Welcome to Dead House

Stine, R.L. (1992). Welcome to Dead House. New York, NY: Scholastic.

*Goosebumps series #1

Plot: Josh and Amanda are moving to a new house with their parents and dog Petey. They both are unhappy about the move to the creepy old house and quiet town of Dark Falls. Who is this "Uncle" that left them the house and why does Petey keep barking at everyone from this town, when he's never done that before? Strange things keep happening to Amanda, like footsteps in her room, strange giggling in the night and the curtains in her room keep fluttering, even when the windows are closed. She could have sworn she saw a boy staring out her bedroom window and a girl standing at the foot of the stairs, but no one believes her. Is it her, or is their something weird going on in their new house?

Genre: Horror, mystery

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6

Subjects/themes: ghosts, moving, friendship, family, haunting, death.

Other Goosebumps books:

• Beware, The Snowman
• Ghost Beach
• Night of the Living Dummy
• The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb

More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schwartz, A. (2010). More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing.
Illustrations by Brett Helquist.

Plot: A collection of scary stories about ghosts, vampires, and other strange events. Many will probably sound familiar, like when a girl and boy meet at a dance, the boy drops her off close to her house, and goes back to ask her something and finds out she died in a car accident earlier that night! How about 3 men in a nursing home with only one window, and when one dies the next one gets to be by the window. There are two left, one man describes the view as beautiful. He dies and finally the last man gets to see the beautiful outside world, only to find himself staring at a brick wall! There are many more stories to send chills down your back in this collection.

Genre: Horror

Recommended reading level: Grades 5-7

Subjects/themes: ghost stories, scary stories, death, hauntings, thrills and chills.

Other Books in this series:

• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Annotation: Ever wonder what gives you those creepy feelings when you are all alone? Alvin Schwartz has come up with the answer with his collection of scary stories... read them, with the lights on!

The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night

Stine, R. L. (2001). The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Plot: 10 creepy stories ranging from two friends who go out on Halloween, get invited to a party for dead people, only to find they are dead too! How about a young kid who plays a trick on his friend, making him into a snowman. He thinks he left him as a snowman too long and is frozen when the friend jumps out and scares him to death! Stories to check out in this collection are: The Halloween Dance; The Bad Baby-sitter; Revenge of the Snowman; How to Bargain with a Dragon; The Mummy's Dream; Are We There Yet?; Take Me with You; My Imaginary Friend; Losers; Can You Draw Me?

Note: This book isn't very scary at all, so I wouldn't recommend it for older tweens.

Genre: Horror

Suggested reading level: Grades 3-5

Subjects/themes: Ghosts, horror, voodoo, death, scary stories.

Other Books by R.L. Stine:

• Goosebumps series
• Fear Street series
• The Nightmare Room series

Annotation: R. L. Stine brings you a collection of 10 scary stories for young children that will keep you up till late at night. Read this book at your own risk!