India Hill Brown’s The Girl in the Lake (Scholastic Press) is described as “a truly chilling (and historically inspired) ghost story,” but Brown’s much anticipated sophomore novel will not be available until January 2022, so pre-order now. Until then, if you love ghosts and other tales full of magic, monsters, and mystery, this book list features stories that have received great reviews and can be enjoyed all year round but especially during the Halloween season.
For more stories for Halloween, check out these past posts “6 Middle-Grade Novels for Halloween” (2020) and “Darkness, Death and Witches’ Breath: 12 Books for Halloween” (2019).
1. Looking for a Jumbie
Tracey Baptiste | Amber Ren | Balzer + Bray | September 21, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
2. Boo Stew
Donna L. Washington | Jeffrey Ebbeler | Peachtree Publishing | September 1, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
3. Ophie’s Ghosts
Justina Ireland | Balzer + Bray | May 18, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
4. Hoodoo
Ronald L. Smith | Clarion Books | September 1, 2015 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
5. Within These Wicked Walls
Lauren Blackwood | Wednesday Books | October 19, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
6. Beasts of Prey
Ayana Gray | G.P. Putnam’s Sons BYR | September 28, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
7. White Smoke
Tiffany D. Jackson | HarperCollins/Tegen | September 14, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
8. Artie and the Wolf Moon
Olivia Stephens | Graphic Universe | September 7, 2021 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
9. Bad Witch Burning
Jessica Lewis | Delacorte | August 24, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
10. The Taking of Jake Livingston
Ryan Douglass | Putnam | July 13, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
11. Reaper of Souls (Kingdom of Souls Bk. 2)
Rena Barron | HarperTeen | February 16, 2021 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
12. The Year of the Witching
Alexis Henderson | Ace | July 21, 2020 | YA | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate and support our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors.
Amazon/Bookshop/IndieBound Disclosure: BCBA is a participant in the Amazon, Bookshop, and IndieBound Affiliate Programs. The affiliate programs offer participants the opportunity to earn fees by linking to Amazon, Bookshop, and IndieBound websites. Clicking on the book links will direct you away from this site. Thanks for your support!
