In elementary school, there was no better time of year than Halloween. Your classroom was decorated with cobwebs and spiders, you had to do fun art projects with pumpkins, and you even had a Halloween party at school where you could dress up, eat candy, and (if you were really lucky) watch a themed movie. But the best part about being at school in October wasn’t the holiday treats or even your teacher’s wacky costume, it was the Halloween books for kids you’ll always remember reading.
From preschool to middle school, from story time to independent reading, your month of October was full of fun Halloween stories with lots of ghouls, ghosts, and witches. There were tales of trick-or-treating on dark and windy nights, books about haunted houses and the brave kids who entered them, and mysterious monsters that caused all kinds of Halloween mayhem. Chances are the first book that really scared you was one you read in school for Halloween.
You are reading: Halloween books from the 90s
If you miss the days of scary tales and Christmas-themed chapter books, then you’re not alone. The closer we get to Halloween, the more I miss being a kid, especially because of books. Here are nine Halloween books for kids that you probably remember reading in school, because it’s okay to reminisce about the good old days of trick-or-treating.
julia donaldson’s room on the broom
Who doesn’t remember this delightful and witty story about a witch and her cat who fly delightfully through the night, collecting adorable animals along the way? Her lovely artwork and her clever rhymes made Halloween seem less scary and a lot more fun.
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big pumpkin by erica silverman
An inspiring Halloween story that teaches readers that no matter how big or small you are, as long as you work as a team, The Great Pumpkin is a classic childhood school read. features a witch, a ghost, a vampire, a mummy, a bad pumpkin, a giant pumpkin, and delicious pumpkin pie. is there more halloween than that?
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five little pumpkinsby dan yaccarino
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ah, the days of rhyming and counting: what I wouldn’t give to go back to the simpler times when my daily activities included snack time and singing along with five pumpkins. a simple and catchy book best read aloud, halloween wouldn’t have been the same without reading this in school many, many times.
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the little old lady who wasn’t afraid of anything by linda d. williams
When an old lady is followed by two shoes, pants, a shirt, gloves, a hat, and a pumpkin head, she doesn’t let herself be scared by them or the creepy dark night. Filled with gorgeously detailed illustrations and strong action words, The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anythingwas, and still is, the perfect Halloween read for kids.
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the berenstain bears and the creepy old tree by stan berenstain
Childhood, or school, wouldn’t be complete without a healthy dose of berenstain bear books, including berenstain bears and the creepy old tree. the three bears venture into the dark and creepy forest to explore a creepy old tree, and your 5-year-old self gets goosebumps just thinking about their nighttime adventure.
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scary halloween by eve bunting
Glowing green eyes peer out from the darkness and see passing ghosts, ghouls, witches, goblins and more in Halloween Scary Scary, a spooky Halloween tale whose title says it all. Rhymes and repetition made this scary book a Halloween favorite and perennial school read.
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horrible harry on halloween by suzy kline
I don’t know about you, but the awful harry books were among my favorite chapter books to read, including all the Christmas installments. harry, miss mackle and the whole class in room 3b always had a great time, especially in horrible harry at halloween. Speaking of remembering, this marble deck really brings me back.
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roald dahl’s witches
Although not technically a Halloween book, Roald Dahl’s terrifying children’s book about square-footed witches and children turned into mice was usually assigned to read sometime in October. A book for older children, The Witches was one of the first books that really scared me when I read it alone, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of my favorite Halloween reads of all time.
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ray bradbury’s halloween tree
when my teacher assigned ray bradbury’s halloween tree to read, my dad smiled and said, “don’t stay up late reading that.” Little did I know he was saying that not because of my habit of reading way past my bedtime, but because he knew it would give me the creeps, which it absolutely was. everyone remembers reading halloween tree for school and coming up the next day pretending it didn’t keep them up all night.
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image: popofatticus/flickr
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