13 Canadian books for kids and young adults to read for Halloween
CBC Books | Posted: October 26, 2022 4:57 PM | Last Updated: October 26, 2022
Check out these scary good books by Canadian authors, just in time for Halloween.
Revenge of the Raccoons by Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld
Revenge of the Raccoons is a fun-filled story about raccoons who decided to take over the city. Featuring art inspired by classic horror film posters, Revenge of the Raccoons makes a statement about the human-animal dynamic living in the big city.
Revenge of the Raccoons is for ages 4 to 8.
Vivek Shraya is a Canadian artist and author who works in music, writing and visual art. Her books include the novel The Subtweet, the longform essay I'm Afraid of Men and graphic novel Death Threat.
Juliana Neufeld is an Ontario artist and illustrator.
LISTEN | Vivek Shraya discusses her latest book, Revenge of the Raccoons:
A Wee Boo by Jessica Boyd, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
A ghost named Wee Boo tries as best as she can to be scary but people think she's just too cute. And when her attempts at haunting a baby only makes the child laugh, Wee Book learns that being an invisible friend just might be the spookiest trick of all.
A Wee Boo is for ages 3 to 5.
Jessica Boyd is an Ontario writer, author and blogger. Boyd reviews kid lit titles on her popular blog, Jess Reviews a Book.
Brooke Kerrigan is a Toronto-born artist and illustrator who splits her time between Ontario and France. Her artwork has been featured in Canadian picture books such as A Plan for Pops, which was a finalist for the 2020 Blue Spruce Award.
Haunted Canada 11 by Joel A. Sutherland
The newest edition of the popular Haunted Canada series features more chills, thrills and things that go bump in the night. The collection of ghost stories are set in real-life locations across Canada and make for a spooky read for middle-graders.
Haunted Canada 11 is for ages 9 to 11.
Joel A. Sutherland is an Ontario author of thriller, horror and fantasy short stories and novels, anthologies and children's books. His work includes Haunted Canada 10 and Haunted: The House Next Door.
A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney
A House Unsettled is a YA novel about a creepy old house and the secrets inside it. When Asha moves to her great aunt's old house in the country in search of a fresh start, she is immediately drawn to her neighbour Cole. Excited by this connection, her optimism is soon overshadowed by strange occurrences happening within the house. From footsteps in the halls to cold hands around her neck in the night, Asha fears for her safety and seeks out the source of these terrifying incidents, only to uncover secrets from the past that connect her to Cole's family.
A House Unsettled is for ages 14 and up.
Trynne Delaney is a Montreal-based writer. They are also the author of the novella the half-drowned. A House Unsettled is their debut novel.
The Devil's Music by Nathan Page and Drew Shannon
The second book in The Montague Twins series of YA novels features detectives, witches and rock and roll. Magical teen detectives Alastair, Pete, Charlie and Rachel are also members of a local rock band. When a big-time rock star named Gideon rolls into their coastal town of Port Howl, a magical mystery follows as well. The Devil's Music is a story about magical music, hypnotic spells and how the Montague Twins have to solve the mystery before all is lost.
The Devil's Music is for ages 12 and up.
Nathan Page is an Ontario-based author.
Drew Shannon is a Toronto-based illustrator born in London, Ont.
The Seaside Corpse by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Isabelle Follath
The Seaside Corpse is the third book in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series. The Seaside Corpse involves our intrepid young sleuths Aggie and Hector finding a dead body on the beach. When a team of paleontologists are digging up the fossilized bones of an ichthyosaur from the sea by Lyme Regis, Aggie and Hector are on the case to find out the mystery of that seaside corpse.
The Seaside Corpse is for ages 10 and up.
Marthe Jocelyn is the author of over 20 books, including The Invisible Enemy, Mayfly and the Aggie Morton series of middle-grade books.
Isabelle Follath is an artist and illustrator from Switzerland.
Heartbreak Homes by Jo Treggiari
Heartbreak Homes is a YA novel about a murder and the three teenagers who team up to try to solve it. Frankie isn't into the party scene, but she would do anything for her best friend, Jessa, who has been hanging out with the popular kids and vying for Malcolm's attention. Martin, on the other hand, hasn't heard from his friends after his family moved across town when his dad lost everything, while Cara and her crew have been stealing for their survival. When Malcolm throws a massive party at his father's deserted development property, a lifeless body is found and Frankie, Martin and Cara must forge new bonds in order to unmask a killer.
Heartbreak Homes is for ages 12 and up.
Jo Treggiari was born in London, England, and raised in Canada. She is the author of the YA novels Blood Will Out, Ashes, Ashes and The Grey Sisters, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award.
Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel
In the novel Ghostlight, a teen named Gabe revels in his summer job giving ghost tours on Toronto Island. He loves to tell the story of Rebecca Strand, a teen who died after a fall from Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in 1839. But when he encounters the ghost of Rebecca, he learns that her death may not have been an accident. Gabe tries to solve the mystery but along the way encounters more ghosts, some not quite as friendly as Rebecca.
Ghostlight is for ages 9 to 12.
Kenneth Oppel is a bestselling author whose books include the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide, and Airborn, which won the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature — text. His most recent books include Inkling, Every Hidden Thing and The Nest.
LISTEN | Kenneth Oppel takes the Proust Questionairre:
The Witch's Apprentice by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Cherise Harris
The latest book in the Dragon's Bag series is The Witch's Apprentice. The middle-grade novel continues the adventures of Jaxon who is faced with new challenges and secrets now that the baby dragons have been returned to the magical realm. Not only has the summer been strangely cold, a sleeping sickness has spread across the city. It's up to Jax to help his friends and solve the magical mystery.
The Witch's Apprentice is for ages 8 to 12.
Zetta Elliott is a Canadian children's writer and poet now based in the U.S. The books in her Dragon's Bag series includes Dragons in a Bag and The Dragon Thief.
Cherise Harris is an illustrator living in Barbados. She enjoys creating narratives with her work, and making sculptures and building puppets.
LISTEN | Zetta Elliott discusses her book, The Witch's Apprentice:
The Great Outer Dark by David Neil Lee
The Great Outer Dark is a fantasy YA novel. Nate Silva has voyaged across the galaxy only to return home to Hamilton to find it's in the grip of a monstrous triumvirate. The Resurrection Church of the Ancient Gods has returned and the city is infested with invasive species from the church's occult ceremonies. For the safety of everyone he loves, Nate teams up with his friend H.P. Lovecraft and hijacks the antique airship Sorcerer for one last voyage to free Earth once and for all.
The Great Outer Dark is for ages 12 and up.
David Neil Lee is a writer and musician from British Columbia, living in Hamilton, Ont. He is the author of Commander Zero, The Battle of the Five Spot: Ornette Coleman and the New York Jazz Field and the YA novels, The Midnight Games and The Medusa Deep.
Night Lunch by Eric Fan, illustrated by Dena Seiferling
Night Lunch is a picture book set in a Victorian city at night under the watchful eye of the hungry Night Owl. As the animals and people set down to eat under the midnight sky, Mouse is wary. Owl has spotted Mouse... will he be next on the menu?
Night Lunch is for ages 4 to 8.
Eric Fan is a writer and frequent collaborator with brother Terry Fan on children's books. Their books include The Night Gardener and Ocean Meets Sky. They also illustrated The Darkest Dark by astronaut and author Chris Hadfield.
Dena Seiferling is a Canadian illustrator of children's books and needle-felt artist based in Calgary.
A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
In A Venom Dark and Sweet, the conclusion to the Book of Tea duology, a great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi and the Banished Prince has seized control. Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi — a wielder of magic using the ancient art of tea-making — along with Ning's sister, Princess Zhen and her bodyguard, Ruyi, travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help take back Zhen's rightful throne.
A Venom Dark and Sweet is for ages 13 and up.
Judy I. Lin was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. Magic Steeped in Poison is the first book in the Book of Tea duology.
LISTEN | Judy I. Lin on the first book in the Book of Tea duology:
Murder at the Hotel Hopeless by John Lekich
In the YA novel Murder at the Hotel Hopeless, Charlie Hope helps his mother run the family hotel, where nothing much usually happens. But when Mr. Ignato, an elderly resident at the hotel, dies after falling down the stairs, Charlie suspects foul play. Nobody believes him except for Penny Price, a spoiled child actor staying at the hotel. The two team up to solve the murder and stumble across Mr. Ignato's criminal past.
Murder at the Hotel Hopeless is for ages 12 and up.
John Lekich is a Vancouver journalist and author whose work has appeared in the Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times and the Globe and Mail. He is also the author of several YA novels, including The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls, King of the Lost and Found and The Losers' Club, which was a 2002 finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature – text.