When the air is crisp and pumpkins glow, when leaves are falling and witches are rising, you know that Halloween is fast approaching. Time to get in the mood and listen to a Halloween audiobook.
Whether your family wants a funny Halloween audiobook or a spooky story the choices on this list evoke the autumnal spirit of trick-or-treating, magical happenings and eerie atmospheres. There are audiobooks for families with 3-year-olds and up to families with teens.
Warm up the apple cider, break out the pumpkin spice donuts and sit back for a Halloween tale!
NOTE: Recommended ages are listening ages.
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MERCY WATSON: PRINCESS IN DISGUISE by Kate DiCamillo
You can never go wrong with Mercy Watson! Princess in Disguise is the perfect non-scary Halloween audiobook for families with young children who want something a bit longer than a picture book. The Watsons squeeze their porcine wonder into a princess costume, but all Mercy can think of is buttered toast. Let the mayhem begin! Ages 3 and up.
UPSIDE-DOWN MAGIC (series) by by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle & Emily Jenkins
My son gobbled up the audiobooks of this cute and clever series that centers on a group of kids with unconventional magical abilities. The action follows the adventures of the kids as they learn to harness and control their magic while navigating the typical ups and downs of school life. The series was also adapted into a DisneyPlus series. It's not scary at all. Ages 5 and up.
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THE BOGGART by Susan Cooper
We loved this hilarious book about an invisible, magical and mischievous spirit. The Boggart lives in an old Scottish castle but he accidentally gets transported to Toronto when he is gets trapped in an old desk. He has fun making mischief in his new digs but soon he feels homesick and searches for a way to get back home. Ages 6 and up.
THE WITCH FAMILY by Eleanor Estes
Estes penned this book about two seven year girls who create an elaborate story about an imaginary "Old Witch." They decide that Old Witch needs to start mending her wicked ways or else there will be no Halloween. The blurred boundary between reality and make-believe worlds is just what every child hopes for. Ages 5 and up.
THE BEST WORST HALLOWEEN EVER by Barbara Robinson
The chaos-creating band of kids from the classic, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, bring just as much mayhem and laughs to Halloween as they did to Christmas. This time, when the Herdman's cause too much trouble with their mischievous ways and pranks, the mayor threatens to cancel Halloween. Ages 4 and up.
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THE WITCHES by Roald Dahl
When I was a kid, this novel that scared the bejeezus out of me. Other kids may not feel the same way, but the whole idea of witches turning little kids into mice gave me the creeps. Perhaps your kids will feel otherwise. Nevertheless, this book has all of Dahl's wonderful trademark weirdness. Ages 5 and up.
THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman
This is a wonderful, beautifully written book, bittersweet and magical. Nobody Owens, or Bod as he is known, was supposed to be murdered the night his parents were. But as a toddler, he managed to escape. Now he is being raised by ghosts and lives in the graveyard. There are two audiobook versions–read by the author and a full cast. Go for the full cast reading! Ages 8 and up.
THE HALLOWEEN TREE by Ray Bradbury
When a group boys go trick or treating and one of the boys gets taken away by a mysterious element, it's the creepy Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud who journeys with the boys through time to find him. The journey teaches them the history of Halloween and traditions surrounding death, ghosts and spirits. Older kids and teens will also enjoy Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ages 9 and up.
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THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving
If your kids can handle a scary Halloween audiobook, Irving's 1820 classic ghost story will be right up their alley. Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow and falls in love with Katrina Van Tassel. However, a local man, “Brom Bones” Van Brun, is also vying for her hand. One fateful night after Ichabod's suit is rejected, he rides home on his trusty horse, Gunpowder, only to meet, with tragic consequences, the ghost of a headless Hessian soldier. Ages 10 and up.
VARIOUS WORKS by Edgar Allen Poe
You'll be able to find a plethora of audiobook versions of Poe's work. I can't say that I recommend one over the other, although Vincent Price is a fun narrator. Choose whatever your library has for you to download into your listening app. A collection of his works will give you and your kids the opportunity to listen to creepy favorites like "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." Ages 8-10 and up.
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