Link to SCPL Kids! Home Page


PowerPAC
Online Catalog

Programs & Events

Links

Online Resources

Services

Information

Link to SCPL Home
Link to SCPL Genealogy Home

Reading Lists: Horror and Suspense

Nosferatu, lycanthropes, ghosts, goblins, and other wee beasties that go bump in the night...

Aiken, Joan. A Whisper in the Night: tales of terror and suspense. 1984. 203p.
A collection of 13 stories of young people's encounters with the supernatural and the sinister.
Ames, Mildred. Conjuring Summer in. 1986. 217p.
Sixteen-year-old Bernadette experiments with psychic forces, including black magic, in her unhappiness over the family's move to California; then a series of murders and a threat on her own life ensue.
Anderson, M.T. Thirsty. 1997. 249p.
All fifteen-year-old Chris wants os to be a normal kid, to hang out with his friends, avoid his parents, and get a date with Rebecca Schwartz. Unfortunately, Chris appears to be turning into a vampire.
Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. In The Forests Of The Night. 1999. 147p.
Risika, a teenage vampire, wanders back in time to the year 1684 when, as a human, she died and was transformed against her will.
Alcock, Vivien. Ghostly Companions: a feast of chilling tales. 1987. 132p.
Ten stories of supernatural events set in England.
Avi. Wolf Rider: a tale of terror. 1986. 202p.
After receiving an apparent crank call from a man claiming to have committed a murder, fifteen-year-old Andy finds his close relationship with his father crumbling has he struggles to make everyone beieve him.
Bradbury, Ray. Something Wicked This Way Comes.
A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, this is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival" one Autumn midnight.
Buffie, Margaret. The Warnings. 1989. 245p.
Rchel leads a lonely life with the old people she calls the Fossils until she starts to receive the Warnings, strange psychic messages that let her jnow of a grave threat.
Bunting, Eve. The Haunting of SafeKeep. 1985. 150p.
Night after night, only Sara can hear the wails of a phantom baby on the grounds of SafeKeep; only she can perceive the deathlike silence inside SafeKeep's old North Star Church. Maybe being a caretake for SafeKeep is getting to her. Maybe handsome Dev is.
Duncan, Lois. Locked in Time. 1985. 210p.
Nore arrives at her stepmother's Louisiana plantation to find her new family odd and an aura of evil and mystery about the place.
Green, Roger J. The Fear of Samuel Walton. 1984. 235p.
There were many strange stories about the Stone at the top of the hill. Sam had seen the face on the Stone, a face alive with power and evil. Sam begins to realize that he is being hunted by the Stone. But no one believes him. Set in 1880s England.
Handle with care: frightening stories. Chosen by Joan Kahn. 1985. 209p.
A collection of fourteen mystery and horror stories by such well-known authors as Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, M.R. james, Isak Dineson, and others.
Hahn, Mary Downing. Look for me by moonlight. 1995 181p.
While staying at the remote and reputedly haunted Main inn run by her father and pregnant stepmother, sixteen-year-old Cynda feels increasingly isolated from her father's new family and finds solace in the attentions of a charming but mysterious guest.
Harrell, Janice. Blood Curse. 1995. 223p.
A teenage vampire is forced to resist her bloodthirsty nature when she falls in love with a mortal boy, and her growing feelings make her desperately seek to become human again.
Harrell, Janice. Blood Spell. 1995. 185p.
A lonely teenage vampire gets what she's wanted for centuries--a human life and true love!
Katz, Welwyn Wilton. Witchery Hill. 1984. 244p.
Summering with his father on the Channel Island of Guernsey, fourteen- year-old Mike perceives inexplicable, but undeniable, signs of witchcraft which seem directed at destroying his friends.
Klause, Annette Curtis. Blood and Chocolate. 1997. 264p.
Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs and with whom. Best for ages 14 and up.
Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss. 1992. 198p.
Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the beautiful yet frightening Simon comes to her house. Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe's brooding thoughts of her dying mother.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Haunted Waters. 1994. 153p.
After meeting the mysterious sea maid Undine on a bleak promontory and making her his wife, Lord Huldbrand tries to defend her from the faceless demon that haunts her, while he probes her strange ties to the aquatic world. Best for ages 13 and up.
Pike, Christopher. The Wicked Heart. 1993. 244p.
There's a serial killer on the loose, who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but feels compelled to kill. Sheila will do all she can to expose the killer and stop him. Pike is a prolific author. If you like this story, there are plenty more! Best suited for ages 13 and up.
Pike, Christopher. The Last Vampire. 1994. 193p.
Alisa, a 5,000-year-old vampire is being hunted by an unknown entity. In order to identify her pursuer, she must enter high school and befriend a shy boy who will attract her as no mortal ever has. There are at least 5 sequels to this story.
Pike, Christopher. Night of the Vampire. 1997. 102p.
To stop a gang of vampires, Adam and his friends realize they have to find the Queen of the Vampires, who unbeknownst to them, has set a trap that will change all of the companions to the undead.
Pullman, Philip. . 1982. 243p.
In this spooky tale of fugitive orphans, misplaced revenge, and spirits on the prowl, the author blends humor and horror to create a fast and funny supernatural thriller.
Vampires. 1991. 227p. Edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg.
The vampires in this collection of bone-chilling, touching and amusing stories, lurk in high schools as well as graveyards, in modern American suburbs--even a vampire living in a shopping mall!
Van Velde, Vivian. Companions of the Night. 1995. 212p.
When sixteen-year-old Kerry Nowicki helps a young man escape from a group of men who claim he is a vampire, she finds herself faced with some bizarre and dangerous choices.
Westall, Robert. The Stones of Mucnaster Cathedral. 1991. 97p.
Soon after Joe Clarke begins work on one of Muncaster Cathedral's spires, he realizes that the cathedral is in the grip of an evil, horrific power. Can he unravel the gruesome curse before becoming its next victim?
Westwood, Chris. He came from the shadows. 1989. 215p.
A stranger comes to a depressed English mining town, bringing changes that first delight but then threaten teenaged Jules and the other town inhabitants. Similar to Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes."
Windsor, Patricia. The Blooding. 1996.
While spending the summer working as an au pair girl for a couple in England, Maris discovers that the husband is a werewolf intent on blooding her and making her one, too.

Top of Page

This site is maintained by the SCPL Webmaster.
If you have a comment or question about anything contained on this site, please contact us.

— —