My students keep asking for more murder mysteries and horror books. (They’ve blown through my Karen McManus and Holly Jackson books, and have decided my April Henry thrillers don’t count.)
The trouble is that they’re in that strange age where they want cool, older books without necessarily being ready for the mature content that can come with some YA.
Any good horror and/or murder mysteries you would suggest for my 12-14 year olds?
by cuewittybanter
4 Comments
Try books by Jessica Beck
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
A little outdated, but Lois Duncan books scared the crap out of me in middle school, and I still see them in middle schools today, so they seem to be considered appropriate. Ditto to “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” by John Bellairs
I’m going to list a few books/authors which are all officially MG, but they lean a little dark so I would look up warnings before purchasing:
– I Am The Cheese by Robert Cormier (a lot of his stuff is fantastic, but some of it is mature YA more than MG)
– Silent To The Bone by E. L. Konisburg
– John Grisham’s Theodore Boone series
I also really liked the CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore at that age, but it might be too much depending on the kids.