Hey, I have a conundrum. My nine-year-old daughter is asking for horror content and nothing seems to scare her. She’s not scared by the “Goosebumps” books and she’s not scared by “Scary Stories to tell in the Dark”. I’ve been trying to find horror content (movies and books) that are scary, but don’t contain adult sexy-stuff. It’s kind of hard.
Does anyone know of books, possibly YA books, that are scary but still appropriate for a tween?
I should add that even though she’s 9 she’s in a gifted program and reading at the 8th grade level.
by bluenautilus2
5 Comments
Lois Duncan’s books are perfect for this although a little dated now. I Know What You Did Last Summer is the classic but I loved them all when I was that age.
The actor Jason Segel co-wrote a juvenile fiction book called ‘Nightmares!’ It’s the beginning of a trilogy. You might give that a try. I read it as an adult, and it still held my attention. (This is coming from someone who was reading Stephen King when he was only twelve.)
There is also a Young Adult novel called Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It’s about this teen boy who kills ghosts. It also has a sequel.
As for movies, I would start her out with a Netflix movie called Nightbooks. It’s suitable for children. If you want movies that are relatively clean, but are rated PG-13 and up simply because of the scare factor, you might try the old film with Nicole Kidman called The Others. It’s not sexy or gory. Just spooky.
Coraline by Niel Gaiman
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is surprisingly dark for a kids’ book! I also recommend Coraline and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman; both are fabulously gripping stories and were also very creepy to me (an adult children’s librarian).
Wait Til Helen Comes