Chapter books for Halloween and beyond

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

Chapter books are where children can really start getting into and appreciating the scary, I think. The one I remember most from my childhood was The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. It probably isn’t what you’d describe as a traditional horror story, though it does have witches and wizards in it. It would probably be classified as fantasy, but it was one of the scariest books I read and I recall spending most of the time holding my breath and clenching my tummy I was so scared (but in a good way – I enjoy being scared like that!).

Here’s the blurb for the book:

When Colin and Susan are pursued by eerie creatures across Alderley Edge, they are saved by the Wizard. He takes them into the caves of Fundindelve, where he watches over the enchanted sleep of one hundred and forty knights.
But the heart of the magic that binds them – Firefrost, also known as the Weirdstone of Brisingamen – has been lost. The Wizard has been searching for the stone for more than 100 years, but the forces of evil are closing in, determined to possess and destroy its special power.
Colin and Susan realise at last that they are the key to the Weirdstone’s return. But how can two children defeat the Morrigan and her deadly brood?

Chris read it to RoRo last year, I think, and she certainly enjoyed it, but I think this is probably one that really comes into its own when you can read it yourself. And I read it many times without it ever becoming boring.

 

Here are some new titles that have been recently released (or are coming out soon). (We haven’t managed to read them all – it’s a lot quicker to read a picture book than a chapter book, but we’re looking forward to reading them all.)

Gobbolino The Witch’s Cat

No one could mistake Gobbolino for a simple kitchen cat, with his sparky whiskers and magic tricks, but that’s just what the witch’s kitten wants to be. Instead of learning how to turn mice into toads for the witch’s brew, Gobbolino sets out on an adventure to find a family and a home of his own.

 

Reissued for its 70^th anniversary, this classic tale, which has never been out of print, has been loved by generations of children. With beautiful illustrations from the award-winning Catherine Rayner, Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat is still as vital a part of any child’s library of classics as it was 70 years ago, and perfect for Halloween and Christmas gifting.

This is a beautiful book, with lovely illustrations by Catherine Rayner, and presented in a tactile hardback cover (which RoRo thought was really nice, too). What fun to have a story told from the point of view of the witch’s cat, rather than the witch!

Mister Creecher

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mr Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target… Victor Frankenstein.

I’ve only read a little bit so far, but am really looking forward to reading it in full very soon. It looks brilliant – tense, but with an easy flow to it and characters who jump out at you and get under your skin.

Constaple & Toop

Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour, blessed (or cursed) with an unusual gift. While his father buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot on the ‘other side’ – there is a horrible disease that is mysteriously imprisoning ghosts into empty houses in the world of the living. And Sam is caught in the middle – will he be able to bring himself to help?
Gareth P. Jones has woven a darkly comic story, a wonderfully funny adventure that roams the grimy streets of Victorian London.

This one also looks wonderful. The chapter titles on their own make me a shiver a bit – The Girl in the Kitchen, The Disappearance of Lil Mags… It’s been described as Dickensian and I can see that in the setting and the breadth of characters. And the language looks simple, while not shying away from more complex words: “That indefinable, invisible presence that had borne down on her…”

Gorgeous George and the Zigzag Zit-faced Zombies (not out until the end of January 2013)

A chemical experiment by the military as gone wrong and the toxins are now airborne. The pupils of Little Pumpington primary school are breathing in the gas and their behaviour is becoming bonkers.

This one’s not out for a while, but looks like it will be great fun, especially for children who like the gross and gruesome! Less of the truly scary, and more funny, I think, it has some great illustrations by Calvin Innes.

 

I’d love to have some recommendations for scary chapter books. Which ones did you enjoy when you were little and which ones do your children enjoy now?