The Kids Are Not Alright: 10 Middle Grade Horror Books To Read As an Adult
By: Katelynn Jasper
SHOP THIS ISSUE HERE: bookshop.org/lists/suspense-readin-magazine.
Raise your hand if you’re an adult and still get the shivers walking past the Scary Stories to Tell the Dark series in your favorite bookstore 🙋♀️...just me? Alright, well, if horror has taught me anything throughout the years, it’s that kids can be creepy, and it turns out their books are even creepier. Whether you are an avid horror reader or new to the genre, there are some incredible spooky gems waiting for you in the middle grade section of your local bookstore and library.
And if you’re thinking to yourself, “but middle grade is for kids!” while you are correct that most middle grade books are targeted towards readers aged 8-12, middle grade fiction dives into deeper themes than chapter books typically explore, but isn’t as introspective as YA. For many of us, it was the books we read in middle grade that made us the readers we are today. So, many of the themes explored in middle grade, like friendship, grief, acceptance,and courage, are great for adult readers to revisit.
These 10 middle grade horror books are a perfect opportunity to connect with your inner child–or demon.
ANOTHER BY PAUL TREMBLAY
Out: July 22, 2025
New York Times bestselling, acclaimed horror author Paul Tremblay is taking on middle grade horror with this unforgettable debut that is so chilling you’ll want to grab your favorite cardigan to stave off the goosebumps.
It all starts with a phone call and an unexpected visitor. Casey Wilson doesn’t know what to think when Morel, a strange kid with skin like clay, shows up at his door. But after an unfortunate ZOOM incident, and with his older sister off at college, Casey is in desperate need of a friend, and even though Morel doesn’t speak, he’s a great listener. When Casey’s normally loving parents start to distance themselves from him and instead fawn over Morel, Casey begins to realize something is very wrong. To make matters worse, when the dark of the night settles in, Morel doesn’t really look like a kid at all and Casey begins to wonder if this nightmare of a sleepover will ever end.
SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES BY CHRISTIAN MCKAY HEIDICKER
Out: August 20, 2019
If Beatrix Potter was a horror lover, she’d surely love this unique short story collection that shows just how dark it can become in the forest for the creatures that live there.
The haunted season has arrived in Antler Woods, and no fox kit is safe. Mia and Uly, two unruly kits, are separated from their litters and must make it through a dangerous world full of monsters to make it home safely. From flesh-eating zombies to a ghost sent on a hunt for them this collection, accompanied by spine-tingling illustrations, this novel is full of stories too scary to even mention here.
WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE BY R.L. STINE
Out: September 1, 2003
An oldie but a goodie, Welcome to Dead House is the first book in the Goosebumps series and will make new home buyers side-eye their realtors.
Siblings Amanda and Josh think the old house they just moved into is weird…or haunted. Probably both. And it’s not any better in the town of Dark Falls, where the other townsfolk seem almost ghostly. But like most parents, Amanda and Josh push aside their fears and encourage them to make some new friends. When they run into other kids, they think things might be looking up, but these new acquaintances bring a whole new meaning to “friends forever.”
BROKEN DOLLS BY ALLY MALINENKO
Out: August 31, 2025
Author of Ghost Girl and This Appearing House, Ally Malinenko brings a terrifying twist to play time in this gripping middle grade novel about a girl learning to process grief and survive antique dolls that are a little more lifelike than most would be comfortable with.
After the passing of her grandfather, Kaye has been obsessed with counting the steps to her bedroom, the dolls on her sister’s bed, and more. Lately, numbers have come easier than words to describe how she feels now that Grandpa is gone. When Kaye and her family take the summer to clean out and renovate his house, they unearth more than just memories. Kaye’s little sister begins to find dolls buried in the backyard, stuffed in the walls, and crammed into closets. While her little sister quickly becomes obsessed, Kaye doesn’t like the way the dolls smile at her or how their eyes open and close on their own. Even worse, they seem to be whispering things to her sister. While all the adults pass it off as an overactive imagination, Kaye knows there’s something a lot darker going on here and she must figure out how to save her sister before the dolls make her play with them. Forever.
HIDE AND SEEKER BY DAKA HERMON
Out: September 15, 2020
It turns out the games we loved as kids were scarier than we remember, especially when the monsters end up being real.
Justin’s friend, Zee, has been missing for a year so when he suddenly reappears, everyone is beside themselves with joy…except for Justin. He just can’t shake the feeling that something is off with his best friend. At Zee’s welcome home party, Justin and their other friends decide to play a game of Hide and Seek. But one by one, everyone who plays starts to disappear. When they awake in an unspeakable place, Justin and his friends realize this is where Zee has been trapped all along and now they must hide from the one called Seeker…or else.
THE NEST BY KENNETH OPAL
Out: October 6, 2015
Summer is supposed to be a time of tanning, cool drinks, and fun, but it’s also a time of the creepiest of crawlies and this book will have you reaching for the extra tough bug spray.
Steve is a worrier. He worries about his sick newborn brother, his stressed out parents, and most recently, a giant wasp’s nest looming near his room. If that wasn’t enough, Steve has been experiencing dreams about a wasp queen who offers to “fix” his baby brother. All he has to do is say “yes.” But “yes” is a powerful word, and Steve is about to learn that it’s a dangerous one too.
RIDE OR DIE BY DELILAH S. DAWSON
Out: August 5, 2025
This scary middle grade book makes the gut-twisting double loops on a roller coaster feel like child’s play.
All Brie wants is to finally be accepted by the Ems—the most popular girls at school–and a sleepover at an amusement park presents the perfect opportunity. Just as long as she can keep a reputation-ending secret under wraps. But when the Ems take a game of truth or dare too far, Brie finds herself alone in an abandoned section of the park where she meets a group of cool older teens who invite her to join them. But little does Brie realize she’s about to be strapped in for the ride of her life….or death…as she comes face to face with a reawakened evil so horrifying, you won’t be able to hold the screams in.
NOT QUITE A GHOST BY ANNE URSU
Out: January 16, 2024
Fans of The Yellow Wallpaper are going to love this middle grade exploration of the ghosts that haunt our halls, as well as the ones we carry inside.
Violet Hart and her family are the newest inhabitants of the house on Katydid Street. A house that, for a long time, has sat silent and alone among the others. Through the move, changing friend groups, and a new baby sibling, Violet has told herself that change is necessary, even good. But then she sees her new room and everything comes tumbling down. The attic bedroom is creaky and covered in old yellow wallpaper that seems to move in the night or when caught out of the corner of Violet’s eyes. Despite trying her best to settle in, Violet falls ill and she can’t seem to get better. Trapped in her room as friends and family try to figure out what is happening, Violet soon discovers she might not be alone in the room at all.
DREAD DETENTION BY JENNIFER KILLICK
Out: February 13, 2024
The Breakfast Club meets Goosebumps in this middle grade horror that will rival your worst nightmares about being back in school with a test you didn’t prepare for.
When classmates Hallie, Angelo, Gustav, and Naira are forced to come to school on a Saturday, they think things can’t get much worse. But then their teacher is dragged underground and something evil is lurking in the shadows growing stronger by the minute. The gang must work together to get themselves out of school before detention turns deadly for them all.
THE LAST RHEE WITCH BY JENNA LEE-YUN
Out: May 14, 2024
Summer camp is all fun and games until it includes a gwishin haunting in this middle grade novel that puts the heart in horror while exploring Korean folklore.
Since her mother died when she was five, it’s always been Ronnie Miller and her dad. And Ronnie’s okay with that. She likes when things stay the way they are. But this summer, Ronnie and her best friend Jack are headed to Camp Foster for sleepaway camp, where secrets and a gwishin with a blood-red scarf wrapped around her ghoulish neck are here to threaten all that Ronnie held dearly to. Between new friends, new foes, and new revelations that disprove all that Ronnie ever thought was true, this summer is going to be one to remember forever, if they ever live to see the end of it.