These horror books for kids bring together scary fairy tales, spooky picture books, campfire stories and classic ghost tales. All of them are free to read online or download in PDF.
Every story was picked for young readers, from small scares for picture book fans to real chills for ages 9 to 12. You'll find the darkest tales of the Brothers Grimm, Oscar Wilde's funny haunted castle and Washington Irving's Headless Horseman.
Perfect for a Halloween read-aloud or a flashlight under the covers. Pick a story, turn off the lights and see who screams first.
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Read-Aloud
Short Scary Stories
These short horror stories for kids take about five minutes to read aloud. They are great for campfires, sleepovers and kids who want just a little fright.
Six spooky campfire tales, from The Hairy Hands to The Ape in the Woods, written to be read aloud on family camping trips. Each story comes with tips on how to tell it for the biggest scare.
Dozens of very short scary stories written by kids ages 6 to 12 for a public library contest, from krakens and haunted dresses to werewolves next door. Each tale takes just a few minutes to read.
A lonely old man walking home at night hears a strange hiss and is sure a ghost is following him. A short illustrated story with a funny twist, perfect for early readers.
On Christmas Eve a group of friends takes turns telling ghost stories, and every one goes hilariously wrong. A short, funny collection that proves ghost stories can make you laugh as much as shiver.
A dripping ghost who floods a manor every Christmas Eve, a spectre cook and a club of very social spirits. Eight short comic ghost stories by one of America's great humorists.
These classic scary stories for kids have thrilled readers aged 9 to 12 for over a century. Some are funny, some are creepy, and many are read in middle school.
An American family buys a haunted English castle and refuses to be scared, leaving its centuries-old ghost humiliated and desperate. Funny and spooky at the same time, the perfect first ghost story.
Schoolteacher Ichabod Crane rides home through a haunted valley and meets the Headless Horseman. The legendary American ghost story behind countless Halloween traditions.
A cursed paw grants three wishes, and a quiet family learns the hard way to be careful what they ask for. One of the most famous scary stories ever written, a favorite in middle school.
A lonely railway signalman is haunted by a ghostly figure that appears before every disaster on the line. A quiet, chilling ghost story by the author of A Christmas Carol.
A nervous narrator swears he is not mad while telling how a beating heart gave away his crime. Poe's most famous short story, a classic read in middle school classrooms.
Two old school friends remember a strange Latin teacher, a mysterious message and the night something came for him. A short ghost story set in a boys' boarding school.
Four gentle Victorian ghost stories by one of the most loved children's authors of her time, dedicated to her young nieces. Mysterious visitors and old houses, with chills but no gore.
Long before Disney, fairy tales were dark and full of witches, ogres and wicked stepmothers. These original tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and others still give kids a delicious chill.
Bluebeard, the blood-stained key, a goblin in a bottle, a blind ogre and an island of demons. Nineteen folk tales from around the world retold for children, with the original illustrations.
A cruel stepmother, a boy who disappears and a bird that sings a terrible secret until justice is done. The darkest of all the Grimm fairy tales, in the classic Margaret Hunt translation.
A wizard kidnaps three sisters and forbids them to open one door in his house. The clever youngest outwits him in this German cousin of Bluebeard, one of the creepiest Grimm tales.
A miller's daughter visits her rich fiancé's house deep in the forest and discovers what he really is. A tense Grimm tale where a brave girl uses her wits to expose a band of robbers.
A poor man chooses Death himself as godfather for his son, who grows up to be a famous doctor with a dangerous gift. An eerie Grimm tale about the one bargain nobody can cheat.
Karen loves her red shoes so much that she wears them to church, and then they will not stop dancing. Andersen's most unsettling fairy tale, a dark lesson about vanity.
Shock-headed Peter, the girl who played with matches and the boy who sucked his thumb. Hoffmann's famous cautionary tales in rhyme, the original scary picture book, with all its color illustrations.
On Halloween night, a little monster who is afraid of everything learns that the scariest things are not so scary after all. A rhyming picture book for ages 2 to 5.
A witch walks through the forest on Halloween and meets ghosts learning to fly, an elf in a pumpkin and other friendly spooks. A short rhyming picture book with bright illustrations for the youngest readers.
Reggie is trying to sleep when he hears monsters whispering under his bed. A picture book about nighttime fears, with a happy ending and a short vocabulary section for new readers.
Boochandis are little monsters that are everywhere: some have claws, some glow in the night and some have eaten too many sweets. A silly rhyming picture book that turns monsters into fun.
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