5 Spooky Campfire Books

On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave, by Candace Fleming
Set in an actual cemetery outside of Chicago, this book has ten ghost stories that take place from the 1860s to present day. It features teenage ghosts who each narrate the stories of their own demise, taking turns one-upping each other with their macabre tales. With historical settings throughout the stories, it’s hard to tell truth from fiction at times. This book offers a good introduction to scary stories without the gruesome details.

The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales, by David Lubar
Creepy and hilarious, both reluctant readers and reluctant listeners will enjoy this collection of scary stories. Icky tales, death, and tormented characters are sprinkled throughout the more than thirty stories that encompass this book. Perfect for a younger audience or for kids who are truly afraid of the dark, each story has something that is laugh out loud funny—a good antidote to the more ghoulish moments.

Short and Shivery: Thirty Chilling Tales, by Robert D. San Souci and Katherine Coville
If hair-raising chills are more your thing, this book offers up plenty of opportunity to get your hair, and your heart rate, rising. Full of ghosts, monsters, and murders, each story offers up a perfect opportunity for scary mayhem. The collection includes ghost stories and old folktales to provide a variety of thrills and chills. By the end of the night you will have visited with demons and werewolves, vampires and goblins, skeletons and ghosts. The best part—each story is the perfect length for parents to read aloud to kids.

Beware!: R.L. Stine Picks His Favorite Scary Stories, by R. L. Stine, Various
R. L. Stine has compiled a book of scary delights from various authors. Short stories, poems, comics, and old tales combine to offer up a tome of classic horror. Featuring works by writers such as Ray Bradbury and Bram Stoker, this book will introduce kids to some highly-pedigreed adult authors. Don’t skip the introduction in the book and check out two new stories from Stine himself. When your kids arrive back home, they will most certainly be watching out for the ice cream man.

Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World, by Various, Howard Schwartz, and Arielle North Olson
More than twenty folktales from around the world make up this chilling and culturally diverse collection. Focused on a lot of supernatural events—think goblin rats and imprisoned mermaids—the stories pair nicely with detathrills and chillsiled illustrations. Each story ends just before the gruesome atrocities begin, leaving the reader with a sense of anticipation and many unanswered questions. Not only does this book take you around the world, but quite possibly out of it too.