13 Canadian children's and YA books to read this Halloween
It's the time of year for a spooky (but not too spooky) read! These books feature chills, thrills and things that go bump in the night.
Broom for Two by Jennifer Maruno, illustrated by Scot Ritchie
In the picture book Broom for Two, a young witch is practising for her flying test but she keeps misplacing her broom. On one such occasion she finds her missing broom in the woods near a little rat's house, and the broom has been bent and chewed. With a broom that is no longer fit for purpose, Little Witch must overcome obstacles to pass her flying test and gets help from an unlikely friend.
Broom for Two is for ages 3-7.
Jennifer Maruno is an educator and author. Her debut novel, When the Cherry Blossoms Fell, was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award and the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award. She also wrote the picture book, While You Sleep, illustrated by Miki Sato. Maruno lives in Burlington, Ont.
Scot Ritchie is a Vancouver-based author-illustrator of over 60 books including See Where We Come From!, Zander Stays, written by Maureen Fergus, Join the No-Plastic Challenge!, Follow That Map! and Lilliana and the Frogs.
Mummy & Me by Danesh Mohiuddin
In this funny and original picture book, Mummy and Wee Wolf emerge from their coffin to start their 'day' every night when the sun goes down. Wee Wolf loves his Mummy and tries to be a well-behaved monster, but isn't always successful. Mummy & Me explores the hilarity and tender moments of a parent-child relationship.
Mummy & Me is for ages 3-6.
Danesh Mohiuddin is an illustrator and a cartoonist and has previously worked as a toy and games designer. Mohiuddin was born in India and now lives in Toronto. Mummy & Me is his first picture book.
The Book Witch, the Wee White Dog & the Little Free Library by Lana Shupe, illustrated by Tegan Thomas
In The Book Witch, the Wee White Dog & the Little Free Library, a Book Witch and her small white dog are trying to find a solution to the problem of having too many books. After a pile of heavy books fall over and land on the Wee White Dog's tail, the Book Witch knows she needs to rehome some of her books. But where? This picture book celebrates the magic of little libraries and the joy they can bring to communities.
The Book Witch, the Wee White Dog & the Little Free Library is for ages 3-7.
Lana Shupe is a writer living in Calgary. Her previous books include The Lonely Little Lighthouse and The Hippie Pirates.
Tegan Thomas is an illustrator and animator from Victoria, living in Halifax.
Ghostsmith by Nicki Pau Preto
In the conclusion to the House of the Dead duology, Wren must challenge both the living and the dead in order to prevent total war. Ghostsmith is a dark fantasy young adult novel following the aftermath of Bonesmith when the protagonist, Wren, was shocked to discover her once thought dead mother was alive and could control the undead. Alongside her friends Leo and Julian, Wren is on the run from both her power-hungry parentage and the magic that courses through her veins.
Nicki Pau Preto is a young adult writer and former graphic designer currently based near Toronto. She is also known for the Crown of Feathers trilogy.
Beast by Richard Van Camp
Returning to Richard Van Camp's fictional town in the Northwest Territories, Fort Simmer, Beast is a YA novel of magic and tradition set in the 1980s. Lawson Sauron has always tried to keep the peace alongside his family on the Dogrib side of "the Treaty" with the Cranes family, who are Chipewyan. When Silver Cranes finds himself indebted to an eerie spirit set on destroying the peace of the town, Lawson and the community must face a decades-old conflict and ghoulish tales.
Van Camp is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene writer from Fort Smith, N.W.T., who has written books across multiple genres. His graphic novel A Blanket of Butterflies was nominated for an Eisner Award and his children's book Little You, illustrated by Julie Flett, was translated into Bush Cree, Plains Cree, South Slavey and Chipewyan.
The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs
The Unfinished is a YA horror novel that delves into the Kanien'kehá:ka culture. In the town of Crook's Falls lies a pond within a forest hiding long lost horrors and monsters. When Avery comes across the murky waters she's unprepared for the hauntings that follow her home as more townspeople go missing. After her best friend vanishes, Avery turns to the Elders for help despite never feeling a connection to the stories she heard growing up.
Cheryl Isaacs is an Indigenous writer of the Kanien'kehà tribe in Ontario. Her literary work has appeared in numerous Indigenous publications and she was named one of CBC Books' 30 writers to watch in 2024. The Unfinished is her first novel.
Night of the Living Zed by Basil Sylvester and Kevin Sylvester
Night of the Living Zed is the middle-grade sequel to The Fabulous Zed Watson!. The smart and sleuthing best friend duo, Zed and Gabe are back and on the hunt to crack another cryptic case. The Glydebourne Manor was once home to a great opera designer and is hosting a ghoulish challenge – solve the puzzles in each room before midnight over three days. Can Zed and Gabe conquer their fears and win the prize money for their friends' wedding?
Night of the Living Zed is for ages 8 to 12.
Basil Sylvester is a non-binary writer based in Toronto. Their father, Kevin Sylvester, is a broadcaster and the award-winning illustrator and writer of middle-grade books such as the Neil Flambé Capers series and the MiNRS space adventure series.
A Witch's Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal
Life as a witch can be tough. With the town relying on her magic for success, the demands keep coming in. But when a witch outlives her usefulness she is burned at the stake, taking her memories and her magic. When she is left half-burned because of a rainstorm, it's up to a witch doctor and her toad friend to help her get her magic back before it's lost forever. Viral comic creator Aminder Dhaliwal uses prose, illustrations and comics to craft a humorous allegory for burnout in A Witch's Guide to Burning.
A Witch's Guide to Burning is for young adults.
Dhaliwal is a comic writer and television animator originally from Brampton, Ont. Now based in Los Angeles, Dhaliwal is a director at Disney TV Animation. Her comic series Woman World, originally published on Instagram to hundreds of thousands of followers, was released as a graphic novel in 2018. CBC Books named Dhaliwal a writer to watch in 2019.
The Great & the Small by A.T. Balsara
Life above and below the city streets meet in the YA dystopian novel The Great & the Small. Ananda is a teenage girl with a unique connection to animals and is plagued by haunted dreams. Fin is a rat living in the sewers beneath the city and he is determined to prove himself to his uncle, otherwise known as the "Beloved Chairman" of the Tunnel. When Ananda and Fin meet by chance, their paths converge; that is, if only the Chairman can be stopped from launching a war between rats and humans.
Andrea Torrey Balsara is an Ontario writer and illustrator of books for children and young adults. She is also the author of The Nightingale's Song and Mouse Tales.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
On the surface, Liselle Sambury's Delicious Monsters is a spooky and supernatural YA thriller. Dive a bit deeper and you'll see a fascinating portrait of mother, daughter, relationships and intergenerational trauma.
A teen named Daisy has a huge secret: she can see the spirits of the dead. Only Daisy's mom Grace knows, but that's not much comfort. Grace is aloof, distant and has her own secrets. So when Daisy and her mom inherit a mysterious mansion in Northern Ontario, she jumps at the promise of a new life and a new relationship with her mom only to find out it's not the happily ever after she was hoping for.
A decade later, a young filmmaker named Brittany wants to tell Daisy's story, and as she races to piece together Daisy's truth, she must also confront her past.
Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian-Canadian YA writer and blogger. Her debut novel, Blood Like Magic, was on the shortlist for the 2021 Governor General's Literary award for young people's literature — text.
The Secret of the Ravens by Joanna Cacao
In The Secret of the Ravens, orphan twins Elliot and Liza take part in Raven Quests — message-carrying ravens with magical tasks that award coins and riches, to change their fate. However, the quests aren't as straightforward as they seem, and when Liza gets poisoned, Elliot must race against time to save her.
The Secret of the Ravens is for ages 8 to 12.
Joanna Cacao is a Canadian-Filipino writer and illustrator who lives in Winnipeg. Her other projects include illustrating The Tryout and Native Reflections. The Secret of the Ravens is her debut graphic novel.
Little Moons by Jen Storm, illustrated by Ryan Howe
A year after her sister Chelsea's disappearance, teen Reanna and her family are still struggling to come to terms with her loss. In an attempt to escape the painful memories, Reanna's mom moves to the big city leaving Reanna and her brother on the reserve in the care of their dad. When lights start turning on in empty rooms and objects move without being touched Reanna starts to wonder if she's not as alone as she's been feeling lately.
Little Moons is a is for ages 14 and up.
Jen Storm is an Ojibway writer and artist from the Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. She was born and raised in Winnipeg and completed her first novel, Deadly Loyalties, when she was 14 years old. She is the author of the graphic novel Fire Starters. Storm wrote Red Clouds and illustrated Nimkii with Ryan Howe for This Place: 150 Years Retold.
Storm was a 2017 recipient for CBC Manitoba's Future 40 Under 40 and in 2019, she served as the writer-in-residence for One Book UWinnipeg at the University of Winnipeg.
Ryan Howe is a comic artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Saskatoon. His work includes the Henchmen comics, Gun Street Girl: Volume 1, the Female Force collection and the ongoing Daisy Blackwood series.
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
Curious Tides is a YA fantasy book about a teen mage who is trying to find out the truth about the drowning deaths of her fellow students at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics. After being the only survivor of a tragedy at the Dovermere sea caves, Emory has discovered that she has gained new powers and abilities that she doesn't know how to control. When the supposedly drowned students begin to wash ashore, alive, only to then die very soon after in horrible ways, Emory starts to suspect that there is more behind the drownings and the secret society that she believes her classmates were involved in.
Curious Tides is for ages 14 and up.
Pascale Lacelle is a French Canadian author from Ottawa. She has a bachelor's degree in French literature. Curious Tides is her first novel.
