I have long advocated the power of well-designed picture books to teach, engage and entertain, but the use of picture books as a supportive learning resource does not need to end in the early years classroom. That’s why I’ve rounded up ten great middle school horror stories—these are creepy, dark-themed picture books that are sure to engage students in late elementary or middle school and spark lots of meaningful literary discussions!
Why should we read picture books in middle school?
At the most basic level, choosing a picture book to read aloud in middle school and actually making time for storytelling can provide students with a moment of respite during a stressful school day.
Beyond that, picture books can inspire students to think about abstract concepts and ideas, and when chosen to support classroom learning goals, themes, or holidays (like Halloween), picture books can serve as tools to stimulate critical thinking and discussion!
The middle school picture books on this list are more sophisticated than the picture books you might choose for your early years classroom. In addition to exploring dark themes, some books include more text per page, many contain figurative language, some use poetic devices, and all contain wonderful illustrations that are worth studying as part of any classroom art lesson. They make great Halloween books for middle school, but are also great for year-round literacy learning and investigation.
If you’re looking for more horror stories, check out our collection Halloween children’s picture book For advice on early grades, or this list horror chapter books This is sure to freak out your middle schooler!
10 Scary Stories: Picture Books for Middle School
As with all our listings best children’s books Collection, each title in this list links to an Amazon page (these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you) where you can find more information and reviews for titles that you may not be personally familiar with .
“My Dead Rabbit: The Story of the Zombie Rabbit” by Sigi Cohen
A scary picture book for kids who don’t mind reading scary things! A boy was electrocuted when his pet rabbit chewed through the television cord. But the boy missed his rabbit Brad. and decided to dig him out to see him one last time. The boy later threw the body in the trash, but heard his sisters screaming late that night – it seemed like Brad was back, and this time he wasn’t going to be thrown away!
Shared in the form of a clever rhyming couplet, it’s a fun tie-in to a classroom poetry unit, or the story’s conclusion offers a great opportunity for a writing activity in the form of a sequel.
“Darkness” by Lemony Snicket
Laszlo was afraid of the dark. The Dark Ones lived in the same house as Laszlo, but spent most of their time in the basement. It did not visit Laszlo’s room. Until one night it happened! Laszlo walks through his house and the darkness talks to him, embarking on a journey to overcome his fears.
This is a great picture book that explores personification, different narrative elements that create suspense, and an interesting blend of dialogue and narrative as a literary technique.
“The Skull” by Jon Klassen
Klassen retells an old Tyrolean folktale to tell a delightfully weird, dark fairy tale. As Otira flees dire danger, she finds herself lost in a dark forest until she stumbles upon a large castle inhabited by a troubled skull. As Otila tries to find a way to save them from their horror, they form a terrifying but beautiful friendship.
This would be a great introduction to a literacy unit exploring fairy tales from around the world, or if you’re looking for a creative writing lesson to tie in with this, consider inviting students to create a backstory for the skull.
Neil Gaiman “The Wolf in the Wall”
Lucy believes there are wolves living in the walls of her home. Her father, mother and brother continued to deny the reality of the situation and eventually fled when the wolves did come out of the fence one night and take over the home. But Lucy has other ideas and is determined to take back her home from the worrying wolves.
The story’s eerie feel is created by combining a narrative (that feels like an old fairy tale you think you should already know) and eerie illustrations formed through a unique blend of photographic and painterly elements that will provide students with A fun art exploration session.
Enter the Goblin Market by Vicki Vansickle
This beautifully illustrated picture book interprets a classic poem, integrating familiar fairy tale villains into a fascinating story about two very different sisters. Millie prefers a quiet life, while Mina longs for adventure. This thirst for adventure drew her to the Goblin Market. When Mina falls under a spell, Millie must follow her into the goblin market to try and save her sister. It’s a cautionary tale of temptation and sacrifice, a perfect horror story for teenagers.
“Into the Goblin Market” is not only a great Halloween story to share in the classroom, but also a great addition to a classroom poetry unit.
“Water Tower” by Gary Crew
“The Water Tower” is a weird and mysterious picture book for older readers that uses words and images in equal measure to create a story that leaves readers with many disturbing questions. When Bubba and Spike decide to explore the interior of the town’s dark water tower on a hot day, they know they shouldn’t be there. When Bubba climbed out of the water, he discovered that his pants were missing. Spike agrees to run home and bring back another pair of pants, leaving Bubba alone in the water tower, where the horrific experience changes him forever.
This is an excellent text for students in grades 5+ that develops reasoning skills and invites readers to draw conclusions and justify their choices.
“The Tunnel” by Anthony Browne
Rose and Jack kept arguing, and their mother sent them out of the house to the park. Jack discovers and crawls into a mysterious tunnel. When a frightened Rose calls for him to come back but gets no response, she is forced to follow him inside. Through the tunnel is a strange, dark forest where Jack is imprisoned as a stone statue. Can Rose save her brother?
This book conveys deeper meaning every time it is reread, making it a great story to practice prediction and reasoning skills with students, and a tool to inspire a range of creative writing responses.
Neil Gaiman’s Dangerous Alphabet
In this pirate ghost story, shared through thirteen clever but potentially disturbing rhyming couplets, two children, treasure map in hand and their pet gazelle, sneak past their father , get out of their house and take a boat ride through the sewers beneath their home – a dangerous place haunted by monsters, ghosts and pirates.
With much to discover through the detailed illustrations, this is a wonderful text that engages students in poetry.
The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
When the Witch fell from the sky, she left her apparently defunct broom behind as a thank you to Mina Shaw for helping her recover. Mina discovers that the broom still has magical powers, as it can sweep floors and chop wood. Unfortunately, her neighbors thought the witch’s broom was the work of the devil, and they plotted to confiscate and destroy it, but the clever widow outsmarted them, and the widow and the broom had the last laugh.
The Widow’s Broom provides students with engaging opportunities to use reasoning skills through analysis of textual clues, illustrations, character reactions, and themes.
Hansel and Gretel: Neil Gaiman’s darkly brilliant fairy tale
Must be one of the darkest fairy tales of all time, Hansel and Gretel is a brilliant and dark retelling of the classic children’s horror story about a brother and sister who must survive being abandoned by their parents and starving. Stories of surviving child-eating captures.
This is a great picture book that invites students to explore language choices combined with Mattotti’s dark pen and ink drawings to create suspense.
More secondary school learning resources
Like this list of middle school picture books? Check out these lists of related books;
