​With Halloween looking very different this year, we have created a list of some spooktacular books for your children to stay home and read next weekend!

I Say Boo You Say Hoo by John Kane

‘There’s something I need you to help me with. When I say BOO, you say HOO. Are you ready?’

Boo is little ghost who lives in a haunted house - and he is afraid of the dark.

In I Say Boo, You Say Hoo, readers must help tell the story with a series of hilarious verbal and visual cues. This is a wonderful book for sharing with a single child or in a group ... and it’s a little bit stinky. Be prepared for riotous laughter at story time!

Vampire Peter by Ben Manley and Hannah Peck

Everyone says Peter is the baddest boy in school. He likes strange food, wears strange clothes and does strange things. In fact, Peter is a vampire. So when the class gerbil goes missing, Lucy lets Peter take the blame, even though she knows it wasn’t anything to do with him…

Little Red, Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel by Bethan Woollvin

Little Red

A witty twist on a favourite fairy tale, Little Red was chosen as one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books 2016.

Little Red Riding Hood meets a wolf on her way through the woods to visit her sick grandmother. The wolf is hungry, and Red Riding Hood looks tasty, so he hatches a dastardly plan, gobbles up Grandma and lies in wait. So far, so familiar. But this Little Red Riding Hood is not easily fooled, and this big bad wolf better watch his back. In this defiant interpretation of the traditional tale, the cheeky, brave little girl seizes control of her own story (and the wolf gets rather more than he bargained for).

The perfect gift for fans of darker fairy tales, complete with tree-shaped cover flaps that make this a sumptuous sight to behold.

Printed using rich pantone colours, the graphic illustrations in Little Red offer a bold, visually arresting interpretation of the classic story by Bethan Woollvin, the winner of The Macmillan Prize for Illustration 2014.

Rapunzel

Golden-haired princess Rapunzel is kept trapped in her lofty tower by a wicked witch, who lops off locks of her beautiful hair and sells them for her own profit. Can Rapunzel ever figure out a way to escape?

A witty twist on a favourite fairy tale, this bold and funny story removes the handsome prince altogether, making Rapunzel the mistress of her own destiny.

Hansel & Gretel

Naughty little Hansel and Gretel ransack Willow the good witch’s gingerbread cottage and play havoc with her spells, driving the poor witch to her wit’s end with magical mischief and mayhem. They gobble all her yummy food, smash her potion bottles and even conjure the cat to the size of a house! Can Willow ever put a stop to the chaos?

Stan’s Frightful Halloween by Sandra Sutter and Chantelle & Burgen Thorne

When clumsy werewolf Stan breaks his leg on the eve of Halloween, he is heartbroken when his friends leave without him for what’s sure to be a scary good time. But Stan isn’t one to stay at home. Perhaps he can try ghosting? Or ride with the witches? After all, it can’t be THAT hard.

Join Stan with his heart full of determination on this frightful Halloween adventure to see if his clumsy mishaps might lead to a surprisingly scary and satisfying end.

Milton The Mighty by Emma Read

The first book in a fresh, funny series for readers aged 7+, illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths!

When little spider Milton discovers he’s been branded deadly on social media - and is targeted by pest-killers BugKILL - he fears for his life and the future of his species. Alongside his BFFs, big hairy Ralph and spindly daddy-long-legs Audrey, he searches for a way to clear his name. But to succeed, Milton realises he must communicate with his house humans, a schoolgirl called Zoe - and her arachnophobic dad. Is he mighty enough to achieve the impossible?

A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

A KIND OF SPARK tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard? A story about friendship, courage and self-belief, perfect for fans of The Goldfish Boy.

The Vanishing Trick by Jenni Spangler

Step into a world of secrets, folklore and illusions, where nothing is as it seems and magic is at play…

Madame Augustina Pinchbeck, travels the country conjuring the spirits of dearly departed loved ones… for a price. Whilst her ability to contact ghosts is a game of smoke and mirrors, there is real magic behind her tricks too - if you know where to look.

Through a magical trade, she persuades children to part with precious objects, promising to use her powers to help them. But Pinchbeck is a deceiver, instead turning their items into enchanted Cabinets that bind the children to her and into which she can vanish and summon them at will.

When Pinchbeck captures orphan Leander, events are set into motion that see him and his new friends Charlotte and Felix, in a race against time to break Pinchbeck’s spell, before one of them vanishes forever…

#TheVanishingTrick

A historical adventure with a magical twist from an outstanding debut talent. Perfect for fans of Michelle Harrison, Sophie Anderson and Emma Carroll.

Embassy of the Dead series by Will Mabbitt

Book one

Embassy of the Dead: Leave Your Life at the Door (Thanks.)

The first book in a spookily funny new series, where the living meets the dead and survival is a race against time. Perfect for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant and Who Let the Gods Out.

Welcome to the Embassy of the Dead. Leave your life at the door. (Thanks.)

When Jake opens a strange box containing a severed finger, he accidentally summons a grim reaper to drag him to the Eternal Void (yep, it’s as fatal as it sounds) and now he’s running for his life! But luckily Jake isn’t alone - he can see and speak to ghosts.

Jake and his deadly gang (well dead, at least) - Stiffkey the undertaker, hockey stick-wielding, Cora, and Zorro the ghost fox - have one mission: find the Embassy of the Dead and seek protection. But the Embassy has troubles of its own and may not be the safe haven Jake is hoping for . . .

Book two

Embassy of the Dead: Hangman’s Crossing

The second book in a spookily funny new series, where the living meet the dead and survival is a race against time. Perfect for fans of Skulduggery Pleasant and Who Let the Gods Out.

Welcome to the Embassy of the Dead. Leave your life at the door. (Thanks.)

Jake may have already outrun and outwitted a grim reaper - saving his own life, as well as the soul of an innocent ghost - but his spooky adventure has only just begun . . .

In return for helping ghost, Stiffkey, resolve his unfinished business and travel to the Afterworld, Jake has now been awarded an official position working for the Embassy of the Dead, protecting ghosts in need. He didn’t ask for it and, to be honest, he doesn’t necessarily want it, but saying ‘no’ to the Embassy isn’t an option. Now Jake must journey even deeper into the mysterious world of ghosts where, on a rowdy night undercover at the Hangman’s Social Club, he overhears a plot to destroy the very fabric between the world of the living and the dead.

With his ghostly gang at his side - hockey stick-wielding Cora and Zorro the fox - Jake must do the impossible. He has to be a hero. Again. His life - and ultimately his death - depends on it.

Book three

Embassy of the Dead: Destiny Calling

The Afterlife is at peace. Things are quiet at the Embassy. Jake’s life is - as much as it can be - back to normal. Not for long…

The peace-loving king of demons is about to pass to the void, to be replaced by his son, a vain and spiteful demon who the Afterworld Authorities know is hell-bent on chaos.

The Prince must be killed and Jake is selected for the task, much to his dismay and faithful sidekick Cora’s disgust. It is his destiny.

But all is not as it seems. A rebel faction at work in the Afterworld has its own agenda, the demon prince has unusual powers and both Jake and Cora will uncover a stunning secret about themselves that changes everything. With destiny calling, which path will they choose?

Morgan Charmley series by Katy Birchall

Morgan Charmley: Teen Witch

Laugh-out-loud, fresh teen comedy with an on-trend witchy spin - Sabrina the Teenage Witch for a new generation!

Morgan Charmley has spent her entire thirteen years on the planet attempting to prove she has control over her witch powers so that she’s allowed to attend a normal school.

And the day has finally arrived!

But will she be able to make friends and fit in with non-magical teenagers? Can she resist using her powers to make herself popular or turn her teachers into toads? Can she keep her spells a secret?

Perfect for fans of Louise Rennison, Zoella and Holly Bourne

​Morgan Charmley: Spells and Secrets

Morgan Charmley is finding it very difficult to keep her witch powers under control and undercover at school.

With a fellow secret witch trying to sabotage her and a confusing friendship with a sworn-enemy warlock to navigate, the girl who can spark magic with a click of her fingers knows that trouble always follows fast!