Halloween Books for Kids Are More Popular Than Ever—These 10 Are Standouts
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The number of new Halloween books for kids this year is scary! But brave kid testers from the Good Housekeeping Institute are here to help separate the treats from the tricks.
Our top picks
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Best overall Halloween book: Halloween Street: A Fold-Out, Lift-the-Flap ABC Book!
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Best for babies and toddlers: Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch
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Best book for early elementary schoolers: The Haunted Playground
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Best book for big kids: Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2
In September, we sent more than 75 Halloween books to kids and their families. The selection ranged from board books with interactive features like flaps and noises to middle grade stories that were more than 300 pages. Ten stood out as having a clever premise and stellar execution. Best of all, kids told us they were fun and they wanted to read them again and again. Pick up one (or more) of these best Halloween books of 2026 to build excitement for the big day!
1) Nosy Crow Halloween Street: A Fold-Out, Lift-the-Flap ABC Book!
A rhyming alphabet book folds out to be more than 5 feet tall. Two letters are covered on each page of the book decorated to resemble rooms in a house. The "Ghastly Hats" page reads, "G is for Ghosts that glide through the air, H is for haunted. Come in, if you dare!" Although it can be read like a regular book, our testers loved to spread it out. "I loved opening it up on the floor," said one tester. "It was really fun." Ages 3-7
2) Tiger Tales Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch
The sweetest little book for baby's first Halloween focuses on how much you love your "gourd-geous" little pumpkin. Sturdy pages, bright illustrations, and punny rhyming text ("Will you be my cuddly cat? We'd make the purr-fect pair. Fur-ever I will love the moments that we share") brew up a heartwarming read. Ages 0–3
3) Sourcebooks Jabberwocky The Pumpkin Thief
Bird grows five pumpkins, but Squirrel notices that each one has mysteriously disappeared. Then bird goes missing too! Expressive illustrations highlight Squirrel's plight to find Bird and the pumpkins. Spoiler alert: Bird wasn't missing after all! "The storyline was great," said one parent. "The book is about sharing the things you love with those who are close to you." Ages 3-7
4) Random House Books for Young Readers The Haunted Playground
By the author of the blockbuster book Wonder comes a slightly spooky, rhyming Halloween tale. Ghosts from all around town take a break from being scary on Halloween night and converge at a playground to have fun. But this year two human kids want to join the party. Will the ghosts allow them to stay? "I'd tell a friend that the book is great," said one 7-year-old tester. Ages 5-9
5) Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) Vampurr
A pet adoption story has a spooky twist: Six cats are born at the cemetery, and the one with black fur and long fangs gets the attention of Victor. He's smitten with the cat who can fly and hypnotize people. The other five cats are adopted, and Victor asks his dad if he can take home the black cat. It's more suited to their household than you realize at first! "The entire story has a fun, glow-in-the-dark feel," said one parent. Ages 4-8
6) Magic Cat Letters from the Witch: Cackle Crackle
This eerie, interactive book contains letters and spells that will engross the whole family. Read it together the night before Halloween. "My 6-year-old thought it was so cute and loved the interactivity of it," said one parent. "She was excited to pull out the letters and spells from the envelopes on every other page and discover a new spell." Ages 5+
7) Tinker: An Imprint of Penguin Workshop Beep, Beep, Beep, Trunk-or-Treat!: A Lift-the-Flap Book
The vibes are 100% at this trunk-or-treat with costumed kids and decorated vehicles helping to create the chill atmosphere. Flaps on each spread conceal what's inside each vehicle and rhyming text encourages kids to guess what's hidden. Ages 2-5
8) Harry N. Abrams Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2
A spin-off of the mega-popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this short story collection focusing on Greg's BFF Rowley will give kids chills and thrills. Twelve stories, including 'The Haunted House', are fun to read around the fire or at sleepovers. As one 11-year-old put it, "It's just as good as Diary of a Wimpy Kid . I especially liked the story called 'The Pinkie.' The character is a pianist and his pinky gets mashed when he's closing a car door. The story is about the pinky finger trying to find his way back to the pianist." Ages 8-12
9) Magination Press Jeff O'Lantern
Everyone knows Jack O'Lantern, but what about his younger brother Jeff? In this picture book, Jeff, whose "boo" sounds more sweet than spooky, gets out of Jack's shadow. "The book itself is a cute story about being true to yourself, but the Reader's Note added an extra layer of meaning and made the overall experience more impactful," said one parent. Ages 4-8
10) Disney Hyperion Witchward Bound: A Butter and Owl Adventure
A cat and a raven who don't get along set out on their own journey to find the witch they love and reunite their family. "I like that the book has magic, witches, and talking animals," said one tester. Added his mom: "It's a good fit for my son because it connects his love of magic and animals." Ages 7+
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