The Perfect Spooky Read-Aloud for Halloween

This is my go-to Halloween book. The one I read every year that gives kids just enough of a spine tingle without totally spooking them. After reading this post, I hope it becomes one of your favorite Halloween books too.

“She might even — and this will make you jump — she might even be your lovely school-teacher who is reading these words to you at this very moment.”

— Roald Dahl, The Witches

If you only read one book before Halloween…

Track down a copy of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, turn out the lights, and grab a flashlight to shine upwards on your chin. 

{Note: You don’t need to read the two-hundred-eight page novel by the end of the week. Goodness no!} 

Here’s what I do every year:  

Set the scene by reading the introduction: 

A Note About Witches.

Then turn to the third chapter: How to Recognise a Witch.

Read it slowly, allowing students to digest each and every tip Grandmamma gives to her grandson about distinguishing a real witch from a regular woman. 

Tell your students they are tasked with a very important role this Halloween: They must spread the word to as many children as possible. They must let other children know how to recognize a real witch, especially on Halloween. 

They can create their own witchy-PSA, or you can use the free template I provided below. 

Or, if time is scarce, just read the book and send them on their way. 

But I guarantee they’ll start looking at you closely after you close the book.

Possibly observing your mouth to see if your spit is blue. Or if your hair looks like a very expensive wig. Or if your shoes may be pointy to hide your square feet. 

It’s a book they will remember that you read to them every Halloween for years to come. 

Make sure you have a copy waiting in your classroom library because someone will want to continue reading. You can also pick up a copy of the graphic novel version by Penelope Bagiu, which is fabulous and funny and everything you could ask for in an updated adaptation of the 1983 classic. 

Which is your favorite Halloween book to read aloud to students? I’m dying to know.

Have a hauntingly good rest of the week! 🦇

yours in reading,
rawley