Can anyone suggest some starter horror books for my 12 year old

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

Just as the title says really! Dd1 has discovered a love of reading after getting a series of five nights at freddys books for Christmas, shes whizzed through them. They are short horror stories and she's keen to explore more in that genre.

I've read lots over the years but my muddled brain can't remember what ones aren't too scary. Shes previously read Darren Shan vampire hunter and enjoyed that. Im still traumatised from reading Stephen King late at night 😂

So fire some books my way so we can start a list to order from the library!!

How well has Point Horror aged? They were all I read for a couple of years. Not sure what a modern adolescent would make of them though!

The original Dracula? I'm sure it's a set text at some point in secondary school.

Goosebumps? A series of unfortunate events (not horror, but creepy I thought)

Antony Horowitz and specifically this book with 3 short stories:

www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Bus-Horowitz-Horror/dp/1846169674?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

‘The Man with the Yellow Face’ is haunting but not too much for this age group.

Sorry should have clarified- the story I mentioned is in this book.

The Haunting of Aveline Jones is good tween horror.

Stripes (publisher) do a series called Red Eye, which are YA horror but tbh dubious quality.

I

I read Carrie by Stephen King when I was her age. It was the first horror I ever read.

The Skullduggery pleasant ones are quite good without being too scary!

Robert Westall’s The Watch House, The Machine Gunners, The Wheatstone Pond.

I'd give her some more Darren Shan, he has loads of material! Cirque du Freak and Demonata. Rick Yancey has the Monstrumologist series. Mary Downing Hahn (Took), Ray Bradbury (something wicked this way comes), Clive Barker (thief of always), Dean Koontz (Tick tock) and Margaret Peterson Haddix (Shadow Children) are worth a look as well. I hear the Dorothy Must Die series are great.

Coraline isn't horror but she might like that too...or the Graveyard Book?

I was thinking Point Horror too - is it still around?

Although from memory I think Shadow Children gets vicious in later books. I would've been a bit older than she is now when I read them so I can't really remember the fine details!

Totally agree with Point Horror. Amazing stories

Are the Christopher Pike teen horrors still available? I was terrified of Chain Letter when I read it aged about 12!

i read all of the point horror books at his age. some better than others, but i loved them all. i kept all mine and recently re-read them. i think you can get them second hand on amazon and world of books. i’d definitely steer clear of stephen king. some of his books are quite sexual and definitely not meant for kids.

Breathe - Chris McNish
The Enemy series - Charlie Higson

Doll Bones - Holly Black

Also worth checking the Birds by Daphne du Maurier, the Jaunt by Stephen King, the Foghorn by Ray Bradbury...I could go on all day!

I agree with being very careful with Stephen King. He has some very strange sexual themes in his books.

My favourite Point Horror was Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick 😁

@BabloHoney mine too! It’s still at my parents house somewhere will have to dig it out when I (finally) get to see them!

Point Horror for sure, I loved them at that age. Don't know if there have been any new books published but I'm sure you can get the original 90s ones on Amazon or eBay. My favourites were The Fever, The Babysitter, and The Beach.

Some of Point Horror are (or were recently) on Kindle Unlimited. I had a good nostalgia trip. I think they are a bit date now unfortunately.

Darren Shan books are fantastic.
My favourite was ‘Bec’ when I was young.

@BabloHoney

My favourite Point Horror was Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick 😁

Oh yes, that was a great one too!!

Also there was a short (maybe six book) series called The Power. I'll have to look up who wrote it (Jesse something, just can't recall off the top of my head) but I know the protagonist was called Mackenzie Gold and her friend was Lilith.

The black harvest trilogy is really good. Point horror, witch witch the chrestomanci series are also pretty good. I was an avid horror reader from an early age! Graduated to stephen king with IT and misery at 14!

Point Horror was my first thought. We had them in my school library and I adored them at her age.

Carrie is good as well, but I'd be wary of setting her on a Stephen King course at her age. Especially It, which has an utterly vomitous scene in it.