October Reading List: Spooky Stories

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Autumn is here, bringing the crisp crunch of leaves, cold dark nights, Halloween and bonfires – the perfect time to gather round in the gloom to enjoy spooky stories. From ghosts and ghouls to wacky witches, join us for a creepy crawl through these books full of things that go bump in the night, with a fair share of superbly silly spooks thrown in too!

Winnie the Witch

Winnie the Witch
Age 2+

Far from spooky, but certainly full of magical fun, join Winnie the Witch and her black cat Wilbur in a series of madcap adventures. Choose from a wide range of picture books to share, as well as early readers that will introduce the magic of reading to misadventurers everywhere! 

Browse Winnie and Wilbur books.

Bat Facts

Bat Facts
Word Sparks
Oxford Level 3 (Reception-Year 1/P1-2)

Find out all sorts of surprising facts about seemingly spooky bats in this book from the new Word Sparks series. Specially developed to enhance children’s vocabulary alongside their decoding skills, this fully-decodable book tackles the word gap, and what’s more, you can download it for free until the end of October!

Take a look at the whole Level 3 Word Sparks pack, or buy Bat Facts on Amazon.

Fright Night

Fright Night
Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books
Read Write Inc. Orange Level (Year 1-2/P2-3)

Will Jess Flight get the part of the Wicked Witch in the school play? That depends on how frightening she can be! Practise reading the igh sound in this Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Book, designed for reading practice outside the classroom. It includes supportive notes for parents and carers, as well as pre-reading activities and a Vocabulary Check.

Take a look at the whole Orange Set 4 Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books storybooks pack.

A Fright in the Night

A Fright in the Night
Oxford Reading Tree: Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories
Oxford Level 6 (Year 1-2/P2-3)

Biff and Chip are staying with Gran and have lots of fun playing a new game called Haunted House, until it’s time to go to bed and Chip starts to worry that Gran’s house might really be haunted! They hear a noise in the garden and think they’ve seen a ghost, but is everything as it seems?

Take a look at the whole Oxford Reading Tree Biff Chip and Kipper Stories: Level 6 More Stories A pack or buy A Fright in the Night on Amazon. 

The Spooks

The Spooks
TreeTops Fiction
Oxford Level 10 (Year 2-4/P3-5)

When the Normal family move into their new house, Tottering Towers, they find that another family already lives there – the Spooks – and they’re trying to scare them away. Can the families learn to get along? This spine-tingling story is great for readers who are starting to explore and develop their own reading tastes and interests.

Take a look at the whole TreeTops Fiction Level 10 pack or buy The Spooks on Amazon. 

Natural History Mysteries

Natural History Mysteries
TreeTops inFact
Oxford Level 11 (Year 2-4/P3-5)

Uncover some of the most famous mysteries from around the world and decide if they are fact or fiction! Some of these spooky stories have puzzled us for hundreds of years, from the famous Loch Ness Monster to crop circles and alien landings. Why not ask your class to write their own news stories to investigate their favourites?

Take a look at the whole TreeTops inFact Level 10/11 pack or buy Natural History Mysteries on Amazon. 

The Ghost in the Washing Machine

The Ghost in the Washing Machine
TreeTops Chucklers              
Oxford Level 12 (Year 2-4/P3-5)

Get ready for some super silly spookiness in this anthology of fun poems, exploring everything from how skeletons keep in touch, to what’s written on a robot’s tombstone! Giggle at the ghoulish characters as you start to study structural features such as rhyme and free verse, thinking about how these can be utilised when you’re reading poetry aloud. 

Take a look at the whole Level 12-13 TreeTops Chucklers pack or buy The Ghost in the Washing Machine on Amazon.

The Canterville Ghost

The Canterville Ghost
TreeTops Classics
Oxford Level 15 (Year 3-5/P4-6)

In a funny twist on what you might expect from traditional ghost stories, this fun adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s spooky story sees the ghost becoming frightened of people. When the new residents move in, he simply can’t scare them away! This book offers an accessible introduction to the world of classic literature for upper juniors.

Take a look at the whole Level 15 TreeTops Classics pack or buy The Canterville Ghost on Amazon.


We hope those silly spooks will have your class on the edge of their seats!

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