10 Kid-Friendly Ghost Stories

It was a dark and stormy night, and all throughout the Thurber House there were creaks, and squeaks, and ah! A GHOST! Stories have been passed down for years that there’s a ghost inside James Thurber’s beloved home. Luckily all of our close encounters have revealed that it’s really a friendly ghost just checking in on what we have going on – and it was tickled to see that soon we’ll be holding Ghost Writing Workshops for 4^th-6^th grade students.

To get the creative juices flowing as we prepare to teach students how to write their own scary (or funny!) ghost story, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite children’s spooky stories.

In a Dark Dark Room
Alvin Schwartz
Seven scary stories to tell at night in front of a fire or in the dark, based on traditional
stories and folktales from various countries.

I’m Not Afraid Of This Haunted House
Laurie Friedman
Simon Lester Henry Strauss is not in the least afraid of any haunted house, but there is something else that terrifies him. It’s Halloween and Simon Lester Henry Strauss and his friends make their way through a haunted house filled with creepy creatures.

In the Haunted House
Eve Bunting
With two pairs of sneakers, one large, one small, as a little girl and her father tour a dark, mysterious house.

The Vanishing Pumpkin
Tony Johnston
A 700-yeard-old woman and an 800-year-old man go out to the patch to get a pumpkin to make a pie–only to discover that their pumpkin’s been “snitched.”

Goosebumps
R.L. Stone
Goosebumps is the popular series of children’s scary fiction novels that tells the story of children encountering scary situations and spooky adventures.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Alvin Schwartz
A series of three children’s books with scary stories of folklore and urban legends collected and adapted by Schwartz.

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
A classic novel suited for mature readers, Frankenstein is the story about a failed artificial life experiment that has produced a monster.

One Spooky Night: A Halloween Adventure
Kate Stone
A fun and mysterious tale that follows a little monster walking through the woods and into a spooky, old house.

Disney Classic Scary Story Book Collection
Disney Press
This book includes more than a dozen short scary stories that can be read fairly quickly, all with
familiar beloved Disney characters.

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet
Diane deGroat
Gilbert is excited about the costume he is planning to wear in the Halloween parade at school, until he discovers that lots of others have the same costume.

What’s your favorite spooky book?

Are you looking for a fun, FREE class for your 4^th -6^th grade child this fall? Inspired by James Thurber’s “The Night the Ghost Got In,” we’ll teach students how to incorporate suspense, ghosts and humor all into one tale at a library branch near you. Then on Oct. 23, students and their families are invited to a celebration party at Thurber House where the stories will be shared! Learn more about our Ghost Writing Workshops and how to register your child here.

Thurber House Picks: Our Favorite Central Ohio Mom Bloggers

School may be back in session, but that doesn’t mean our kids programming has slowed down. In fact, we’re gearing up to kick off a series of fall programs, including Pen and Tell It!, Ghost Writing Workshops and our Young Docents program.

As we’ve been planning these programs, we’ve been thinking a lot about what appeals to local parents. Of course, that means scoping out some of our favorite blogs written by local moms.

Columbus has no shortage of generous bloggers sharing their parenting knowledge, humor and perspective with their readers. Here are some of our local must-reads:

Cbus Mom

If you’re looking for kid-friendly activities in Central Ohio, this is your “go-to” resource! Kristen, aka cBus mom, covers and reviews all of the local, upcoming events, while balancing life with her husband, two young kids and two dogs.

Momo Fali

Diane, aka Momo, is what we like to call a mom-extraordinaire! We love reading about Diane’s adventures in parenting, life and raising her two kids. We don’t know how she does it all, but we do know that she is someone we can all relate to, as she’s not afraid to write what’s on her mind. In fact, she was recently named “Voice of the Year” by BlogHer.

Ms. Single Mama

Alaina is one of those moms who we can’t go a day without checking in on her blog to see what she’s been up to. She is brutally honest and isn’t afraid to share her feelings, hardships, and celebrations on life as a single mom raising her 4-year-old son.

Dear Crissy

Crissy is a self-proclaimed WAHM (work at home mom). On her blog she captures motherhood through her beautiful photos, stories of parenting her year old son and fun giveaways! We enjoy reading and seeing what she and her family are up to as they live life in Central Ohio.

A Busy Mom of Two

We can all learn a little from this mom who balances raising her 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, being a wife to her husband of 12 years, and documents her adventures in saving money. This mom shares her money saving adventures, recipes and  … You’ll also want to stay tuned to her blog to enter in her frequent giveaways!

Classy Chaos

We admire Pauline, aka OHMommy, for how she juggles the busy schedules of her three active children, husband and daily blogging activities – all with a touch of class. There’s never a dull moment in her household and we love that she’s willing to share her tips and experiences with us!

Discovering Ohio

All around, this blog is a great resource for kid-friendly activities throughout Ohio! We particularly love following Lara Kretler’s picks and recommendations for places to check out in Central Ohio.

Dawn Friedman’s Work

Dawn is a local mom that inspires us so much! She shares her stories of raising her adopted daughter, and provides great resources for information on adoption. On top of parenting and writing, Dawn has also founded an organization called Open Adoption Support that’s for individuals and families who are committed to openness in adoption.

A Mommy Story

By day Christina’s a full time nurse, but by night she’s mom to her two children and an avid blogger. Tune in to her blog to read her stories that will make you laugh out loud and give you insight on the best new kid products.

Tiny Mantras

Tracy devotes her blog to sharing her spiritual journey and daily events raising her son in Columbus. We appreciate how genuine and open she is in her posts – it almost feels like we know her in real life!

The Dundee Writer     

Katie, a Columbus mom on the go, is the ultimate multi-tasker. She describes herself as a “full-time mama, part-time librarian and wanna-be writer.” Katie keeps us informed on what her family’s up to, in addition to the latest book she’s reading, craft she’s created and more!

Mikaela’s Wakeup Call

You may know her best as the co-anchor for NBC4i’s morning show NBC4 Today, but when she goes home after being on air, she’s best known as “mommy” to her year-old son. On her blog, Mikaela gives us the inside scoop to what stories she’s working on and shares a glimpse into her life as a mom.

Columbus Examiner

Wendy Pramik brings readers along as she documents her family’s weekend travel adventures throughout Central Ohio. She writes about the must-see, fun locations that are family-friendly and gives us her review of them.

Life Down Our Lane

Lacie gives us a snapshot into her life living in a small town outside of Columbus with her husband and two children, as she captures and shares photos of what her family’s up to. In addition to writing on her blog and raising a family, she works at her church and has a side business selling candles – whew, we’re amazed at how she does it all!

Do you have a favorite local blogger you follow? If so, who?