Spend the month of October catching up on or rereading Islandport's scary, mysterious, and fantastical reads in preparation for Halloween! We've curated a list of recommendations for all ages so the whole family can enjoy. For the adults, we encourage you to lose yourself in a good mystery while give the young-adult readers our supernatural and paranormal standalones. Middle-grade readers will greatly enjoy the magical elements of G.A. Morgan's The Five Stones Trilogy. Then even the youngest kids can get in on the Halloween reading fun with a beautifully illustrated tales featuring some adventurous animals.
We hope you and your family enjoy these spooky and magical reads!
Adult Books
Do you typically spend Halloween watching horror movies? Switch it up this year with a hair-raising book instead. This standalone mystery, set in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, follows brash billionaire Ferdinand Sevigny, whose arrival in town—after his attempt to sail by himself, blindfolded, across the Atlantic—triggers a series of sinister events.
Return to the ninth book in Gerry Boyle's Jack McMorrow series, or read it for the first time! In this chilling, captivating mystery, the former newspaper journalist and columnist and current freelance detective looks into the story of a troubled young woman, all the while avoiding the wrath of a satanist who targets his family.
Middle Grade and Young Adult Books
What screams Halloween more than a vampire? In this spooky and thrilling tale of supernatural folklore and ancestry, fourteen-year-old Haley Brown stumbles upon the possibility of a vampire relative while researching for a school project. To make your read even scarier, remember that this is inspired by a true story!
This gripping paranormal thriller will keep you up well into the night to see how Natalie's story ends. Haunted not only by her past in the town but also by dreams of a house, door, and another time, the sixteen-year-old's return to Bernier, Maine forces her to face her fears.
The final books of series often don't get as much love or rereading as the earlier ones, as the latter are reread in preparation for the former. So go back to the end of this fantasy trilogy, take your time and savor the little bits that bring the magic of the story to life; you don't have to race to the end this time.
Or, if you haven't read this series, October is the perfect month to dive in. Follow five children as they discover a mysterious hidden island off the Maine coast with ancient secrets and a terrible history.
Children's Books
This gloomy yet dreamlike, haunting yet playful story will captivate young and old readers alike. Bewitching paintings of dancing animals and singing sisters under a "bimulous" night sky will keep you turning the pages to see more magic.
This beautifully illustrated picture book captures a spooky feeling without being too scary for your little ones. Ominous feathers, dark towers, and mysterious notes are not what they seem, and you're left with a fun, feel-good ending.