Earthmerlin Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) Hi there. We love Halloween around here & are finishing up a novel so I thought our next read aloud could be a classic novel that'll tie in with Halloween. I have a 7 year old & at this time of the year we typically read lots of Halloween picture books, The Raven, & listen to (Rabbit Ears') The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I was thinking either Frankenstein or Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde but am not sure if they'll be too spooky for her. She does fine with certain 'scary' titles but flipped out over Bunnicula, for example. Any suggestions? Edited October 1, 2016 by Earthmerlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) Not exactly Halloween, but the Graveyard Book is well done. It's not a classic, though, nor would be my other pick - The Witches. ETA: thought of another. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde. It's not overly scary, there's at least 3 versions of it as movies if you want to skim through it quickly, and it's easy for a child to understand. Edited October 1, 2016 by HomeAgain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChicken Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Halloween tree by Ray bradbury is our favorite. The Audible reading is very good too. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 Not exactly Halloween, but the Graveyard Book is well done. It's not a classic, though, nor would be my other pick - The Witches. ETA: thought of another. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde. It's not overly scary, there's at least 3 versions of it as movies if you want to skim through it quickly, and it's easy for a child to understand. Funny you should mention Dahl's 'The Witches' b/c we've already gone through that (audio) book this season. I personally don't care for it & emphatically said 'Enough!!!' after the 20th time we'd heard it. Thanks for this suggestion & I'll into your others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) Well, the over-the-top romanticism, and older language and complex sentence structure make reading the original Frankenstein to elementary ages a "no go" in my mind. Pages and pages and pages of flowery discourse by Victor Frankenstein... then the monster... then back to the monster... then back to Frankenstein... Dr. J & Mr. H. is not so extreme, but the Victorian vocabulary and complex sentence structure makes it a bit stiff going for reading aloud or solo for the average reader under age 12 or so... JMO! If you do either Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, I'd recommend a children's adaptation just so you don't get bogged down in the language. ;) I really like these classic spooky tale collections: Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted HousefulAlfred Hitchcock's Ghostly GalleryAlfred Hitchcock's Supernatural Tales Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark -- and sequel volumes 13 Scary Ghost Stories Favorite Scary Stories of American ChildrenTales of Mystery, Suspense and Supernatural How about these older short story classics? - "The Monkey's Paw" (Jacobs)- "The Bottle Imp" (Stevenson)- "The Signal Man" (Dickens)- "Legend of Sleep Hollow" (Irving) - Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle) -- Sherlock Holmes novella Edited October 1, 2016 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 (edited) Frankenstein I wouldn't recommend for7 year old. It is less scary and more intense than other stories you mentioned - there are several murders, but they are not creepy-scary they are angry-hateful. Jekyll and Hyde is somewhat better, because the mystery of identity is center-stage, though it does consider deeply the good and bad of human nature. Neither are really kid books, though I admit one of my kids was 7 when we read Jekyll. She's enjoyed it, but she's always been a macabre one. In another forum I am on someone asked I similar question and I recommended classical scary music - Night on Bald Mountain, Witches Sabbath, Dance Macabre, Funeral March for a Marionette, and Die Erlkönig. You might also consider classical art with a spooky twist. ETA I love both Frankenstein and Jekyll. My comments were about age-appropriateness. Edited October 1, 2016 by Targhee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 Well, the over-the-top romanticism, and older language and complex sentence structure make reading the original Frankenstein to elementary ages a "no go" in my mind. Pages and pages and pages of flowery discourse by Victor Frankenstein... then the monster... then back to the monster... then back to Frankenstein... Dr. J & Mr. H. is not so extreme, but the Victorian vocabulary and complex sentence structure makes it a bit stiff going for reading aloud or solo for the average reader under age 12 or so... JMO! If you do either Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, I'd recommend a children's adaptation just so you don't get bogged down in the language. ;) I really like these classic spooky tale collections: Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery Alfred Hitchcock's Supernatural Tales Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark -- and sequel volumes 13 Scary Ghost Stories Favorite Scary Stories of American Children Tales of Mystery, Suspense and Supernatural How about these older short story classics? - "The Monkey's Paw" (Jacobs) - "The Bottle Imp" (Stevenson) - "The Signal Man" (Dickens) - "Legend of Sleep Hollow" (Irving) - Hound of the Baskervilles (Doyle) -- Sherlock Holmes novella OMG! Why didn't I think of Hitchcock? Brilliant! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 OMG! Why didn't I think of Hitchcock? Brilliant! Also, you're right in your recommendation of children's adaptations, should we decide to go that route. At this age, I'm happy with her being familiar with the story overall--she can pick up the originals later down the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 My favorite and my kids' favorite is always Tailypo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 Frankenstein I wouldn't recommend for7 year old. It is less scary and more intense than other stories you mentioned - there are several murders, but they are not creepy-scary they are angry-hateful. Jekyll and Hyde is somewhat better, because the mystery of identity is center-stage, though it does consider deeply the good and bad of human nature. Neither are really kid books, though I admit one of my kids was 7 when we read Jekyll. She's enjoyed it, but she's always been a macabre one. In another forum I am on someone asked I similar question and I recommended classical scary music - Night on Bald Mountain, Witches Sabbath, Dance Macabre, Funeral March for a Marionette, and Die Erlkönig. You might also consider classical art with a spooky twist. ETA I love both Frankenstein and Jekyll. My comments were about age-appropriateness. Yes, thanks for this synopsis. It's been ages since I've read either & I've not looked at them through a parental lens, for sure. I'll consider your alternate suggestions. I especially like the reminder of Halloween-ish music! Besides The Scream (which is all that immediately comes to mind), what are you thinking in terms of art? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) ...Besides The Scream (which is all that immediately comes to mind), what are you thinking in terms of art? Here are a few classic works of art that might fit into a Halloween theme: 1494 = Death and the Miser -- Hieronymus Bosch 1533 = The Ambassadors -- Holbein the Younger -- with an anamorphic skull 1781 = The Nightmare -- Henry Fuseli 1885 = Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette -- Vincent Van Gogh 1892 = All is Vanity -- Charles Allan Gilbert 1940 = The Face of War -- Salvadore Dali 1940 = Picture of Dorian Gray -- Ivan Albright If your child is up for it, you might enjoy watching a few OLD classic horror movies or "creature features": 1931 = Frankenstein 1931 = Dracula 1932 = The Mummy 1933 = The Invisible Man 1941 = The Wolf Man 1954 = Creature From the Black Lagoon Edited October 2, 2016 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitgrl Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) I really like these classic spooky tale collections: Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery Alfred Hitchcock's Supernatural Tales Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark -- and sequel volumes I adored the Alfred Hitchcock collections when I was about 12. You should pre-read the stories before reading them to a seven year old. I remember one that was about a parent chopping up his 5 or 6 year old daughter. Probably not a good choice for before bedtime. Edited October 2, 2016 by knitgrl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I adored the Alfred Hitchcock collections when I was about 12. You should pre-read the stories before reading them to a seven year old. I remember one that was about a parent chopping up his 5 or 6 year old daughter. Probably not a good choice for before bedtime. :ohmy: :eek: Thanks for that reminder!! I don't remember my Alfred Hitchcock collection having any gruesome tales like that, but I certainly could be blanking that out. It's always wise to preview! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 :ohmy: :eek: Thanks for that reminder!! I don't remember my Alfred Hitchcock collection having any gruesome tales like that, but I certainly could be blanking that out. It's always wise to preview! Pre-viewing is a must, for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes isn't a quite a classic, but the author is a Newbery winner (for Ginger Pye), so you can be sure she's a quality writer. My girls love this book and we try to read it every other Halloween or so. It would be perfect for a 7-year-old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes isn't a quite a classic, but the author is a Newbery winner (for Ginger Pye), so you can be sure she's a quality writer. My girls love this book and we try to read it every other Halloween or so. It would be perfect for a 7-year-old. Great recommendation! That reminds me of Glenda (Udry), and the Araminta Spookie series (Sage) -- witches, but fun rather than spooky. A couple of other out-of-print but worth looking for books are from the fairytale/folktale series by Ruth Manning Sanders and illustrated by Robin Jacques. Each book has 12-15 tales, all based around the title creature. The Halloween-y titles include: A Book of Witches A Book of Ghosts and Goblins A Book of Demons and Devils A Book of Spooks and Spectres A Book of Monsters A few more ideas, esp. good for a 7yo: Why Am I Grown So Cold (Livingston) -- collection of atmospheric poems Grimm's Fairy Tales -- the grim versions! ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 Not exactly Halloween, but the Graveyard Book is well done. It's not a classic, though, nor would be my other pick - The Witches. ETA: thought of another. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde. It's not overly scary, there's at least 3 versions of it as movies if you want to skim through it quickly, and it's easy for a child to understand. I am going to look into this this year. She later confessed 'Headless Horseman' was too intense but yet had no issue with (a retelling of) Dracula. Interesting.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 Halloween tree by Ray bradbury is our favorite. The Audible reading is very good too. 'Tis the season! I shall look more deeply into this title this go-around. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 It isn't Halloween per se but in light of all the other great recs above, another we liked was The Pied Piper of Hamelin. We found a lovely illustrated version in verse. My kids found it creepy :) The Halloween Tree by Bradbury was already mentioned but he also did Something Wicked this Way Come which may be too old for small kids but good for a teen later. Another not really Halloween book but another one about a traveling salesmen who sells wishes that go wrong is "The Wish Giver" We LOVE Halloween in our house too and have gotten creative trying to find unique, creepy but not too creepy books for our crew. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I picked up the Word Cloud Classics volume Classic Horror Tales from Costco last week. I had no idea Edith Wharton wrote horror/suspense short stories! And there are a couple of non-Sherlock Conan-Doyle tales, several of Poe, HP Love raft, RS Stevenson's The Body-Snatcher, a Franz Kafka (In the Penal Colony), Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, Stoker's side story "Dracula's Guest," and many others. We have been enjoying it at our house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) The Little Broomstick is a very cute chapter book that a 7 year old girl would love ETA - ok, I just looked and it’s very expensive! The copy I have is going for $80 on eBay. But if you can borrow it or find it at the library, it’s a great classic chapter book about a little witch. Edited September 23, 2017 by mytwomonkeys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 I think we'll also explore Day of the Dead this year. Posadas & his calaveras should tie in nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 I think we'll also explore Day of the Dead this year. Posadas & his calaveras should tie in nicely. Any other pieces of artwork (not already mentioned) that'd fit in with Halloween? BTW, the orginal Addams family show is a hit here too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted October 8, 2017 Share Posted October 8, 2017 BTW, the orginal Addams family show is a hit here too! If you like the old Addams Family then The Munsters could also be fun :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 9, 2017 Author Share Posted October 9, 2017 If you like the old Addams Family then The Munsters could also be fun :) Yes! I remember Herman! I'd like to check those other oldies mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 Not exactly Halloween, but the Graveyard Book is well done. It's not a classic, though, nor would be my other pick - The Witches. ETA: thought of another. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde. It's not overly scary, there's at least 3 versions of it as movies if you want to skim through it quickly, and it's easy for a child to understand. I just got a CD of The Canterville Ghost (& other spooky stories) by Jim Weiss & I totally love it! How have I missed this all these years? Good stuff! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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