Skip to main content

If You Like: Scary Books to Listen To


I am a sucker for a good audio book. If you like scary audios like Small Spaces by Katherine Arden, City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, or my personal favorite The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, then these five new scary listens just might make you spookily happy.

Also, there is something about listening to a scary story that just makes the tale all the creepier. It could be that when I listen to scary stories I imagine the times that I sat around a campfire with friends telling tales that would hopefully keep us up all night in our tents listening to every little wilderness sound. Or when we were huddled around a dark living room in sleeping bags trying to scare each other so that we would stay up all night together. I don’t know. But there is something about listening to a good scary story. If you too like listening to scary stories and in honor of Halloween and all things that are deliciously terrifying, here are some of my more recent favorite audio books to listen to. 

These books can be found on Libby by Overdrive. 




By Julie Murphy 
Narrated by Katie Ladner 
HarperCollins Publishers Inc. | Balzer + Bray, 2023 
Duration: 06:29:52 

Maggie is horrified to learn that her mother sent her to Camp Sylvania (a fat camp) instead of the performing arts camp that she thought she was going to for the summer. When Maggie notices that things aren’t what they seem—and that there may be a vampire at camp—she and her friends have to figure out a plan to save themselves and the rest of the campers. 




By Stefan Bachmann 
Narrated by Justine Eyre 
HaperCollins Publishers Inc. | Greenwillow Books, 2020 
Duration: 06:50:51 

Zita Brydgeborn received a letter stating that she had inherited a distant castle. It comes with random servants and in entrenched in a battle between good and evil (with a fair bit of monsters and relatives that are from the beyond) that could potentially consume her. As Zita tries to untangle the truth of her past, who she is, and what is going on; she must also learn magic and make a stand that could make or break everything. 




By Susan Tan 
Narrated by Dana Wing Lau 
Books on Tape | Listening Library, 2023 
Duration: 05:15:25 

Mo is a twelve-year-old girl who has had many hard things happen to her in a short amount of time. Due to a fire, her family loses their home and she is terrified of potential fire dangers. Mo also is sad that her step-dad (that she viewed like her real dad) left and started another family. And to top everything off, the town that they move to (they moved into her uncle’s house) has a mysterious past with a ghost elephant that not everyone can see but for some reason tends to haunt Mo. 




By Dee Hahn 
Narrated by Tim Campbell 
Blackstone Audio, Inc. | Blackstone Publishing, 2022 
Duration: 07:32:03 

Spade is a grave thief that comes from a family of grave thieves. When he is assigned to rob a specific grave, things don’t go as planned. In order to save his family from what happened, Spade must go on a quest with Ember (the Queen’s niece) and ultimately square off with the petrifying monster that terrifies the neighborhood. Lots of questing, adventure, and mystery all thrown in with graveyards, monsters, and magic. 




By Justina Ireland 
Narrated by Bahni Turpin 
HarperCollins Publishers Inc. | Balzer + Bray, 2021 
Duration: 08:04:37 

Ophie didn’t always know she could see ghosts—but she can. When her family has to move in with relatives in 1920s Pittsburgh, Ophie and her mom get jobs as servants in a wealthy house. Ophie starts seeing ghosts all around the city and even at work. She decides that she wants to help one ghost in particular that died suddenly and unjustly. Only, things aren’t all as they seem and Ophie and those around her may be in more danger to all the ghosts than Ophie first thought.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Five Faves: Witchy Intermediates

Hee hee hee! Hello, my pretties! Here are five short, illustrated chapter books for the season of the witch - some sweet, some spooky, all magical.  The Knitting Witch Written by Norma Kassirer Illustrated by Mark Richardson. Oakland, California : The Collective Book Studio, 2024. Intermediate. 88 pages. Outrageously spoiled Ivy Lou meets her match when a witch appears and tries to trick her into becoming her child. Ivy Lou must unravel the witch's dark magic and save her parents. A modern classic in the register of Roald Dahl, with mischief, humor and spookiness. Witchycakes: Sweet Magic  Written by Kara LaReau Illustrated by Ariane Moreira. New York : Random House Children's Books, 2025. Intermediate. 76 pages. Witchycakes  owes a lot to  Kiki's Delivery Service : a cute newbie witch making and delivering baked goods to the residents of their dreamy seaside town. It's cozy and sweet with lots of glowy illustrations. New Girl: Diary of an Accidental Witch Written by...

If You Like... Spooky Season Informational Books

It's that eerie time of year, and you may have started wondering about all the whys and hows behind our spookiest traditions. Well then, non-fiction readers, celebrate—because this is the list for you! Here are some of the latest publications covering everything from ghoulicious cooking to haunting locales to spooky global celebrations and stories for this bone-chilling season! Spooky Celebrations Around the World Written by Matt Ralphs Illustrated by Veronika Kotyk  New York; London: Phaidon, 2024. Informational. 47 pages.  Dive into a global tour of fascinating festivals in Spooky Celebrations Around the World . Beyond familiar favorites like Halloween and DĆ­a de Muertos, this vibrant book introduces young readers to 21 unique celebrations honoring spirits across every continent. With playful, yet respectful text and stunning artwork, it's a brilliant, year-round read that will spark curiosity about cultural traditions and the world. Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious ...