The Giant Print
Library
Horror and ghost
stories for
younger readers
Updated: December 2012
Any UK member of our library service
may borrow up to a maximum of 6
books per service for a 3 month loan
period.
Most of the books have been produced
by the National Blind Children's
Society and are in 24 point type with
identical covers to the ordinary print
versions of the books.
Please be aware that due to their size,
many of the books are split into two or
more volumes, and these will have the
same covers.
For details on borrowing any of the
titles listed or for further information
regarding the Giant Print collection
please contact Liz Farrell or Hazel
Sharrock, Children's Librarians at
RNIB National Library Service on 0161
429 1975.
Horror and ghost stories
Almond, David.
Skellig. 1998. Suggested reading
age 9+.1v.
Michael's baby sister is ill. While his
parents spend time at the hospital, he
explores their new home. In the old,
derelict garage he finds something
sinister; a strange creature, part owl,
part angel. Is it something good or
something evil?
Contains swear words.
Arnold, Louise
The ghost school. 2006.
Suggested reading age 9+. 2v.
Grey Arthur finally knows where he
belongs - at the side of Tom Golden as his invisible friend. He's been
thinking that maybe there are other
ghosts like him, who aren't very good
at haunting and would make perfect
invisible friends.
Barlow, Steve.
Zombie hunter. 2010. Suggested
reading age 9+. 1v.
A Plot-Your-Own story. You are the
Hunter - destined to fight horror
wherever you find it. You're called to
an island in the South Pacific - home
to the Nutco Oil corporation. Their
operation is being disrupted by the sort
of pest that only you can help to defeat
- zombies! They are threatening to
destroy everything on the island of
Saruba, and now you must fight your
way through the fog and hordes of
living dead to find the truth...
Burne, Christy.
Takeshita demons. 2010.
Suggested reading age 9+.1v.
Miku Takeshita and her family have
moved from Japan to live in the UK,
but unfortunately the family's enemy
demons have followed them! One
night, in a raging snowstorm, Miku's
little brother Kazu is kidnapped by the
demons, and then it's up to Miku and
her friend Cait to get him back
Cabot, Meg.
The mediator 1 : love you to
death. 2004. Suggested reading
age 13+. 2v.
Book 1 of the Mediator series. Suze is
a mediator; she directs the unhappy
dead into the afterlife, and it isn't easy
- not all ghouls want to be guided. At
least she's sharing her bedroom with
Jesse - the most gorgeous ghost ever!
Cann, Kate.
Leaving Poppy. 2006. Suggested
reading age 15+. 2v.
Amber's family think she's gone to
Cornwall on holiday, but really she's
left home. She feels bad because her
mother and Poppy need her, but she's
got to make the break. Then Amber
falls ill and her family come to look
after her. Something in the house
responds to Poppy's presence,
something malign and threatening.
Carpenter, Humphrey.
Mr Majeika and the ghost train.
1995. Suggested reading age 7+.
1v.
When Class Three and Mr Majeika get
on board a Ghost Train they are in for
a surprise. Real ghosts appear and
the wicked Wilhelmina Worlock isn't far
away. But Jody comes to the
rescue...with a dragon to help her.
Carpenter, Humphrey.
Mr Majeika and the haunted
hotel. 1988. Suggested reading
age 7+. 1v.
Mysteriously stranded in the fog at
night, Mr. Majeika and Class Three
find themselves in a creepy hotel near
Hadrian's Wall, where some very
spooky things start to happen. Strange
lights, ghostly sounds and vanishing
people...
Cooper, Louise.
Short and scary! : a book of very
short scary stories. 2002.
Suggested reading age 9+. 1v.
(Short and spooky : a book of very
short spooky stories is also available).
A collection of short stories. They are
short, some are spooky, some of them
are funny, some of them are a little bit
creepy.
Cross, Gillian.
Wolf. 1992. Suggested reading
age 13+. 2v.
In the middle of the night in Nan's flat,
Cassy hears voices. The next morning
she is packed off to stay with her
mother. It has all happened before and
Cassy, knowing it is pointless to ask
questions, tries to distract herself by
getting involved in a travelling theatre
show called Wolf. But this time
distraction is not enough.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin
Storm. 1985. Suggested reading
age 7+. 1v.
Annie lives with her elderly parents in
a remote cottage. She knows the
secrets of the great marsh. She's even
heard about its ghosts. Then, on a
terrible night, with the phone lines
down, Willa, Annie's sister, goes into
labour. Annie is terrified of the ghost,
but knows she must brave the storm to
fetch help. As she ventures into the
night for help, not even she knows
what to expect.
Deary, Terry
Terry Deary's terribly true ghost
stories. 2006. Suggested reading
age 9+. 1v.
A collection of spine-tingling true tales
about ghosts, including the Flying
Dutchman, a ghostly green man,
reincarnation and poltergeists.
Delaney, Joseph
The Spook's apprentice. 2005.
Suggested reading age 13+. 2v.
Book 1 of the Wardstone Chronicles
(other books in the series are also
available). Thomas Ward is the
seventh son of a seventh son and has
been apprenticed to the local Spook.
Somehow Thomas must learn how to
exorcise ghosts, contain witches and
bind boggarts.
Dickens, Charles.
A Christmas carol. 1843.
Suggested reading age 11+. 1v.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a heartless old
miser who doesn't enjoy Christmas
and doesn't think anyone else should,
either. But, one Christmas Eve, some
ghostly visitors take Scrooge on a
journey that changes his mind for ever.
Du Maurier, Daphne.
The birds and other stories. 1952.
2v. Suggested reading age 15+.
The birds become hostile after a harsh
winter with little food - first the
seagulls, then birds of prey, and finally
even small birds - all turn against
mankind.
Du Maurier, Daphne.
Don't look now and other stories.
1971. Suggested reading age
15+. 2v.
John and Laura have come to Venice
to try and escape the pain of their
young daughter's death. But when they
encounter two old women who claim to
have second sight, they find that,
instead of laying their ghosts to rest,
they become caught up in a train of
increasingly strange and violent
events.
Duncan Lois
I know what you did last summer.
2000. Suggested reading age
15+. 1v.
Four teenagers try to conceal their
responsibility for a hit-and-run accident
while being pursued by a mystery
figure seeking revenge.
Ellis, Carol.
Silent witness. 1994. Suggested
reading age 11+. 1v.
A Point Horror book. When Lucy's
friend Allen dies, she is faced with
sorting out his stuff - there's not much,
but there is a video tape. Not unusual
at first, but when played, it reveals a
strange sinister secret, and covers a
crime - a deadly crime.
Fine, Anne.
The devil walks. 2011.Suggested
reading age 9+. 2v.
Raised in secrecy by a mother
everyone thinks has gone mad,
Daniel's only link to his past is the
intricately built model of the family
home High Gates. The dolls house is
perfect in every detail. Then Daniel is
reunited with his uncle Severin, who
bears an uncanny resemblance to a
sinister wooden doll he has found
hidden in the house.
Fisher, Catherine
The ghost box. Suggested
reading age 13+. 1v.
A Barrington Stoke book. There's a
ghost in Sarah's bedroom and he is
begging for her help. All he needs is
for her to open a box. Will she save his
soul or is it a dreadful trap?
Gaiman, Neil.
Coraline. 2002. Suggested
reading age 13+. 1v.
When Coraline moves with her parents
to a new house she is fascinated by
the fact that their 'house' is in fact only
half a house! Divided into flats years
before, there is a brick wall behind a
door where once there was a corridor
and one day it is corridor again, down
which the intrepid Coraline wanders.
And so a nightmare-ish mystery begins
that takes Coraline into the arms of
counterfeit parents and a life that isn't
quite right. Can Coraline get out? Can
she find her real parents? Will life ever
be the same again?
Gibbons, Alan.
Scared to death. 2008. Suggested
reading age 13+. 2v.
Book 1 of the Hell's Underground
series. (Book 2, The demon assassin,
is also available.) Paul makes a new
friend, John Redman - daring and
enigmatic, just as Paul longs to be,
away from his cloying mother. Redman
charms Paul at once, but also a girl
called Jude they meet on a night about
town. A few days later, Paul learns that
Jude has mysteriously died, and
Redman has disappeared…
Goodhart, Pippa.
The house with no name. 2003.
Suggested reading age 8 years,
suggested interest age 9-12
years.
A Barrington Stoke book.
When Jamie's father buys a house that
has been empty for thirty-five years, a
secret from the past is revealed. A
touching ghost story.
Graves, Sue.
Ghost. 2009. Suggested reading
age 13+. 1v.
A Barrington Stoke book.
Dan and Lee find a weird coin in the
woods with 'dare' on one side and
'danger' on the other. When they flip it,
adventure follows.
Higson, Charles
The enemy. 2010. Suggested
reading age 11+. 3v.
Book 1 of the Enemy series. When the
sickness came, every parent,
policeman, politician - every adult - fell
ill. The lucky ones died. The others are
crazed, confused and hungry. Only
children under fourteen remain, and
they're fighting to survive. Now there
are rumours of a safe place to hide.
And so a gang of children begin their
quest across London, where all
through the city - down alleyways, in
deserted houses, underground - the
grown-ups lie in wait. But can they
make it there - alive?
Hoh, Diane.
The whisperer. 1997. Suggested
reading age 13+. 1v.
A Point Horror book (Nightmare Hall).
Shea Fallon is hiding a dark secret,
and no-one must find out what she has
done. But someone has found out, and
now Shea is being haunted by a
terrifying whisper on the phone. Can
Shea stop the whisperer from
revealing the truth? Or is she going to
have to pay a deadly price?
Horowitz, Anthony.
Groosham Grange. 1988.
Suggested reading age 9+. 1v.
David quickly discovers that his new
school, Groosham Grange, is a very
weird place indeed. New pupils sign
their names in blood; the French
teacher disappears every full moon
and the assistant headmaster keeps
something very chilling in his room,
and that's just the first year. In his
second year, David is on a course to
win the Unholy Grail - but something is
trying to stop him from winning.
Horowitz, Anthony.
Horowitz horror. 2005. Suggested
reading age 9+. 1v.
Two wicked short story collections It
includes stories as creepy as an
ordinary looking camera that turns out
to have evil powers, a bus ride home
that turns into your worst nightmare,
and a mysterious computer game that
absolutely nobody would play.
Hutchison, Barry.
Invisible friends : Mr Mumbles.
2010. Suggested reading age 9+.
2v.
Kyle's imaginary friend from childhood
is back! with a vengeance. Kyle hasn't
seen Mr Mumbles in years. And there's
a good reason for that: Mr Mumbles
doesn't exist. But now Kyle's imaginary
friend is back, and Kyle doesn't have
time to worry about why. Only one
thing matters: staying alive!
Jacobs, W.W.
The monkey's paw (retold by
Diane Mowat). 2000. Suggested
reading age 9+. 1v.
From the Bookworms series, which
offers younger readers the chance to
enjoy lively and accessible adaptations
of the best classic and modern fiction.
Outside, the night is cold and wet.
There is a knock; a man is standing
outside in the dark. The visitor has
been in India for many years. He has
brought the hand of a small, dead
animal - a monkey's paw…
James, Henry.
The turn of the screw. 1898.
Suggested reading age 15+. 2v.
A young governess takes charge of
two orphaned children, but she soon
begins to feel the presence of intense
evil…
Lassiter, Rhiannon
Bad blood. 2007. Suggested
reading age 13+. 2v.
In an abandoned house in the Lake
District, a cupboard door opens into a
playroom where there's a collection of
children's books in which the names of
characters have been savagely
crossed out. Here three children
played a make believe game, which
was never finished…
Lively, Penelope.
Astercote. 1996. Suggested
reading age 9+. 1v.
Mair Jenkins and her brother enter
forbidden territory and find themselves
caught up in an atmosphere of
medieval superstition. Who is the
strange boy the children find in the
wood? Could he be from this century?
or maybe he's from a time long past...
Lively, Penelope.
The ghost of Thomas Kempe.
1973. Suggested reading age 9+.
1v.
The ghost of Thomas Kempe was
always getting James into trouble and
for a long time it just refused to go
away.
Mahy, Margaret.
The changeover : a supernatural
romance. 1984. Suggested
reading age 11+. 2v.
Teenage Laura is aware that she has
latent supernatural powers but is
careful to keep them suppressed. A
chance meeting with the strange and
evil Carmody Braque brands her little
brother Jacko with terrifying results.
Laura realises that the only way to
save Jacko is to challenge this
malevolent being, but will she be
strong enough to win?
Mahy, Margaret.
The haunting. 1992. Suggested
reading age 11+. 1v.
The family of Barney's dead mother is
aware that there is something special
about this particular boy. As he resigns
himself to being haunted again, his
sister and brother set out to discover
the reason behind his supernatural
attraction.
Morden, Daniel.
Fearless. 2009.Reloaded
Suggested reading age 8+ ;
Suggested interest age 10-14. 1v.
A Barrington Stoke book.
A boy without a name wants to find out
what it's like to shudder with fear. A
vigil with a corpse' leaves him numb
and a conversation with hanged men
turns out to be rather one-sided. Will a
night in the haunted house with the
Devil himself, help him learn to
shudder with fear? A dark, Gothic tale.
Morpurgo, Michael.
My friend Walter. 2007.
Suggested reading age 9+. 1v.
Bess experiences a series of unusual
events on a visit to London. Who is
the stranger in the black cloak who is
so keen to talk to her, and how can
she hide her friendly ghost from the
family back in Devon?
Nye, Alex
Chill. 2006. Suggested reading
age 9+. 1v.
Samuel is trapped by huge snow drifts
in an old, remote house. And that's not
the only thing causing a cold shiver to
creep down his spine. He feels like the
ghostly figure in the locked library has
a message ...but who is it for?
Pierce, Nicola.
Spirit of the Titanic. 2011.
Suggested reading age 9+. 1v.
Fifteen-year-old Sam plunges to his
death whilst building his beloved
Titanic. Now as the greatest ship the
world has ever seen crosses the
Atlantic, Sam finds himself on board as a ghost.
Priestley, Chris
Uncle Montague's tales of terror.
2007. Suggested reading age
11+.1v.
Uncle Montague tells his nephew the
most frightening stories he knows. But
as the stories unfold, a newer and
more surprising narrative emerges.
"Uncle Montague's tales of terror", it
transpires, are not so much works of
imagination as dreadful lurking
memories…
Pullman, Philip.
Count Karlstein. 1982. Suggested
reading age 11+. 2v.
No one in the village of Karlstein dares
to leave their home on All Souls Eve the night Zamiel, the Demon
Huntsman comes to claim his prey.
But the evil Count Karlstein has struck
a terrible bargain with Zamiel, and so
the lives of his young nieces, Lucy and
Charlotte, are in danger.
Ransom, S C
Small blue thing. 2010.
Suggested reading age 13+. 2v.
Celebrating the end of exams with best
friend Grace, 17-year-old Alex rescues
a swan caught on a wire in the
Thames mud and finds an
extraordinary bracelet. Through its
disturbing and compelling powers, she
finds Callum, a soul locked in a half-life
of sadness and mystery following a
terrible accident, and his sinister sister
Catherine.
Richardson, E. E.
The soul trade. 2009. Suggested
reading age 11+. 2v.
When Nick Spencer stumbles upon
Bargains, the odd little back street
shop seems like the perfect place to
buy the present he's been searching
for. And when the shopkeeper wants
to take some of Nick's artwork instead
of money for payment, he's even
happier. But Nick soon realizes that
the deal he's made is not quite the
bargain he thought it was...
Sedgwick, Marcus
My swordhand is singing. 2006.
Suggested reading age 13+. 1v.
In the bitter winter Tomas and his son,
Peter, arrive in Chust to settle as
woodcutters. Peter doesn't understand
why his father has started to do
strange things, but when a band of
gypsies comes to the village Peter's
drab existence is turned upside down.
Sedgwick, Marcus
White crow. 2010. Suggested
reading age 13+. 1v.
It's summer. Rebecca is an unwilling
visitor to Winterfold - taken from the
buzz of London and her friends and
what she thinks is the start of a
promising romance. Ferelith already
lives in Winterfold - it's a place that
doesn't like to let you go, and she
knows it inside out.
Shan, Darren
Cirque du freak. 2000. Suggested
reading age 11+. 2v.
Book 1 of the Saga of Darren Shan
(other books in the series are also
available). Darren Shan is just an
ordinary schoolboy - until he gets an
invitation to visit the Cirque Du Freak...
Soon, Darren and his friend Steve are
caught in a deadly trap…
Shan, Darren
Lord Loss. 2006. Suggested
reading age 13+. 2v.
Book 1 of the Demonata series. When
Grubbs Grady first encounters Lord
Loss and his evil minions, he learns
three things: the world is vicious,
magic is possible, demons are real. He
thinks that he will never again witness
such a terrible night of death and
darkness...He is wrong.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft.
Frankenstein. 1994. Suggested
reading age 15+. 2v.
Frankenstein is a young, idealistic
student of natural philosophy who,
finding the secret of giving life to
matter, creates a living being. The
monstrous creation, though gentle in
nature, becomes increasingly lonely
and isolated, then embittered and
cruel.
Stine, R.L.
Beach party. 1999. Suggested
reading age 11+. 1v.
Other books by this author are also
available. Karen has invited her friend
Ann-Marie to stay at her dad's beach
apartment for the summer. They've
even met two guys to hang out with.
But someone doesn't want Karen to
get close to Jerry. In fact, if she gets
too close, they are prepared to go in
for the kill.
Stoker, Bram
Dracula (adapted by Jim
Alderson)1992. Suggested
reading age 11+. 1v.
A simplified edition of the classic
horror tale.
Strong, Jeremy.
The ghost in the bath. 2012.
Suggested reading age 9+. 1v.
A Barrington Stoke book.
Luke's family has a new member Ellie, the ghost in the bath! Can Luke
help Ellie find her fiance Charlie as
well as finish his history project for Mrs
Trouble - sorry, Mrs Rubble - before
he's really in hot water?
Vornholt, John.
Coyote moon : Buffy the Vampire
Slayer. 1998. Suggested reading
age 13+. 1v.
Part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer
series (other books in this series are
also available).The seedy carnival
looks like just the thing to give Buffy
and her best buds, Xander and Willow,
a break from staking bloodsuckers.
Some greasy food, a few cheap thrills what more could a Slayer ask for? But
then Buffy senses something evil
behind the carnival…
Westall, Robert.
Yaxley's cat. 1992. Suggested
reading age 11+. 1v.
Yaxley's cottage looked like the perfect
place for a holiday, until the cat, intent
on revealing the terrible truth, arrived.
Winkler, Henry
Zero to hero. 2012. Suggested
reading age 7+. 1v.
Book 1 in the Ghost buddy series. Billy
Broccoli is a boy with questions: about
his new school, his new step-family,
his whole new life. Hoover
Porterhouse (aka the Hoove) is a
ghost with all the answers. When a
trick of fate makes them roommates,
Billy discovers that having a ghost
around might not be so bad after all.
Wooding, Chris
The haunting of Alaizabel Cray.
2006. Suggested reading age
13+. 2v.
As Thaniel, a wych-hunter, and
Cathaline, his friend and mentor, try to
rid the alleys of London's Old Quarter
of the terrible creatures that infest
them, their lives become entwined with
that of a woman who may be either
mad or possessed.