All Hallows Read

Neil Gaiman, he of the shaggy hair, dark clothing, prolific authorial genius, and spectacular wife, has invented a new literary holiday. Why? Because he's Neil Gaiman, he does what he wants!

Celebrating All Hallows Read is simple: just give someone a scary book on October 31st. That's all. You can even recommend a library book. Check out the video below of Gaiman explaining the whole thing in a zombie-ridden graveyard that looks remarkably like the cemetery where I used to eat lunch in high school. And here are some recommendations of spooky reads:

For Kids
Bunnicula by Deborah Howe
Pets are not always what they seem to be...

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
The title says it all, but the pictures are worth a thousand thrills.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Coraline is bored with her parents, but when she meets her Other Mother she is lost in a creepy parallel world from which she may never return.

For Teens
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Mackie is one of the children left behind to replace a stolen baby. But he is the only one who has ever survived into his teenaged years. And he's not quite human.

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
John Wayne Cleaver has fought his whole life to keep his darkness under control. When brutally slain bodies begin turning up in the neighborhood, he feels he is uniquely suited to investigate the crime, only to find out that the killer is unlike anything he has encountered before.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
Helen has been haunting people for over 100 years, and for the first time even she has found someone who can see her. But will this teenage boy help her solve the mystery of her death?

Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Rory witnesses a murder by a Jack-the-Ripper copycat killer and becomes involved in a very unusual investigation.

Rot & Ruin  by Jonathon Maberry
In a post-apocalyptic world, there are zombies and there are people. Mostly zombies.