Childhood is a space of curiosity and inquiry and many children enjoy exploring paranormal themes.
Here’s a collection of books to quench a curiosity for the paranormal.
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The Whispering Pines by James Preller
Honestly, I did not expect all that this book delivered. It had everything we might expect in a middle grade novel: relatable characters, light sibling drama, new friendships and some sort of problem to solve. But it also had much, much more, including mystery and intrigue, paranormal and supernatural vibes and unexpected surprises. It even had graphic novel panels embedded inside the narrative to bring the book to life. Middle grade readers are sure to love this series.
What Stays Buried by Suzanne Young
What Stays Buried is a gripping story of a young girl with supernatural abilities. Twelve-year old Calista Wynn knows things. She sees things. She can speak with the dead. These special gifts have come naturally to all members of her father’s side of the family, but with a condition. A curse placed on the family dictates all Wynn mediums will lose their supernatural abilities on the day of their thirteenth birthday. Calista has been dreading this moment and when children start to go missing in her hometown, she knows she must use all her powers to save them…and quickly. Filled with vivid descriptions and shockingly emotional scenes, this book will haunt readers as if they were in the pages of the book. It’s a page-turning book sure to delight, potentially scare and certainly give readers a new perspective to think about.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead.
There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.
But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod’s family.
Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms―most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to care for, and even Winterhouse itself?
Where the Lost Ones Go by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Where the Lost Ones Go by Akemi Dawn Bowman truly has healing powers. In it, we meet Eliot. She is reeling from her grandmother’s decline and ultimate death from dementia and is devastated when her parents decide to move her across the country from California to Maine is an attempt to make a fresh start. But Eliot cannot leave her grief behind. She is determined to connect with her Babung in the afterworld. She’s terrified that Babung’s memory loss will impact her in the world beyond. If she had no memories when she dies, how will she find her way in her new world? Much to her parents’ dismay, she becomes obsessed with all things ghosts and spirits in an attempt to find Babung. This obsession leads her to Honeyfield Hall, Mrs. Dalvaux and Hazel. But not everything is as it seems and Eliot just may get what she hoped for. It’s for readers who understand the pain and suffering that dementia can bring to a family. It’s for readers who have experienced loss and are having difficulty moving on. And it’s for readers who don’t always feel seen by those who love them and are trying to find their way. This book pulls at all the heartstrings.
The Keeper by Guadalupe García McCall
Moving from Texas to Oregon was a bad idea. No sooner have James and his family arrived in their “perfect” new town than he starts getting mysterious and sinister letters from someone called the Keeper. Someone who claims to be watching him. Someone who is looking for “young blood.” James and his sister, Ava, are obviously in danger. But the problem with making a fuss about moving and having a history of playing practical jokes is that no one believes James—not even his parents. Now James and Ava need to figure out who is sending the letters before they become the next victims in their neighborhood’s long history of missing children. Because one thing is clear: uncovering the truth about the Keeper is the only thing that will keep them alive.
