Fall is upon us and that means Halloween is just around the corner! As you begin decorating your classroom with plastic black spiders and pumpkin-shaped string lights, don’t forget to stock your bookshelves with scary YA books. From zombies and monsters to all things paranormal, scary books are the perfect way to keep your students flipping pages all autumn long. 

Adding to your scary stories collection is a great opportunity to keep your class engaged with reading amidst the excitement of fall festivities and Halloween celebrations. Plus, you can use a scary story to teach your students about foreshadowing and suspense while sparking their curiosity and imagination.

These hand-selected scary books feature hair-raising mysteries, suspenseful adventures, and terrifying twists. They also explore complex themes and intricate plots that will keep your students on the edge of their seats at the turn of every page. (Check out these Halloween books for striving readers.)

If your students are interested in monsters and ghouls, Zombie Season is a perfect read for this Halloween season. Living in California in the summer isn't easy, especially between wildfires, scorching temperatures... and the zombies. This zombie season, readers join Joule, Regina, and Oliver as they each overcome their own terrifying challenges — all while trying to evade the invading zombies. 

Meanwhile, fans of all things magic will love Shadow Coven, the second book in the best-selling, popular series, The Witchery.  Witches Jailah, Logan, Iris, and Thalia want nothing more than to rest during the summer after defeating the Wolves. But their plans come to a screeching halt as they each deal with roadblocks to realizing their powers, make names for themselves at Mesmortes, and defeat the darkness that still lingers around the academy. 

Shop the best scary books for teens below! Discover more titles for young adults. You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store.