Top 5 MG & YA Halloween Reads

Looking for something spooky to read to get you in the mood for the Halloween season? Well, look no further! Here is a list of my top five favorite spooky Middle Grade and Young Adult books, in no particular order.

Top 5 MG & YA Halloween Reads

Rabbit in Red by Joe Chianakas; photo courtesy of Goodreads

1.  Rabbit in Red by Joe Chianakas

If you are in any way a fan of the horror genre (especially slasher movie classics), then this is the book for you. This YA is dark and bloody, but not without humor too and not to mention FUN. It is Cabin in the Woods meets Ready Player One. In it, teenager Bill Wise wins a trip to the studio of his favorite director to compete in a contest that tests his love for the horror genre and win an internship with the studio. But is this contest really as it seems? I'm not telling - you'll have to find out for yourself. And I strongly recommend you do.

2. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Set during the time of the Potato Famine era, this middle grade book tells the story of two Irish children who have journeyed to England to find work in a remote manor house. They quickly discover that they have found themselves in a house haunted by a mysterious figure called “the night man” who plagues the family who lives there. The children must uncover the secrets of this phantom before it is too late. This is pure classic gothic horror at its finest, and underneath the creepy atmosphere there is a beautifully sincere heart resting in the core. 

3.  Doll Bones by Holly Black

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is a middle grade mystery and tells the story of three friends who go on an impromptu adventure to bury a doll which they believe is haunted by the ghost of a dead girl. But it is so much more than that. It is simultaneously creepy and sentimental, haunting and tender. At it's heart, this is a coming-of-age story laced with gentle brushes of paranormal horror. It is eerie, it is touching, it is brilliant. 

4.  The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand

Another fun and creepy middle grade horror, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is delightfully quirky and unsettling. Young Victoria doesn't like nonsense so when her friend Lawrence disappears and things go topsy-turvy, she launches a quest to restore order to her perfectly manicured life. This investigation leads her to the sinister title orphanage where Victoria finds herself in over her head with the malevolent mistress who oversees its operations. It's very reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline", but unique enough to stand on its own creepy, crawly legs.  

5.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Lovers of J-horror flicks, rejoice. This is the perfect book to get your ghostly fix. While Joe Chianakas' Rabbit in Red veers more toward the slasher genre, Anna Dressed in Blood goes the route of the supernatural. It is a dark YA about Cas Lowood, a teenage ghost hunter who ends up getting tangled in the story of a tragic phantom known as Anna Dressed in Blood. It is utterly frightening and heartfelt at the same time, and it truly exemplifies the YA Horror genre. It's a must read for any horror enthusiast. 

Winter Pick 2015

I am starting a new feature on this blog called “Seasonal Picks”. At the end of each season, I’ll pick my favorite book among the books I read during that time and review it. So without further ado… I give you my Winter Pick…

Winter Pick 2015

The Darkest Park of the Forest by Holly Black

YA Fantasy

 

The Summary

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

– Blurb from Goodreads

The Characters

One of the biggest things I need to fall in love with any story is to connect to the characters. There have been numerous books where the setting and plot have been compelling, but I ultimately didn’t like it because the characters were either unlikeable or unrelatable. Holly Black is wonderful at crafting very believable characters and this work is no different.

Hazel, Ben and the other character feel and sound like contemporary teenagers. Given some of their extraordinary talents (in the case of Ben and Jack) and the fantastical atmosphere, building strong characters may seem like a feat. But Black pulls it off with her usual grace and style.

As the central character, Hazel was compelling and sympathetic in her yearnings. She is flawed, complex and totally believable. I think it would be easy for any reader to see a bit of themselves reflected in her because of how utterly human she is – an aspect which is wonderful when showcased alongside the other fey characters we encounter through the story.

And speaking of the fey, Black gets major props for crafting the fey characters to be so close to the heart of faerie folklore. One thing I’ve said in the past and will say again is that Holly Black gets the fey. She understand the mercurial and capricious nature and it is evoked from every word on the page. As huge fan of faerie lore, I appreciate this very much.

The Setting

The fairy-tale-in-a-modern-day setting is rather popular in media these days. As such, it’s hard to stand out while still feeling fresh but Black does it. The story takes place in a contemporary suburban American town on the border of a faerie forest. It never once comes off as hokey or contrived – the town of Fairfold feels exactly how a town in any fairy tale would feel if set in the modern day. From the interaction from the town folk to the tourists, the way the characters interact with their environment rings true. I’ve never seen the fairy tale in modern times theme pulled off as well as I did in this story.

Overall Opinion

From a compelling setting to gripping characters, there is a sincerity in Black’s stories that makes her writing seem almost effortless. This is a beautiful modern day fairy story that pulled at my heart. I also appreciate the presence of gay characters in a YA novel that were written seamlessly and without any sense of the author trying to make a statement. I wish we could see more diverse characters like Ben in children’s literature. His sexual identity is a part of him without being the only defining aspect of his personality and I applaud Black for the way she handled him.

Overall this is a very well-written story which easily sweeps its reader into Hazel’s world. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy or faerie lore.