Check It Out

Books recommended by Ilene Abramson, senior librarian for the children’s literature department, Los Angeles Public Library:

Halloween--Ghosts and monsters rear their spooky heads in these fiction and nonfiction books.

Preschool: “The Teeny Tiny Ghost,” by Kay Winters, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

With the help of his friends, a timid little ghost learns to be brave.

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Kindergarten: “Scary, Scary Halloween,” by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

On Halloween, a family of cats must yield their nocturnal roaming to a stream of scary trick-or-treaters.

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First to third grades: “Ghosts! Ghostly Tales From Folklore,” by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Victoria Chess

Even beginning readers can enjoy traditional folk tales in this mild book of slightly scary stories.

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Fourth grade: “When the Chenoo Howls,” by Joseph and James Bruchac, illustrations by William Sauts Netamuxwe Bock

Gather ‘round the fireplace and read these spooky Native American tales of chenoos, flying heads, cannibal ogres and stone giants.

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Fifth grade: “The Gargoyle on the Roof,” by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Peter Sis

Boogeymen, gremlins and werewolves all get a nod in this humorous book of monster poems.

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Sixth grade: “Ghosts of the West Coast,” by Ted Wood

Travel to haunted places like the Winchester mystery house, the Queen Mary and Alcatraz to uncover the stories of special sightings.

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Seventh and eighth grades: “Witches and Witch-Hunts: A History of Persecution,” by Milton Meltzer

In this nonfiction book, an eminent social scientist examines prejudices and intolerance from 15th century France to modern times.