Endless Summerween

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • July 08, 2026

Whether lounging in a backyard hammock, spending long days at the beach, or vacationing near or far, summertime calls for an abundance of good reading material. Now that the season is officially underway, we're excited to celebrate Summerween with bloodcurdling thrillers, gothic horror, and unlikely monster romances. Here are 24 reads, for a range of ages, to bring a thrilling chill to your hot summer days.

Kids and YA

• But I'm a Pumpkin! by Kat Choppy
  A young girl waits for Halloween, telling tales and singing songs of costumes, candy, and trick-or-treaters to the sprouts in the pumpkin patch. One little seed dreams of becoming a jack-o-lantern, but nature has other ideas in this read-aloud perfect for fans of Stumpkin or The Bad Seed. (Ages 3–7)
• Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
  Jasper Rabbit loves carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little League. He eats them walking home. But one day the carrots start following him. Or do they? The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch in this Caldecott Honor-winning, bestselling picture book. (Ages 4–8)
• The Haunted Playground by R. J. Palacio and Brett Helquist
  When all the trick-or-treating is done and children are tucked in, the ghosts arrive to play at the Haunted Playground. But will the appearance of two human children interrupt their revelry? Preorder this spine-tingling new picture book (out 7/21) from the bestselling author of Wonder. (Ages 4–8)
• Pizza and Taco: Dare to be Scared! by Stephen Shaskan
  Pizza and Taco aren't afraid! To prove it, they dare each other to be scared. Flashlights? Check! Scary movies? Check! Ghost Peppers?! These besties are ready to prove they're brave as can be in their latest graphic chapter book! Part of a hilarious series perfect for developing readers. (Ages 5–8)
• Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed by José Pablo Iriarte
  After moving cross-country into his late grandfather’s Miami mansion, Benny discovers the ghost of his famous trumpet-playing abuelo still there—and none too pleased about it. Meanwhile, Benny’s got problems of his own. Luckily, Abuelo believes they can help each other. (Ages 8–12)
• Solve Your Own Mystery: The Monster Maker by Gareth P. Jones
  Welcome to Haventry, a town where the ordinary and extraordinary collide. With ghosts, werewolves, and zombies living side by side, trouble is always brewing. And when a fiendish crime is committed, you are the detective in charge of the case. The reader decides where this mystery will go! (Ages 8–12)
• Don't Turn Out the Lights: An Anthology
  Featuring stories from R. L. Stine, Tananarive Due, Kami Garcia, Madeleine Roux, and many more, this middle grade horror anthology, curated by bestselling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (Ages 8–12)
• Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
  Spending the summer with family friends on Martha's Vineyard, Brooklyn girl Kaylani feels like a fish out of water. When the shocking death of a popular teenage boy rocks the community, Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery. But her investigation uncovers shocking secrets. (Ages 9–12)
• Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
  After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with the "smiling man," a sinister specter who grants wishes—but for a price. The first in a series. (Ages 10 and up)
• How (Not) to Renovate a Haunted House by Jenny L. Howe
  When Amity's mom moves them across the country to a tiny Massachusetts town, she's hoping for a fresh start. When she learns their disaster of a house is supposedly haunted, she makes a deal with amateur ghost hunter Theo, aka the son of a local contractor. (Age 12 and up)
• Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
  Daisy sees dead people. When she moves with her mother to a secluded mansion in Northern Ontario, her experience with the supernatural only intensifies. A decade later, Brittney is determined to uncover the mystery of what happened to the young Black girl in the "Miracle Mansion." (Ages 14–17)

Adults

• Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
  An aspiring fashion influencer by day, Poppy moonlights as a grave robber to make ends meet, wheeling and dealing dead bodies across Palm Springs. When a lucrative job veers off course, Poppy must fight for her life if she hopes to survive this blood-soaked joyride of carnage and extravagant entertainment.
• One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
  An ancient, mercurial spirit called Nightmare is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle's head. Sometimes he protects her. Other times he controls her. When she meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, they embark on a dangerous quest. This dark gothic fantasy, the first in a series, is perfect for fans of Uprooted.
• The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
  Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds. Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.
• The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  Handsome con artist Ulises charms lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune. He thinks he's found it in boardinghouse owner Perla. But Perla's observant niece, Inés, throws a wrench in his plans.
• Slewfoot by Brom
  Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.
• The Farewitch of Foxe Holler by Ellen Pauley Goff
  Honey Frost is Foxe Holler's dependable Farewitch. With a dash of flour and a pinch of charm, Honey carries on her family's legacy for healing any ailment with the right recipe. When the Holler's reclusive Warlock suddenly requests that she cure his mysterious illness, Honey's ordered life turns upside down.
• The Only One Left by Riley Sagar
  Most people assume teenaged Lenora was responsible for the Lizzie Borden-like massacre of her family, but it was never proven. Now in her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora begins opening up to Kit, her young caregiver. But is Kit putting herself in danger by trusting her seemingly harmless charge?
• The Winter Folk by Jen Julian
  Every year, the mythical Winter Folk gather at a secret lodge, where a woman named Moth was once the housekeeper and trusted confidant of the enigmatic master of the house. Moth has not been allowed back in decades. Still, she feels its call. She needs to see him again. No matter the cost.
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
  August 1975: Thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in these woods. As a panicked search begins, the layered secrets of the Van Laar dynasty collide with the blue-collar community working in its shadow.
• When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy
  When struggling actress Jess finds a five-year-old boy hiding in the bushes outside her apartment, it sets off a horrifying chain of events. And when the wolf finally comes home, no one will be spared. This adrenaline-fueled horror thriller has drawn high praise from heavy hitters like Stephen King and Grady Hendrix.
• Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
  When her sister goes missing, Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish. In Phantasma, a twisting maze filled with demons, temptations, and monsters, Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last.
• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
  Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Other mothers aren't evil sorcerers. This dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's The Goose Girl is rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. Get in on the special first edition hardcover with a foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
  Misery, the only daughter of a powerful Vampyre leader reluctantly agrees to marry Lowe, an Alpha Werewolf as part of a historic alliance between Vampyres, and their mortal enemies, The Weres. This paranormal departure from the bestselling romcom author delivers a scintillating outcome.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas for titles to add to your shelves this summer. For more ideas, you can shop our Endless Summer Reads page where you can get in on summer promos. Check out previous Endless Summer posts:

• Dive Into a New Series for Summer
• Endless Summer Beach Reads
• Endless Summer Special Editions
• Endless Summer Children's Books
• Endless Summer Thrills and Chills
• Endless Summer Book-to-Screen

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