Spooky Graphic Novels for the Win, Always
October 12, 2023 Comments Off on Spooky Graphic Novels for the Win, Always
Last week, I told you about my favorite new picture books for spooky season. Today, I’m turning the spotlight on a range of graphic novels, targeting emerging readers to middle-grade readers (up to 13). As the books increase in reading level, they also increase in spookiness. And, trust me, this is welcome news.
Horror continues to be the fastest growing genre for kids. I’ve written previously about why kids have always been attracted to the macabre—and why this is actually very healthy. As this particular generation of kids continues to wrestle with coming of age amidst great uncertainty and unrest, it makes sense that so many would welcome seeing their fears given ghoulish forms and then battled (or befriended) to the death. The power of fantasy has always been that it allows us to consider the darker side of life from an arm’s length away.
Before we begin, for those who can’t get enough, here’s a link to last year’s spooky round-up and the one before that. (And if you’re local, don’t forget to come by Old Town Books for our spooky fest on October 21; I’ll be there and would love to fill your kids’ hands with books, spooky or otherwise.)
A Super Scary Narwhalloween
by Ben Clanton
Ages 6-9
A new title in Ben Clanton’s pun-tastic early graphic novel series, Narwhal & Jelly, is always cause for celebration, but with a glow-in-the-dark cover and a Halloween theme, the eighth book had to make this list. (It also might be my favorite to date.) If you don’t know this series, equally perfect for reading aloud as for handing to emerging readers, this is the sweetest and funniest waffle-loving duo to grace the pages of kid lit. Plus, Clanton always sneaks in some animal trivia!
At its heart, this new story tackles Halloween’s most pressing question: to dress up or not to dress up? Narwhal, of course, is all in, only he can’t make up his mind what he wants to be. (It’s worth getting your hands on this book solely for what Narwhal looks like dressed up as an alien, banana, cactus, or Marlow the Mustachioed Moose.) But all this talk of costumes has Jelly worried that Halloween might be too scary.
Jelly is about to learn the best part about dressing up: sometimes an accessory or two is just enough to make you feel like the superhero you really are (especially when your friends are in trouble!).
Skeleanor the Decomposer
by Emily Ettlinger
Ages 6-9
Meet Skeleanor, a skeleton with musician aspirations but who’s plagued with more rattle than rhythm. That’s the unlikely but lovable hero at the heart of Emily Ettlinger’s debut early graphic novel, Skeleanor the Decomposer, which exudes old-world charm. He’s also a gentle reminder that talent and effort go hand in hand; after all, we can’t expect to be a prodigy right out of the gate.
When Skeleanor learns that a local band is looking for a new string player, he grabs his fiddle and sets up in the town center, ready to prove himself. Unfortunately, instead of applause, he is greeted with the sound of windows slamming. Maybe he should try the organ next? (Cue “organ failure.”) Skeleanor may not have the right touch, but no one can deny that he’s dead-icated.
With the Summershine Festival rapidly approaching, Skeleanor and his upside-down pal, Batina, compose a plan to warm the townspeople to his music, trying out original compositions and different instruments. But just when it looks like all hope is lost, he catches the attention of a seasoned musician, who recognizes that what Skeleanor lacks in formal training, he makes up for in joy. Can she turn Skeleanor into the fiddler he aspires to be?
Things in the Basement
by Ben Hatke
Ages 7-10
Ever wonder what happens to socks that go missing in the laundry? Here’s one answer you won’t forget! Ben Hatke is the MASTER of conjuring up fantastical creatures—the quirkier the better! His picture book, Julia’s House for Lost Creatures, is an all-time favorite, and my kids have read his middle-grade graphic novel series, Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl, more times than I can count. His newest graphic novel, Things in the Basement is classic Hatke: a visually stunning mash-up of reality and fantasy, ordinary and extraordinary, where nothing is as it seems, compassion arises in the most unexpected places, and children surprise themselves with their capability and courage.
Shortly after Milo and his family move into an old Victorian house, his mother, consumed with caring for newborn twins, asks him to fetch his sister’s missing sock from the laundry pile in the basement. It’s a “special sock,” made for her by Tia Maria with “her special yarn,” and no other sock will do. The basement is dark and dusty but otherwise appears perfectly normal…at least, until a large, rat-like creature whizzes by Milo with said sock, causing Milo to crash into the wall and loosen a brick that’s hiding an ancient key. Milo discovers a trap door that unleashes him into the bowels below the basement: a cavernous, multi-floor space teeming with a mysterious green liquid, troves of ancient art, and otherworldly creatures—some scary, some sweet.
Half the fun is figuring out who is friend and who is foe, as Milo assembles a ragtag band of creatures, including a skull named Chuckles, a giant weepy eyeball, and a friendless specter, to help him track down the Sock Rat and rescue his sister’s sock. Only, he’ll have to escape a sock avalanche and avoid being eaten by the Gobbler first…
Misfit Mansion
by Kay Davault
Ages 8-12
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures meets Hilda and the Troll in Misfit Mansion, a sweetly spooky story featuring a “foster home for horrors.” It’s as much an exploration of inclusivity as an ode to found family. Kay Davault’s bright palette and cartoonish renderings of a richly diverse and mostly likeable cast of fanged, horned, one-eyed, and multi-headed monsters keep the tone light and fun, despite occasional moments of creepiness.
With her glowing yellow eyes and clawed appendages, Iris knows she should be grateful that Mr. Halloway, former paranormal investigator, found her and took in her years ago, and it’s true that she loves the misfit bunch of faeries, gorgons, and unicorns with whom she lives. But she can’t help but feel like something is missing, especially when she sees human families on TV. For one, the horrors are forbidden to leave the mansion, presumably because of paranormal hunters lurking in the human world. For two, Mr. Halloway has always treated Iris differently than the others—with more hesitation than love.
When the enchantment around the front door is broken by an intruder, Iris and friends seize the chance to sneak into the nearby human town, which is celebrating its annual Halloween festival. Presumed to be in costume, Iris is greeted warmly by the humans. But what happens when her new friends learn the truth about her and the others? What happens when Mr. Halloway discovers what they’ve done? And what happens when they learn the real reason why Halloway keeps his horrors locked away? Amidst secrets and revelations, old grievances and new friendships, comes a story ripe with forgiveness, second chances, and what it really means to call a place home.
Last Exit to Feral
by Mark Fearing
Ages 7-11
Comedic macabre remains one of the surest ways to hook a reluctant reader, and Mark Fearing knows this well. Last Exit to Feral is the sequel to last year’s Welcome to Feral, which you might have missed since it came out after Halloween. My daughter, however, did not miss it and has read it countless times, cackling gleefully. It delivers brilliantly on that what-would-my-parents-think-if-they-knew-what-was-in-here factor, without sending them into full-out terror, thanks to Fearing’s controlled touch.
Feral—population 16,000, established 1854—may seem like a happy-go-lucky town with a Main Street and City Hall, but it’s actually replete with unsolved mysteries and unexplained disappearances. In the first book, set up as a series of short stories, a local resident named Freya, who has set up base camp in the storm cellar of a decimated house, takes us through some of the creepiest occurrences in Feral’s history, like an old playground slide nicknamed the Spaghetti Death Twist, which was supposed to be torn down years ago but miiiight have devoured two children instead.
The new book, Last Exit to Feral, is structured as one continuous story, as flannel-clad Freya, joined by intrepid Monica, gets a lead on why Feral may be cursed in the first place. The culprit might be none other than an ancient schoolteacher named Ichabod Messner, fired after turning on his students and bent on revenge 150 years later. As the children attempt to chase down Ichabod’s ghost, their journey takes them into the bowels of Feral, underneath the middle school and through abandoned caves and mines, where they’ll encounter some of the victims from the first book in a series of absurdly fun twists and turns, reminding them that Feral’s supernatural surprises never stop coming.
Eerie Tales from the School of Screams
by Graham Annable
Ages 8-12
When your kiddo devours the Feral books and is ready for something slightly higher on the spine-tingling factor, hand them Eerie Tales from the School of Screams. Graham Annable is an Oscar-nominated animator, and the 360 pages fly by with cinematic breathlessness. Making good on its title, everything about this book is eerie, from the stories about severed heads and alien creatures to the sparsely populated art, served up in a limited color palette more sickly than sweet. My daughter declared it every bit as good as Feral.
Of all the kids in their class, Emily and Davis are the most reluctant to answer the teacher’s call to tell the “eeriest story” they know. One by one, different classmates attempt to outdo each other and impress the teacher, from “The Village That Vanished” to “The Face in the Forest” (the latter being a deliciously creepy foray into a talking forest…) As each story plays out, we are immersed in the drama, forgetting about the schoolroom until we’re deposited back into it and the teacher asks for the next volunteer. But there’s something not-quite-right about that teacher, isn’t there?
Only when Emily and Davis finally step up to tell their stories, do we begin to suspect that these stories might not be the innocent entertainment they’re masquerading as…
Ghost Book
by Remy Lai
Ages 9-13
I fervently hope that Remy Lai’s Ghost Book, inspired by Chinese mythology and one of the most original and gorgeous graphic novels I’ve encountered, is found by readers long after spooky season wraps. Like the Hungry Ghosts it conjures, children will inhale it, its worldbuilding surpassed only by masterful handling of grief, friendship, and our longing to be seen.
The story opens with a prologue set twelve years earlier: a newborn boy and girl lived, though one was supposed to die. Fast forward to today and July Chen sees ghosts, even though her father tells her they aren’t real, even though her classmates tease her for talking of such things alongside her “wonky” dumplings for lunch. Not only have ghosts always been real to July, but on Hungry Ghosts Month, it’s nearly impossible for July to ignore their prowling, terrifying forms—so much so that she can’t resist saving a boy ghost from the mouth of a Hungry Ghost when the two cross her path.
Amazed that someone can finally see him, the boy ghost strikes up a playful and genuine friendship with July, the first for both of them. But it also comes with a disturbing revelation: the boy is not a ghost but someone suspended between two worlds. And if July wants to help him, she’ll have to lean into questions about herself and her family that she has been trying to ignore. The truth is: for William to live, July must die. Thus commences an epic, danger-filled journey to the King of the Underworld, rich in twists and turns, backroom deals, and surprising sacrifices.
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Books published, in order, by Tundra, Penguin Workshop, First Second, Simon & Schuster, Holiday House, First Second, and Henry Holt. All opinions are my own. Links support the beautiful Old Town Books, where I am the children’s buyer (and yes, we ship!).
What to Read to Your Kids 