If you know me at all, you know I can’t do super spooky. Or horror. Or the news before bed. I’m more Casper the Friendly Ghost and Spookly the Square Pumpkin than Freddie or Jason or Children of the Corn, mmmmkay? (My Guy requested I watch Saw with him years ago and I cannot forget those scenes. Scaredy cat tolerance of an infant.) Here is a fun lineup of enchanting ghost stories that won’t make you lose precious sleep.
Littles
Ghost Cat by Kevan Atteberry is such a sweet tale of a little boy spotting and perhaps hearing a cat in his house. A cat very similar to the one he once had. The twist at the end is really so sweet. Not spooky at all for little ones!
Jean Reagan has created the most darling series of ‘How To…’ books and How To Scare a Ghost is a total gem! I freaking cannot get enough of these illustrations and the inclusive language. Rather than being a creepy, spooky book, this is about befriending a ghost – brilliant! And I kinda love that the ghost in this book is afraid of the vacuum. 👻
Gilbert the Ghost by Guido Van Genechten is ghost rose gold! Gilbert can’t find it in himself to make a spooky ‘boo’ at ghost school and gets sent away to figure things out. He befriends a cat and they make the most of the situation. Better yet, the other ghost buds accept that our pal Gil isn’t down with the spookiness. Big win!
Rebecca Green’s How to Make Friends with a Ghost is boo-tiful. Couldn’t help myself there. Oh my heavens, this is the sweetest take on ghosts! There are sections on feeding, bedtime, hazards and growing up. See? Total ghost delight here, peeps. Get a copy of this stat.
Oh my sweetness! Gustavo The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago was on my radar for months and it did not disappoint! I adore the illustrations. Adore. The font is big enough for reading to smalls if it’s been a long night of your peanut teething and your head isn’t screwed on. Bonus. And the message is spot on. Do me a favor and nab this book. You will be oh-so-glad!
Middle Grade
This book is a whole-family book! The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell is phenomenal! Just enough spooky for middle grade kiddos, the main character (Danny) is sassy and witty to engage the squirrel-iest kiddo and the chapters are short enough to make traction before everyone’s bedtime. Talk about a winner!
Don’t let the 300ish pages spook you (see what I did there?). This is a fast-paced book and elementary and older preschool kids will get sucked in.
Young Adult
Andrew Norriss, you are one talented writer! Friends for Life was the type of book where you have to stay up late to finish, hefty bag eyes be damned! This book is deeply serious but reads like a lighter novel. How this author did it, I dunno.
Francis is in high school and does not fit in. Imagine a male interested in all things fashion and design…not a far stretch in my mind, but I know IRL (and this book) people are turds sometimes. If you don’t fit in the predetermined mold, you are social roadkill.
We meet him deep in thought outside of school one winter day and Jessica comes out of nowhere and sits down on the bench next to him. Jessica doesn’t expect to be seen. You see, she’s dead. She’s a ghost. She’s been wandering around for a year (!) with no understanding how she died or what she is supposed to be doing.
Consequently, Jessica is PUMPED that Francis can see and hear her. Turns out, they have a lot in common (only children, interest in clothes, raised by single moms, etc.) and the two form a real, solid friendship.
A neighbor and high school daughter (Andi) move in down the street and Francis is asked told by his mom to help her assimilate into school. Turns out, she doesn’t quite fit the mold either. She’s not girly. She’s stocky. She’s not interested in fitting in either (huzzah). This is where things get extra good. Andi can also see and talk to Jessica.
Readers, there is so much goodness and ‘I know, RIGHT?!’ moments in this book. For an author who isn’t a teen (or hasn’t been one for a bit), gahhhhd, he sure gets how to pilfer the way they think!
I have an uncle who works in the fashion industry. His whole house looks like this, and he earns a fortune. This isn’t different. If you want to be different, try being a girl who looks so much like a boy that the teacher sends you to the wrong changing room.
Andrew Norriss, 68
So we have these three teens who don’t fit in and who have found their crew. I adore this book SO much. It gets better.
Andi’s mom is telling everyone that Francis is a miracle worker because he got Andi to really start fresh. Enter Roland. A teen who has been out of school for weeks with a mom desperate to call a stranger to ask if he can do his magic so her son will return to school.
Roland is seriously overweight. To say that doesn’t fit the high school mold would be an understatement. Sad, but true. Roland meets Andi and Jessica. Who he can see and talk to as well.
So not only do we have three living people who can see this ghost, but we have a mystery to solve. Why these three (and no one else they’ve come across)? And what is Jessica supposed to be doing anyway?
This is a beautiful story of social outliers who find each other and want the best for each other. It’s about building each other up. Seeing beyond surface-level and getting to know people for their heart. Tell me this isn’t just heartbreaking and uplifting. Gahhhh!
(What is so damn special about fitting the mold anyway? When you fit it, it’s a vice and also a weapon against others. When you don’t fit it, it’s a trap for the ‘when I’ and the ‘what if’ and the ‘then I.’ It’s a moving measuring stick. Why does it take us til our 20s and 30s or beyond to get to the principle of friendship for people’s hearts, and nothing else? I hope to all goodness that when my kids are that age, they just can be who they want to be. And support others doing the same. And run with kids who are just good humans. And don’t give a fig about varsity letters or being a size 2 or if they have a junker car or whatevs.)
But. There’s a twist you didn’t see coming.
No joke. It’s worth the late night, the too-early alarm clock and the book hangover. All worth it.
See, an incredible line-up of Halloween ghost stories for all ages. Boo-tiful. Off to bed. One not spooked out mama getting precious sleep. 🖤