her parents bring her to one of the most haunted cities in the world for their summer vacation, Cass’ life gets even stranger. In Edinburgh, Scotland, Cass will see more ghosts than ever before, and most of them do NOT want to be disturbed.

Camp Midnight by Steven T. Seagle and Jason Adam Katzenstein (CR)

When Skye’s family decides to send her away to summer camp, they are so eager to get rid of her that they put her on the wrong bus. Camp Midnight isn’t anything like what she expected … because Skye never expected that she’d be surrounded by monsters.   

Thornhill by Pam Smy (CR & YA)

This illustrated novel is told from the viewpoint of two different girls at two different times—Mary in 1982 and Ella in 2017. Mary is an orphan, and she's miserable at the Thornhill Institute. Ella is curious about an old boarded-up building called Thornhill, and she’s even more curious about the shadowy figure of a girl she’s seen wandering around the building. 

 

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!