Ghostly Good Middle-Grade Reads (and What They Can Teach Writers)
September 10, 2026
By Beth Ann Bauman, faculty, writing for children and young adults
Fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter, and soon the leaves will crisp and fall. The wind will blow cool, and the change in season become palpable. The quiet chill of fall is the perfect time to curl up with a ghost story. Or better yet, to write one. Because ghosts represent all facets of the past, the subject is ripe with opportunities to explore weighty themes such as fear, guilt, secrets, second chances, forgiveness, things left undone, unresolved, and so on. Manifestations can be physical or psychological. Spirits can be restless, vengeful, sorrowful, or even loving. Clearly, there are many ways to approach a haunting. While ghost stories appeal to readers of all ages, children in particular love them for their mystery and spookiness. If you’re thinking of writing one for kids or just want a good read, check out these middle-grade novels.
Two classics
The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. I have ridiculous love for this book. It was written over thirty-five years ago but continues to feel fresh and timeless. It’s not just a ghost story but also a murder mystery. It begins with a fraught relationship between siblings in which the protagonist, Amy, is charged with babysitting her developmentally disabled sister. As Amy fights for some independence, she lands at the ancestral home, where things start to get really interesting. Family history and trauma figure into the story through a forgotten dollhouse, languishing in the attic, that has urgent messages to convey. It’s a spine-tingling read and a very good model for what makes a compelling ghost story; the underlying psychology is spot-on and all the characters are nuanced. Adults here don’t have all the answers and don’t always behave appropriately. Any writer who has ever struggled with how to end a book will be instructed by Wright’s pitch-perfect conclusion, which manages to show the characters’ growth in the most natural, honest way.
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. First of all, the title is irresistible. And this menacing line gets echoed by an unhappy little brat, the youngest member of a blended family, who becomes prey to a needy graveyard ghost. While the characters lack the nuance found in The Dollhouse Murders, the story makes up for it in atmospherics. The rural graveyard setting is genuinely spooky and becomes the perfect backdrop as the lonely ghost seduces the lonely child, luring her to a weed-tangled pond where other children have died. The suspense and propulsive pace serve as good models for how to keep young readers engaged while giving them a good scare. A creepfest with plenty of shivers.
Others to look at
The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf. This lovely and lively story is based on a Malaysian folk tale in which a dark spirit learns to change his ways because of the love he feels for the girl he’s bound to. He comes to learn that “humanity is contagious.” What’s interesting is that the girl, Suraya, accepts her pelesit (a shapeshifting spirit) for who he is, dark side and all, while encouraging his better nature, even if expressing it is not always possible. Alkaf handles relationship dynamics with humor and heart and a lot of complexity. While this is a story of love and friendship, it also has plenty of ghastly delights.
A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander. This is a unique ghost story. The problem here is that the town in question is not haunted, when all other towns and cities in the world are. So the question becomes, why have ghosts been banished from this place? Our intrepid protagonists, an eleven-year-old appeasement specialist-in-training and her new friend, set out to welcome back ghosts when it becomes clear banishment doesn’t work—that history can’t be erased, nor should you want it to be. Remembrance is a key theme here. Alexander is a nimble writer of delightful sentences. This is an excellent book to study for its crispness and invention and deeper layers. The worldbuilding includes fun, detailed rules for appeasing pissed-off ghosts who demand that we honor the past.
Bonus reads
Kate Klise’s Dying to Meet You (Book 1) is full of humor and puns and creatively told through letters, notes, articles, and advertisements.
Erin Entrada Kelly’s The Last Resort gives new life to classic haunted house tropes.
Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad engagingly depicts Dominican culture and includes a lively household full of chatty ghosts.
V.E. Schwab’s City of Ghosts is wonderfully atmospheric.
Vera Brosgol’s Anya’s Ghost (graphic novel) is technically YA, but I include it here because I can’t imagine not mentioning it. A highly relatable, eerie tale paired with expressive illustration.
Beth Ann Bauman is the author of a short story collection, two young-adult novels, and a forthcoming middle-grade novel. She’s the recipient of fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Jerome Foundation.