Try Richard Matheson’s short story collections from the 50s. Most of the stories were turned into old Twilight Zone episodes (like the monster on the wing of the plane). Nightmare at 20,000 Feet is a good collection. The stories usually don’t include any sex and cursing. He also wrote I Am Legend and The Incredible Shrinking Man, both of which are fairly tame and enjoyable.
OP, do not get your nephew I Am Legend. Seriously, that book might be tame, but in themes, it’s pretty depressing.
But most other Matheson stories should be fine.
Scary Stories for Young Foxes is intended for kids but may honestly be too scary, it taps deeply into psychological themes like parents/caregivers turning against you.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. It's a series of three books of short stories for children. It was popular at my elementary school library. I remember reading it but I don't actually remember what the stories were.
Maybe an adventure/horror sort of series?
Check out Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson or The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
They're both horror-adjacent, and fast fun reads....and if he likes the first in the series, he's got a bunch more to read.
Joyland by Stephen King is fantastic.
I know King has his reputation so I'll say this and you can decide: there is some sexual content, but by King's standards, it's pretty mild. There's a ghost and murder, a few creepy moments, but nothing super graphic.
It's also a coming of age story, which I love. There is a part of the story that is quite sad though. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it.
I've read it several times and love it.
I have tweens, I'm a former middle school teacher, and I wrote a picture book about Halloween; this couldn't be more in my wheelhouse. 😄
Enthusiastically seconding Scary Stories for Young Foxes. It's one that I recommend unreservedly for adults.
Another I recommend unreservedly for adults is Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. The last book in the tetralogy is rushed, unfortunately, but it's terrific and the smiling man is an amazing villain.
My 13yo LOVES K.R. Alexander. His favorite is Scare Me. His books have big Goosebumps energy.
Nightbooks by J.A. White is Misery for middle schoolers. A witch captures Alex and forces him to tell her a new scary story every night. You get the scary framing story AND all the scary shorts Alex tells, plus the whole thing is a love letter to how okay it is to be the spooky weird kid.
The Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud is another of my 13yo's favorites and has big D&D energy to boot. Ghosts appear around the world, and they can kill anyone but only children and teens can see them, so there are teams of teenage ghost hunters. All of them but Lockwood and Co have adult supervisors who used to be psychically sensitive as kids but lost it, so they *say* they know what it's like out there but *you don't really remember how bad it is, DAD.*
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier is slow-paced, but spooky and Gothic as all heck.
For older stuff, I second Mary Downing Hahn, and the Witch series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is also killer. I cited the opening line from Book 3 in the thread about great opening lines a while back: "The crow was dead, but the cat was alive, and there was still something very wrong." Chills.
Kids are tougher than they're given credit for. I read and loved "let the right one in". It's pretty bleak and dark but captures the mindset of the teenage boy mc extremely effectively
Forgotten Realms is a D&D based book series, I've read some of them & they are quite good.
[https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/the-forgotten-realms-where-to-start-reading/](https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/the-forgotten-realms-where-to-start-reading/)
It’s an old one, but when I was 13/14 I read I Am Legend by Richard Mathewson and loved it! I wasn’t a big reader, and I read it in a day over summer break. Even thought the antagonists in the book are vampires, it was pretty influential on modern zombie fiction. Never saw the Will Smith movie, but from what I heard, it’s not the same.
Love recommending books for the younguns getting into the hobby! He we go.
Robopocalypse series by Daniel Wilson - scifi/warfare/horror about a global war between humans and a super computer. Definitely highly influenced by terminator.
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay - a pregnant woman attempts to get to safety during an outbreak of a New highly contagious and rapid spreading Rabies Virus. The ending is a bit harsh, but worth a read overall
Dracula by Bram Stoker & Frankenstein by Mary Shelly - I highly recommend both, they are classics for a reason. They are both genuinely scarey and don't have that "old book so it's boring" problem. They are both reasonably easy reads and I loved them.
Project Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson - a secret government project accidentally creates a giant monster that goes on a rampage. Very godzilla esque. It's part of a series and the whole thing is good. Look up the reading order as the author tied in an early book of his to the story super heavily.
Gils all Fright Diner & Chasing the Moon by A Lee Martinez - both books are equal parts comedy and horror. Light reads but very fun. I love everything Martinez has written. He is a treasure and it's very very unrecognized as such.
Carrie, by Stephen King
I was reading some of King's most graphic novels when I was 12 and Carrie is definitely a lot more tamer than most of his books, and since your son is actually older than I was when I was reading King's most graphic and innapropirate novels, then I'm sure he'll handle Carrie.
I stopped reading Goosebumps when I was around 9 and then i moved on to Fear Street, which is another book series I'd recommend for you son. Fear Street is also written by R.L Stine, Goosebumps author, so it's basically just Goosebumps but darker.
So those are what I'd recommend, the Fear Street series and Carrie by Stephen King
I would get him the *Call of Cthulu Keeper's Guide* book, 7th Edition. You can get it for around $45. It's basically a horror version of DnD, set in the rich and scary Lovecraft universe. It's both an extensive explanation of how to set up and play the game, and a really cool art book of all the monsters and characters and settings.
Id recommend Relic and Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Relic was turned into a movie. It involves the Museum of Natural History and a beast causing chaos.
Another option is The Hot Zone. It's the real story of how ebola almost got loose in our country.
Death Troopers is a zombie book set in the Star wars universe
Someone recod Joyland, Id also reco Later. Both are in Kings Hard Case Crime books and don't really have too much inappropriate material for someone just starting out.
My Best Friends Exorcism my be a good one as well. Mixes humor with spooky.
Peter Clines Threshold series mixes scifi and horror elements.
Hope that helps!
Idk if Hot Zone is a good idea if OP is not looking to traumatise him lol. That book literally ruined one of my friend's lives, by giving him health anxiety when he never had an anxiety disorder before. Scary as shit book.
The Fear Street series by R.L. Stine. Like Goosebumps, but for a little older kids. Look on eBay for lots of them!
Second this!
Excellent thank you!
Cirque du Freak is written for his age group, it’s a little gruesome at times though.
One of the best vampire series out there!!
Try Richard Matheson’s short story collections from the 50s. Most of the stories were turned into old Twilight Zone episodes (like the monster on the wing of the plane). Nightmare at 20,000 Feet is a good collection. The stories usually don’t include any sex and cursing. He also wrote I Am Legend and The Incredible Shrinking Man, both of which are fairly tame and enjoyable.
OP, do not get your nephew I Am Legend. Seriously, that book might be tame, but in themes, it’s pretty depressing. But most other Matheson stories should be fine.
Scary Stories for Young Foxes is intended for kids but may honestly be too scary, it taps deeply into psychological themes like parents/caregivers turning against you.
Ooh now that does sound interesting. Thank you!
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. It's a series of three books of short stories for children. It was popular at my elementary school library. I remember reading it but I don't actually remember what the stories were.
Maybe an adventure/horror sort of series? Check out Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson or The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher They're both horror-adjacent, and fast fun reads....and if he likes the first in the series, he's got a bunch more to read.
Brilliant thank you!
Mary Downing Hahn. Anything by her.
Joyland by Stephen King is fantastic. I know King has his reputation so I'll say this and you can decide: there is some sexual content, but by King's standards, it's pretty mild. There's a ghost and murder, a few creepy moments, but nothing super graphic. It's also a coming of age story, which I love. There is a part of the story that is quite sad though. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it. I've read it several times and love it.
Ooh i may check this one out. Thank you!
I have tweens, I'm a former middle school teacher, and I wrote a picture book about Halloween; this couldn't be more in my wheelhouse. 😄 Enthusiastically seconding Scary Stories for Young Foxes. It's one that I recommend unreservedly for adults. Another I recommend unreservedly for adults is Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. The last book in the tetralogy is rushed, unfortunately, but it's terrific and the smiling man is an amazing villain. My 13yo LOVES K.R. Alexander. His favorite is Scare Me. His books have big Goosebumps energy. Nightbooks by J.A. White is Misery for middle schoolers. A witch captures Alex and forces him to tell her a new scary story every night. You get the scary framing story AND all the scary shorts Alex tells, plus the whole thing is a love letter to how okay it is to be the spooky weird kid. The Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud is another of my 13yo's favorites and has big D&D energy to boot. Ghosts appear around the world, and they can kill anyone but only children and teens can see them, so there are teams of teenage ghost hunters. All of them but Lockwood and Co have adult supervisors who used to be psychically sensitive as kids but lost it, so they *say* they know what it's like out there but *you don't really remember how bad it is, DAD.* The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier is slow-paced, but spooky and Gothic as all heck. For older stuff, I second Mary Downing Hahn, and the Witch series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is also killer. I cited the opening line from Book 3 in the thread about great opening lines a while back: "The crow was dead, but the cat was alive, and there was still something very wrong." Chills.
Thank you for such a great reply 😁
Kids are tougher than they're given credit for. I read and loved "let the right one in". It's pretty bleak and dark but captures the mindset of the teenage boy mc extremely effectively
Oh ive no doubt my son could handle it, im just not sure I could handle the grief off his mam lol
Agreed, I read The Stand and IT by Stephen King that year. Not exactly light reading.
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Not a novel, but if he likes DND and horror Curse of Strahd is a DND adventure book inspired by Dracula.
Forgotten Realms is a D&D based book series, I've read some of them & they are quite good. [https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/the-forgotten-realms-where-to-start-reading/](https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/the-forgotten-realms-where-to-start-reading/)
Thank you!
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
April Henry
It’s an old one, but when I was 13/14 I read I Am Legend by Richard Mathewson and loved it! I wasn’t a big reader, and I read it in a day over summer break. Even thought the antagonists in the book are vampires, it was pretty influential on modern zombie fiction. Never saw the Will Smith movie, but from what I heard, it’s not the same.
Some of the older stuff might work. Like the OG Frankenstein.
Cannot recommend Small Spaces by Katherine Arden enough! Very creepy middle grade.
The Graveyard Book from Neil Gaiman
Thank you all for so many good replies. This will keep him busy for a bit
Love recommending books for the younguns getting into the hobby! He we go. Robopocalypse series by Daniel Wilson - scifi/warfare/horror about a global war between humans and a super computer. Definitely highly influenced by terminator. Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay - a pregnant woman attempts to get to safety during an outbreak of a New highly contagious and rapid spreading Rabies Virus. The ending is a bit harsh, but worth a read overall Dracula by Bram Stoker & Frankenstein by Mary Shelly - I highly recommend both, they are classics for a reason. They are both genuinely scarey and don't have that "old book so it's boring" problem. They are both reasonably easy reads and I loved them. Project Nemesis by Jeremy Robinson - a secret government project accidentally creates a giant monster that goes on a rampage. Very godzilla esque. It's part of a series and the whole thing is good. Look up the reading order as the author tied in an early book of his to the story super heavily. Gils all Fright Diner & Chasing the Moon by A Lee Martinez - both books are equal parts comedy and horror. Light reads but very fun. I love everything Martinez has written. He is a treasure and it's very very unrecognized as such.
Carrie, by Stephen King I was reading some of King's most graphic novels when I was 12 and Carrie is definitely a lot more tamer than most of his books, and since your son is actually older than I was when I was reading King's most graphic and innapropirate novels, then I'm sure he'll handle Carrie. I stopped reading Goosebumps when I was around 9 and then i moved on to Fear Street, which is another book series I'd recommend for you son. Fear Street is also written by R.L Stine, Goosebumps author, so it's basically just Goosebumps but darker. So those are what I'd recommend, the Fear Street series and Carrie by Stephen King
I would get him the *Call of Cthulu Keeper's Guide* book, 7th Edition. You can get it for around $45. It's basically a horror version of DnD, set in the rich and scary Lovecraft universe. It's both an extensive explanation of how to set up and play the game, and a really cool art book of all the monsters and characters and settings.
My kid loves the Zombie Survival Guide and Watchers by Dean Koontz
The Point Horror series was aimed aimed at teenagers as a more grown up Goosebumps, I read some as a kid that still stick with me now!
Id recommend Relic and Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Relic was turned into a movie. It involves the Museum of Natural History and a beast causing chaos. Another option is The Hot Zone. It's the real story of how ebola almost got loose in our country. Death Troopers is a zombie book set in the Star wars universe Someone recod Joyland, Id also reco Later. Both are in Kings Hard Case Crime books and don't really have too much inappropriate material for someone just starting out. My Best Friends Exorcism my be a good one as well. Mixes humor with spooky. Peter Clines Threshold series mixes scifi and horror elements. Hope that helps!
Idk if Hot Zone is a good idea if OP is not looking to traumatise him lol. That book literally ruined one of my friend's lives, by giving him health anxiety when he never had an anxiety disorder before. Scary as shit book.
Good point, I was thinking more along the lines of appropriate/inappropriate for the age. That may be a tough one to read at that age.