It’s FINALLY spooky season, the perfect time to curl up with a creepy book! If your students are anything like mine, they love horror, paranormal fiction, dark fantasy, and mystery. Of course, I’m taking full advantage of our shared love for creepy stories and going all out with my book recommendation brochures, book displays, and “Bookflix” categories. All month long, I’ll be featuring a variety of spooky books for First Chapter Friday and Book Trailer Tuesday. Since I’m in middle school, I recently rounded up a list of 10 spooky middle-grade book trailers, so head HERE if you’re in the middle. If you’re a high school teacher looking for some spooky YA book trailers, you’re in the right place, and I’m actually a little jealous! Why?
There is some seriously frightening, fun, and suspenseful YA horror out there, and the book trailers do not disappoint!
If you’re unfamiliar with Book Trailer Tuesday, it’s my favorite hack for getting students hooked on books in less than 3 minutes! Book Trailer Tuesday is as simple as it sounds! Press play on an engaging book trailer, and then ask students to rate their interest in reading the text. To read more about why I love Book Trailer Tuesday and how I facilitate it in my classroom each week, head to this blog post.
Ready to get started with Book Trailer Tuesday this month? Here are links to 10 spooky YA book trailers that your high school students will LOVE!
White Smoke by Tiffany Jackson
This long-anticipated new release from popular author Tiffany Jackson is sure to be a twisted, terrifying crowd-pleaser. I have this book on hold at my local library, but I LOVED Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Give students more than they bargained for this spooky season with this heartbreaking dark fantasy that explores grief.
The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco
Inspired by a Japanese ghost story, this haunting book will win over students with reviewers’ comparisons to popular shows and films like Dexter, The Grudge, The Ring, and The Exorcist!
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
This gripping trailer about a modern retelling of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is sure to get some reactions and questions out of your students!
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Get students hooked on the book before the movie with this engaging trailer about an abandoned orphanage and the strange children who lived there.
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
A newly released horror novel that tackles social issues while scaring readers, this story offers a twist on the typical “I see dead people” plotline.
The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson
More thriller and mystery than horror, this is a story about a Jack the Ripper copycat killer in modern-day London.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
This historical paranormal fantasy has a seriously haunting trailer, complete with a crime scene, ouija boards, and creepy music. What more could your teens want?!
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
Whether you read Frankenstein in class or not, this twisted, modern retelling of the classic story will intrigue your students!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The perfect young adult murder mystery DOES exist, and all you have to do is press play to get students hooked!
I hope these spooky YA book trailers get your students hooked on some horror during the month of October (or whenever you’re reading this)! For more spooky book recommendations, check out my horror book brochure! This interactive brochure features a fun reader personality quiz that automatically gives students personalized book recs based on their interests! The brochure is designed for middle school students, but it’s editable if you want to make it work for your high school students.
These interactive book brochures are the perfect way to take your book advertising to the next level! You can check out the full collection of 12 different middle school genre brochures HERE. It’s magical, self-sustaining system that will help your students answer the question, “What do I read next?” With over 250 book recs within the brochures, your students will never run out of books to read! Once again, this is a middle school resource, but I am starting work on a high school version soon, so I’ll update this post when that is finished!
Want more ideas to help your students fall in love with reading? Check out the following blog posts:
- 5 Ways to Help Your Students Fall in Love with Reading
- Book Trailer Tuesday: How to hook students on books in 3 minutes!
- Book Recommendation Brochures: FAQ
- 15 Ways to Use Book Recommendation Brochures
- 10 Reasons to Try First Chapter Friday
- First Chapter Friday: Frequently Asked Questions
- 15 Tips & Tricks for First Chapter Friday
- First Chapter Friday: Middle School Book List
- First Chapter Friday: Middle School Book List PART 2
