5 Extra-Scary Middle Grade Books for Future Stephen King Fans

Doll Bones, by Holly Black and Eliza Wheeler 
Twelve-year old friends Zack, Poppy, and Alice are the stars of this creepy supernatural read from Spiderwick Chronicles author Holly Black. The kids have been playing an ongoing fantasy game ruled over by a china doll (creepy!) since they were little, but then one day basketball player Zack decides he doesn’t want to play anymore. (A coming of age scenario a lot of kids will be able to relate to!) That’s when things go off the rails, and fast…

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean 
Neil Gaiman is the master of the creepy story, and to me Coraline is one of his most terrifying tales! Coraline discovers a door in her drawing room that leads to an alternate reality. Everything is eerily similar—even her parents are there, but these new parents have black button eyes and sinister intentions. Be warned, this book may stay with you for years. If you are brave enough to pick up another frightening Gaiman book after this one, try The Graveyard Book. 

The Dollhouse Murders, by Betty Ren Wright 
This book is a childhood classic that has haunted me for a long time. If you’ve ever owned a dollhouse, that will really up the spook factor for you. What happens to your dolls when you turn out the lights? Betty Ren Wright explores this idea in her story about a girl named Amy who starts to hear strange noises from her dollhouse at night. The dolls are in different places when she wakes up. They’re trying to tell her something… but what? You’ll have to be brave and read the book to find out!

Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story, by Mary Downing Hahn
Guess who Helen is from the title of this terrifying ghost story? Oh, just a child ghost whom Molly and Michael’s younger annoying stepsister Heather starts talking to when the family moves into a church in the middle of the country with a graveyard in the backyard. Creeped out yet? Just wait till Helen comes. And if you are looking for more creepy doll books, Mary Downing Hahn has you covered: pick up The Doll in the Garden next.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry 
You won’t find this book shelved in with the other horror books, but I think that its dystopian premise is just as spooky and rattling as any ghost story. 12-year old Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect and harmonious world. Everyone is given assignments for what their life path should be at a ceremony when they turn 12, and everyone seems content. Jonas’ assignment of Receiver of Memory turns his world upside down, and shows him that his world is much darker and more complicated than he could have ever imagined. A psychologically terrifying book that will have you thinking long after you finish the last page.