Celebrate Summerween — this Summer's Trendiest Holiday — With These Spooktacular Books For All Ages

Carly Tagen-Dye

August 4, 2024 at 1:00 AM·7 min read

It’s never too early for scares — check out our picks for the best books to get you into the Halloween mood this summer

*A selection of books to read this Summerween*

Though we’re still feeling the summer heat, fall is just around the corner. Soon, houses and apartments will be decked out in reds and oranges, it’ll be hard to go anywhere without seeing a pumpkin and you’ll be organizing your Halloweekend plans to go out (or stay in and watch scary movies.)

For those who celebrate Summerween, however, spooky season planning may already be underway.

Summerween — an unofficial holiday and event — originated from the Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls. Following twins living in a town full of mysterious happenings, it’s no surprise that the fictional community of Gravity Falls created their own holiday: Summerween, because the townspeople “love Halloween so much, they celebrate it twice a year.”

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Summerween has also been a hit on TikTok this summer, with users sharing videos partaking in the holiday for themselves. Though there’s no official start date, some celebrate Summerween soon after July 4th ends, once Halloween decorations arrive in stores. Others may take their themed burgers (fit with pumpkin-shaped cheese) and autumnal movie nights right up until September.

No matter your preference, some good ways to celebrate Summerween are by making scary snacks, watching horror movies and curling up with a good book. We’ve rounded up some of our must-read Summerween picks — including horror novels set in the summertime, chilling new releases and books for even the littlest horror fans.

No matter what you’re in the mood for, you’re sure to find something to read now and into the fall.

‘Trick or Treat on Scary Street’ by Lance Bass

The *NSYNC star is ringing in Summerween with a new children’s book. Join 13 trick-or-treaters as they take a stroll down Scary Street, where witches, vampires and treats lie just beyond. This picture book is perfect for readers aged 4 to 6.

‘Middle of the Night’ by Riley Sager

As an adult, Ethan Marsh returns to his hometown, where his best friend Billy disappeared from his home on Hemlock Circle when they were both kids. Thirty years later, Ethan begins to experience insomnia and bad dreams, and finds that there’s a strange figure roaming his neighborhood at night. Ethan begins to question what really happened to his friends all those years ago in Sager’s latest thriller.

‘It’ by Stephen King

Seven friends spend their childhood getting terrorized by a malicious creature that haunts their town of Derry, Maine. Decades later, once the murders in their hometown return, the group returns home as adults to take on the entity they thought they’d conquered. This classic King novel is hefty but well worth the read.

‘The Ghostkeeper’ by Johanna Taylor

Dorian Leith has the ability to see ghosts, and though this skill has made him an outcast in town, the spirit of his dead grandmother — along with the living local bookshop owner — have enough faith in him to propel him forward.

When the gate to Death’s Door is stolen, however, and ghosts become trapped in the land of the living, Dorian must use his power to bring peace to both plains. This graphic novel is perfect for fans of shows like Lockwood & Co and The Midnight Club.

'The Hacienda' by Isabel Ca?as

<p>The Hacienda by Isabel Canas</p> 'The Hacienda' by Isabel Cañas — The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
'The Hacienda' by Isabel Ca?as

In the wake of her father’s death and the Mexican War of Independence, Beatriz is proposed to by Don Rodolfo Solórzano, a handsome widower whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances. Beatriz moves into Rodolfo’s estate on Hacienda San Isidoro, but soon learns that there’s a malevolent presence haunting the grounds in this riveting supernatural novel. Pro tip: Read it with the lights on.

‘Horror Movie’ by Paul Tremblay

In 1993, a group of filmmakers set out to make a creepy art house flick, though only three scenes were ever released to the public. Nevertheless, Horror Movie gained a cult following, and is now being optioned for a reboot.

One of the film’s star’s, however, is the only person who knows about the bizarre incidents, dangers and tragedy that happened behind the scenes. Soon, his past and present start to blur in this fun take on the “found footage” genre.

‘Things that Go Bump in the Day’ by Melinda Beatty

This children’s book is a perfect Summerween read — mainly because it takes place during the day! Vampire Vlad is supposed to be going to sleep, but is kept awake by all of the strange noises that occur during the day. With the help of his mother, Vlad comes to see that the waking hours aren’t as frightening as they may seem in this book about bedtime anxieties.

‘The Black Girl Survives in This One’ edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell

This YA anthology spotlights Black girls as horror protagonists. Throughout stories from writers like Zakiya Dalila Harris (The Other Black Girl), Erin E. Adams (Jackal) and more, these characters battle monsters, supernatural forces and more in this chilling and powerful collection.

‘I Was a Teenage Slasher’ by Stephen Graham Jones

The town of Lamesa, Texas is the kind of place where all the neighbors know your name. For Tolly Driver, though, it's a target when he becomes the unfortunate recipient of a curse that forces him to kill. This unsettling novel told from Tolly’s perspective, presents a new twist on the slasher movie — from inside the mind of a teenage murderer.

‘The Troop’ by Nick Cutter

A scout troop’s camping trip in the Canadian wilderness takes a dark turn with the arrival of a mysterious intruder — one who is disturbingly thin, pale and hungry. Dubbed as Lord of the Flies meets 28 Days Later, this survival thriller is sure to make your skin crawl.

‘Things We Lost in the Fire’ by Mariana Enríquez

This short story collection packs chills in every form — haunted houses, black magic, superstition and gristly endings, just to name a few. Enríquez also weaves in Argentina’s complicated history in these stories that are as sharp as they are scary.

‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ by Alvin Schwartz

This anthology of horror stories has been terrifying ‘90s and ‘00s kids for decades, but is sure to spook anyone, no matter their age. Composed of tales found by its folklorist author, this book is perfect to scare your friends with around a campfire (and if that’s not enough, its illustrations should do the trick).

‘The Between’ by Tananarive Dive

<p>The Between by Tananarive Due</p> 'The Between' by Tananarive Due — The Between by Tananarive Due
'The Between' by Tananarive Due

As a child, Hilton was saved from dying by his grandmother, who sacrificed her life for him. Thirty years later, when his wife becomes the recipient of racist letters, and Hilton is haunted by bizarre and disturbing nightmares, he begins to wonder if he was really supposed to survive his accident.

Originally published in 1995, and with a new edition coming later this August, this haunting novel blends reality with the supernatural.

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