Kid’s Horror-Comedy writer Larry Hayes shares his Top 5 Kids Horror Books with SciFiNow to celebrate publication of his new novel, The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick, an action-packed creep-fest with plenty of laughs for 10 to 15-year-olds.
Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick (9 to 12 years)
For every age there’s a perfect horror novel and the Crater Lake series is the perfect “gateway horror” for older primary kids. It’s set on a school residential where things quickly spiral out of control with disappearing children, alien overlords, and bug-eyed zombies. Crater Lake is turbo-plotted with plenty of scares, action and thrills. Kids will love this most for the easy humour, sharp dialogue and relatable characters. Killick has perfectly captured a bunch of quirky 11-year-olds – along with the friendships, frictions, fallouts, and fears. Killick’s Dread Wood series is also a total winner for this age group.
Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson (9 to 13)
Make no mistake, this book may be targeted at middle grade, but it’s not afraid to show its teeth. Trevor Henderson is a celebrated illustrator with a string of iconic creations (my personal favourite is the gloriously freaky, Cartoon Cat). But this series is set to catapult him into story-telling stardom. It’s set in Beacon Point, a small town with some terrifying secrets. When a rag tag bunch of misfit teens start to see strange creatures they are forced to come face to face with horrors hiding in the sleepy town. Guided by a mysterious radio host, they must follow clues to uncover the town’s secret before it destroys them If Stephen King wrote horror for middle graders, he’d be pleased to have written Scarewaves.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (10 to 16)
I had to sweat over this choice and the equally brilliant Coraline, both modern classics by Neil Gaiman. The Graveyard Book edged it for me with it’s endless inventiveness. I wish I could go back and give it to my younger self. But most of all I wish I’d written it.
Bod, the main character, is a normal boy who just happens to be raised in a graveyard by a cast of ghosts and spirits after his family is murdered. We follow Bod’s childhood as he discovers and develops a series of supernatural abilities. And we follow Bod on his adventures, in the graveyard and beyond as he faces cadaver-eating ghouls, werewolves and worse.
The Graveyard Book is sinister, dark and tender with a satisfying mystery at its heart. Adults will enjoy it as much as the tweens and teens it’s written for. The characters and story will stay with you, long after you’ve finished the book.
The Getaway by Lamar Giles (13 to 18)
There’s plenty of blood, gore and death for older kids in The Getaway. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of a dystopian, post-Armageddon future set in an Amusement park. But mainly it’s a wild rollercoaster read with plenty of twists and turns. If you imagine Disney Land meets Black Mirror, you won’t be far wrong. Giles builds on an intriguing premise to deliver a pacy thriller that keeps you guessing right to the very end. And like all the best horror, it combines loveable characters with truly excruciating terror. After reading this you’ll never consider working at Disney World during a societal collapse ever again.
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson (14+)
This reimagining of Stephen King’s Carrie is even better than the original (sorry Stephen). If you’ve read Carrie, or seen the film, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect here – a girl uses her supernatural powers to get revenge on the kids who bullied her with deliciously gruesome results. But this modern retelling is turned into something fresh and new by Jackson’s corkscrewing tension and gruesome attention to detail. An engrossingly complex cast characters is headed by Maddie, the magnificent protagonist. There’s also a racial twist with Jackson offering an unflinching exploration of prejudice. This YA book packs a solid, punch with enough dark suspense and grisly detail for even the most hardened of horror fans.
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick by Larry Hayes is out 2nd January 2025 (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, £7.99, Paperback) and look out for The Fate of Finnegan Quick coming September 2025
