Recommended Reads for Youth

Recommended Reads are a monthly series of books that can be found in our collection.

Recommended Reads for October 2026 

Early Learners 

BR025641; DB120958 Monster Hands by Karen Kane

Two best friends use rhyming ASL to help vanquish their fear of the monster under the bed. When nighttime comes, Milo has a problem -- he's convinced there's a monster under his bed! Luckily, his best friend Mel knows just what to do--scare the monster more than the monster scares you! Available in Print/Braille and Audio.

DB127935 A Super Scary Narwhalloween [#8, Narwhal and Jelly] by Ben Clanton

Narwhal loves Halloween--it's a great excuse to dress up in a spooky and silly costume, like a ghost, a mermaid, a banana or maybe even Marlow the Mustachioed Moose. It's a skeleTON of fun! Jelly isn't dressing up, though--he's a little scared of this time of year and would prefer to hunker down in a hidey-hole until Halloween is over. But when a scary sea monster makes an appearance and swallows Narwhal (gulp!), can Jelly, with the help of some super friends, pluck up the courage to save his best bud? For preschool and older. Available in Audio.

DB116047 Princess Truly Picks a Pumpkin by Kelly Greenawalt

Take a magical trip to the pumpkin patch with Princess Truly and her magical, sparkling curly hair! For Preschool-grade 2. Available in Audio

DB139698 The Haunted Playground by R. J. Palacio

I cast the spell that brings to life this playground of the night. Here my phantoms come -- but not to spook or fright. They're here because they want to laugh, to frolic and be merry. They're here because they need to take a break from being scary. When all the trick-or-treating is done and children are tucked in, ghosts are drawn to one special place: the Haunted Playground! For preschool and older. Available in Audio.

BRJ01261 The Littlest Pumpkin by Suzette Wright

TACTILE. The littlest pumpkin in the patch isn't chosen to become a jack-o-lantern, until a child discovers his hiding place and gives him a wonderful face. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool - grade 2. Available in Print/Braille.

DB100442; DB107023 (Spanish); BR024373 (Spanish) Gustavo, the Shy Ghost / Gustavo el fantasmita timido [#1, World of Gustavo] by Flavia Z. Drago

Gustavo is great at being a ghost, but not so great at making friends. With the Day of the Dead fast approaching, he makes a plan to get the other monsters to notice him. For preschool – grade 2. Available in English Audio and Spanish Audio and Print/Braille.

BR024386 Little Witch Hazel: a Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl

Little Witch Hazel is a tiny witch who lives in the forest, helping creatures big and small. She's a midwife, an intrepid explorer, a hard worker, and a kind friend. In this four-season volume, Little Witch Hazel rescues an orphaned egg, goes sailing on a raft, solves the mystery of a haunted stump, and makes house calls to fellow forest dwellers. But when Little Witch Hazel needs help herself, will she get it in time? For K-grade 3. Available in Print/Braille.

Children

BR022821; DB096563 The Spookiest Tricks & Treats Joke Book Ever!

Hundreds of Halloween-inspired jokes, knock-knocks, puns, riddles, and other howlers. A kid-friendly collection to use while trick-or-treating or at a spooky party. For grades 2-4 and older readers. For grades 2-4. Available in Braille and Audio.

DB123882 The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury

A runaway orphan is adopted by the fabled Pumpkin King and whisked away to a land of undead creatures. For grades 3-6. Available in Audio.

DB130747 Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet by Geo Rutherford

Some of Earth's strangest-- and creepiest -- wonders lie deep below the surface. There's Lake Natron, a Tanzanian lake so briny that its waters can mummify any creature that touches its surface; Lake Maracaibo, a Venezuelan tidal bay where a constantly brewing storm sends an average of 28 lightning bolts per second into the water; and at the bottom of Lake Superior, the crew of the USS Kamloops -- which mysteriously disappeared in 1921 -- remains somehow almost perfectly preserved to this day. For grades 3-6. Available in Audio.

DB134474; LP026861 A Sea Monster Conundrum [#3 The Misfits] by Lisa Yee

Reports of ghosts at an abandoned lighthouse lead Olive and her group of classmates, known as the Misfits, to investigate a new mystery connected to their school, the Reforming Arts School (RASCH). The rumors attract increased attention to the area, including tourists and unexpected interest from local marine life. As speculation grows, stories emerge about a possible sea monster in the nearby bay, drawing the attention of a powerful and unscrupulous individual. The Misfits work together to uncover the truth behind the rumors and protect what may be at risk. For grades 3-6. Available in Audio and Large Print.

LP026883 Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros

Quetzalcóatl Castillo—Queso for short—has had an ache in his heart that won’t go away ever since his father’s death. More than anything, he wishes he could spend time with his dad again. After whispering that wish one night under the light of the moon, Queso wakes up the next morning in 1985. With twelve-year-old Pancho—the kid who will grow up to be his dad. Even though he has no idea how to move though this weird timeline, Queso is just happy to be by his dad’s side again. But while Pancho is confident when scoring on the foosball table or standing up to bullies, he doesn’t think he’s smart enough to reach for his dreams. If only Pancho believed in himself the way Queso does, who knows what his story could be? For grades 3-6. 2026. Available in Large Print.

LP026884 Hungry Bones by Louise Hung

Molly Teng sees things no one else can. By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the “zaps” are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely. The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying. That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she’s been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She’s a ‘hungry ghost’ reliant on the livings’ food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition. Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade’s house, nothing will ever be the same―for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house―before her hunger destroys them both. For grades 3-6. 2024. Available in Large Print.

LP026880 Neshama by Marcella Pixley

Anna sees ghosts. The spirits of her ancestors call to her from the shadows, and no matter where she is, Anna always answers. Kids in her middle school tease her. Teachers and parents are worried by her strange behavior. The only one who seems to understand is Anna’s beloved grandmother, Bubbe, who has always treasured Anna’s shayna neshama, her beautiful soul. Spending Shabbos with Bubbe is the only thing that gives Anna the sense of love and belonging that she needs. But when a ghost named Ruthie appears at Bubbe’s house by the sea, Anna begins to uncover long-hidden secrets that reveal the mystery of her family’s troubled past. As Anna and Ruthie get closer, Anna must decide for herself whether being connected to a restless ghost is worth the risk. When it becomes clear that Bubbe’s life is in danger, Anna must face the horrible truth: She alone has the ability to save her family and heal the wounds that follow them from one generation to the next. For grades 4-7. 2025. Available in Large Print.

Teens

For Middle School:

DBC00231; DB118448 (Spanish) Akata Witch / Bruja Akata by Nnedi Okorafor

As an American recently transplanted back to her parents' homeland of Nigeria, Sunny struggles to fit in at her school. If being an American with the nickname "akata" -wild animal- wasn't enough, Sunny stands out in more ways than one: she is an albino who can't be in the sun, and she is a prodigy at soccer but can't play outside. When Sunny's life seems everything but "sunny," she discovers that she is a "free agent" with magical powers and is part of a secret world of magic. For grades 4-7 and older. Available in English and Spanish Audio.

DB080763 Absolutely Truly  [#1, Pumpkin Falls Mystery] by Heather Vogel Frederick

Twelve-year-old Truly Lovejoy's family moves to Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire to take over a family-owned bookstore. Soon, she has to solve two mysteries involving a rare book and an undelivered letter. For grades 5-8 and older readers. Available in Audio.

DB092638 Spooked! : how a radio broadcast and The war of the worlds sparked the 1938 invasion of America by Gail Jarrow

Describes the panic induced on the evening of October 30, 1938, when listeners believed Orson Welles's radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds" was news of a real alien invasion. Discusses the context in which the broadcast was aired and why it was so convincing. For grades 6-9. Available in Audio.

For High School:

DB133301; LP026852 And the river drags her down by Jihyun Yun

When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry ... Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge. When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn't the one she knew. For high school and older. 2025. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB133990; LP026853 Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron

Meka is used to death. After all, it's the family business. As a newly certified mortician's assistant at her parents' funeral home, her days are not for the faint of heart. Luckily her boyfriend Noah isn't squeamish, and Meka is finally feeling ready to say the three little words that will change everything. But then tragedy strikes, and Meka's world is torn apart. Nothing makes sense, especially the strange things start happening. Ravens are circling her home. Strangers are following her. Someone is leaving mysterious items at her door. And worst of all ... The dead don't seem to be staying dead. Meka thought she understood death better than anyone. Turns out, the family business is a bit more complicated than it seems. And Meka isn't the only one desperate to unearth their secrets ... because the truth may be worth dying for. For high school and older. 2025. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB131595; LP026859 Immortal Consequences by I. V. Marie

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school's arched gates, there is no way out ... except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood's magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side. For high school and older. 2025. Available in Audio and Large Print.

DB135202 (Spanish); LP026860 El otoño de las luciérnagas / Fall of the fireflies [#1 Seasons of Sisterhood] by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

As fifteen-year-old twins Delia and Velia plan the launch of their Magic-Twin Tour with their father's Tejano band, a sudden supernatural attack on their father derails the family. Papá is delirious with a susto, a fright so awful that it allows a mysterious supernatural being to begin slowly sucking the life out of him. As the twins hunt down his attacker, a wider world of borderland monsters opens up to them. Each twin has her own decision to make, with her own guide from the Aztec pantheon -- Quetzalcoatl guiding Velia, and Xolotl advising Delia. Soon the girls must choose: Should they follow a divine mandate to become monster hunters for the goddess of death? Can the sisters obey the will of the gods while saving their father's life? Anything can happen within the magical realm of the borderlands. Available in Spanish Audio and English Large Print.