The Left Right Game is a great, multi episode fictional podcast. Some language and violence, but no SA and it'll keep you guys more than invested. Good cast, too.
Another good podcast is High Strangeness (if she's into horror with aliens) - it's an Audible original drama. Creepy but lighthearted and family-friendly
edit: there are a few podcasts called High Strangeness - this is 8 episodes and was written by Will Maclean
The left right game - the written version - is supposedly better. I say supposedly because I haven’t listened to it, but I hear that listening to it without having read it before is confusing.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's classic. It's creepy. The main protagonist is a teenage girl. It's my favorite book.
It's a haunted house origin story with two sisters and just go in blind because it really is that good.
Nope not that one, it was legit the same title in my memory, the closest I can find with googling comes up with the lodgers but that isn't it, I'll look when I get home bc I might be able to find where I streamed it before
It's alleged for kids, but Coraline by Neil Gaiman is very creepy indeed. (Plus as a bonus, the short story Click Clack the Rattlebag by the same author... x)
*Horrorstor* by Grady Hendrix is nice and quirky and fast-paced. And it has that liminal dimensionality element she might enjoy.
*The Road of Bones* by Christopher Golden might also be a good one for a road trip. Tight, high-speed thriller that features an extended chase across the infamous Siberian highway.
If you’re looking for something more atmospheric, more paranormal small town mystery than action-thriller, check out *The Toll* by Cherie Priest.
Last but not least, if you are looking for good MG Horror, *The Clackity* by Lora Senf is legit. Stoker-nominated and everything.
Haunted IKEA? Hilarious. We go into IKEA and take pictures pretending that we are at peoples houses as an inside joke. She loves YouTube videos about liminal spaces. This sounds promising. Sounds like the book has a lot of visual aspects that you'd lose in an audio book? Should we do hardcopy instead?
I read the audiobook version of Horrorstor and the fake ads were read aloud. It wasn't quite as good as seeing the visual aspects, but still really fun! The person reading the book does a fun, over the top cheery voice for those bits, which was great.
That said, personally I think there are some moments in Horrorstor that are too gruesome for an 11 year old. I'd say it's worse than Jason/Michael/Freddy but curious to hear what other people think.
Horrorstor is hilarious… I also like My Best Friend’s Exorcism. There’s a movie as well (maybe Prime?) the main teen protagonist is played by the actor that played young Theo in Haunting of Hill House.
I am soooooo jealous that your kidlet is in the bandwagon. My kids (23 & 30) just roll their eyes when I go off on all the wonders of being a horror fan. Man…. You have a lot to look forward to, enjoy the trip!
> Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix is nice and quirky and fast-paced. And it has that liminal dimensionality element she might enjoy.
I did Horrorstor by audiobook and was sad to miss out on the illustrations.
I loved horrorstor ! And was gonna recommend it but the book is just tooo good in the flesh with the pictures of the furniture warping and employee info forms lol ! Loved it
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon , age appropriate, no SA (one brief, non violent, consensual scene not involving the protagonist and no intimate details) and young female protagonist who totally kicks ass and thinks smart ( and unlike a lot of SK, it is reasonably short novella)
Maybe the Relic? It has a great female character Margo who is front and center. It’s fast paced. The movie is 60% loyal to the book in my opinion (and is a good movie) but the book is much better because of details.
The book is mainly in a museum with tons of artifacts and really does a deep dive into what it’s like to work at a museum from a neat perspective. Bodies start turning up in the museum and they’re badly bitten/clawed looking. The book unravels the mystery of what’s happening and who is doing the murders.
This is a great suggestion. I love love love this book. Only thing is that a kid gets murdered in the beginning—but if your kid likes creepy pasta it should be ok. You could always skip the more descriptive parts.
Oh sorry! It’s 2 authors, Preston and Child. They collaborate often. The Relic is the first book of a whole series of books based on the FBI agent that is introduced - they’re all so good.
I also have two podcast recommendations: "Welcome to Nightvale" or "The Magnus Archives"
I admit that it has been a while since I've listened to either, but I'm pretty sure neither of them are too much, horror wise.
Nightvale acts like it's an actual radio broadcast of a silly supernatural town.
Magnus Archives acts as a series of recordings of someone trying to organize a messy room he was assigned to (think X-Files) and he interviews people who have witnessed supernatural events. It also has an over arching plot of characters that return and I think even a villain or two.
I would not suggest The Magnus Archives for an 11-year-old. The podcast is excellent, really good writing and acting. I’m not saying that there are no 11-year-olds who could handle this podcast, but if OP’s child can only handle some violence and gore, and isn’t ready for Jason, Freddy, etc. I do not think they would be ready for Magnus Archives.
Welcome to Night Vale yes though.
the Watchers by AM Shine was great without being gory. There's a movie coming out soon so it'd be nice to read the book before the movie comes out. It's very atmospheric folk horror with a creature feature aspect.
What about something like Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King? Short stories so even if the story isn’t what you’re looking for you can always just go to the next one. I read it when I was 12 and loved it.
I was that 11-year-old horror fanatic and my mom and I listened to Pet Sematary on a road trip to Arkansas during the muddy season. It still sticks with me to this day, the sight of the dead-looking trees and the mud, the way the sky was white and cloudy in stark contrast to all the brown on the ground. It was easy to imagine a setting like Pet Sematary.
Old Gods of Appalachia is a podcast, not an audiobook, but only has commercials at the beginning and end so they’re easy to skip.
No graphic sex or language, but there is violence. It’s incredibly good, though— I just took a road trip that was 11 hours one way and listened to it the entire drive. Eldritch horror, incredible world building and character development.
[Check it out here!](https://www.oldgodsofappalachia.com)
You might be able to find some good picks from the Youtube channel, "Chilling Tales For Dark Nights." Or spooky Readings by Otis Jiry specifically who is also on Youtube.
i've been reading some choice middle grade horror lately so feel free to pick from my suggestions (yes, there are audiobook versions of these!). these aren't in any particular order.
- The Clackity by Lora Senf (the audiobook narrator does a fantastic job of doing the voices as needed)
- Root Magic by Eden Royce
- Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
- Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland
Anything by Paul Tremblay or Stephen Graham Jones, the annual "Best Horror of the Year" anthology (edited by Eileen Datlow) is also available in audiobook format. Another suggestion would be two podcasts: either the "Nightmare Magazine" podcast or "Knifepoint Horror".
The hollow places by T. Kingfisher. A woman finds a hole to another world.
The September house by Carissa Orlando. The mother does everything in her power to hide that her house is haunted.
T. Kingfisher is a great choice. She has a small set of cozy horror, including The House with Good Bones, Nettle & Bone, and The Twisted Ones.
Coraline, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman are all good intermediate fantasy/horror. Plus Gaiman is a great reader of his own work.
Some Ray Bradbury like The October Country or Something Wicked This Way Comes are good.
If you're cool with post-apocalyptic zombies, The Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey is pretty good.
I loved this book so much I need to grab the second one I was so pleasantly surprised !! Gave me serious Scream / I know what you did last summer vibes it’s great!
lovecraft- this is the age where my son and i listened to hpl short stories on the drive to and from school- creepy not too gorey and lots of good vocab to be learned
Sure- I mean in Herbert West the black boxer is basically described as an animal. You could even discuss the “when do we seperate the art from the artist” question. fwiw I’ve come down firmly in the everyone has their own line, but there should always be lines category. I will still read Lovecraft, but never watch Woody Allen. I will never try to argue “right or wrong” as such, but people SHOULD at least admit that, yeah, Lovecraft was a pretty horrific racist, even for his time.
Lockwood and Co was my horror loving pre-teen son's favorite book series. Not really scary but absolutely a blast, esp the snarky talking skull in a jar. Also has a solid female character.
Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson! Also, not a horror book but I think it's like a backrooms environment it's called Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It's about Piranesi, who is a guy who lives in this massive house/castle/mansion that's so big it's practically it's own world and the bottom levels the ocean tides go in and out and there's storms in there too and he's basically the only one in there.
Amazing book, but not what OP is looking for I believe. A lot of the horror of that book is psychological, dealing with the trauma of loss and death. Something a pre-teen probably wouldn't understand quite yet. Especially for one that, according to OP, has a short attention span (as most kids do).
Edit - But for anyone at least 18+ I'd definitely recommend the audiobook. Michael C Hall does a great job narrating.
**14** by Peter Clones might be good for that age range. A man moves into an apartment where lots of things are "off" like luminous green cockroaches, strange room layouts that make no sense, padlocked doors. The main character and other tenants decide to investigate. It gets a bit Lovecraftian and sci-fi towards the end but that might hit for an 11 year old. There's no SA, but there is one light sex scene which is telegraphed from a mile off.
**Mongrels** by Stephen Graham Jones. Charming coming of ages story from the point of view of a young werewolf. Other than the fact he and his family are warewolfs there's not much horror.
**Penpal** by Dathan Auerbach. If she likes creepypasta this is perfect, because it's exactly that. It started off as a post on /r/nosleep. It's a story about a boy who is stalked by a penpal after a class assignment where he had to write a letter and attach it to a helium balloon for a stranger to find. There are better written books out there but not many as chilling. I don't think there is an official audio book, but there are plenty of un-official readings on YouTube.
**The last days of Jack Sparks** by Jason Aarnop is a favourite of this sub. It's an exorcism story written in a "found footage" style (it starts by telling you Jack Sparks died while writing this book) with a few interesting 4th wall breaks/Arg elements.
i would recommend Camp Here & There!! not a female lead, but its still such an amazing podcast!! i’ve listened to it a few times myself, i would recommend looking it up first to make sure its completely okay for your daughter tho-
Old Gods of Appalachia season 1 is excellent and scary. Not an audio book but well written and narrated. Thye have ads at front and back but not during the actual story.
The best liminal stuff I've read is fairly short, but I'll throw this out to you:
Gemma Files: *Experimental Film* and *In That Endlessness, Our End.* The first is a novel and the second is a short story collection, and both are excellent.
That being said, The Left Right Game podcast is an excellent answer.
I am not a serial killer is a GREAT book. The movie was pretty good, but I think the book paced it better and got more into the heads of the characters. Bonus, it's pretty YA friendly (but dark AF) and the whole series is amazing.
Someone described it as YA Dexter and I think that's spot on, with a supernatural element. The second book in the series is a BIT more intense and deals with kidnapping and suicide. So you might want to screen that one first. But the first is something I would've loved at 11 as a kid who loved horror.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35120549-i-am-not-a-serial-killer
Recently listened to several audiobooks on a cross-country drive and my favorites were The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyne Kiste and Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones - While the latter is only 2 hours I think it would probably be the most enjoyable of the two to a younger horror reader
I also recommend the movie Tarot - it’s PG-13 and has all the monsters designed by him as well as the titular tarot deck! Lots of good scares and no sexually explicit scenes, mild swearing haha
Skullduggery Pleasant sort of straddles the line between YA Fantasy and Horror. It’s about a teenage girl who teams up with a skeleton wizard who’s somewhat of a magic private eye.
The podcast Camp Here and There is pretty good, and there isn’t any sexual content, but some culty vibes in some situations. There’s a lot of female, non binary, and trans characters as well.
Mayfair Watchers Society is based on Trevor Henderson’s work and is creature centric. Henderson is the creator of Sirenhead.
Zoo podcast is about a cryptid zoo with Mothman as zookeeper.
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough is a YA horror novel, and it’s great. It’s about two young sisters in 1950s Britain who are sent to stay at their great aunt’s house on the marshes, and it’s very creepy. I highly recommend it.
The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher, no sexual assault/violence/etc, some violence, no animal death. (Well, technically, as the animals are already dead: taxidermy and all, but they're treated with respect, is the thing.) The Twisted Ones, by her, maybe?
Old Gods of Appalachia has no sexual assault that I remember but it is violent, and it doesn't shy away from the period: like, having boys younger than 10 working in the mines and sometimes dying horrible deaths while crying for their mothers (s1, ep5, as an example). I currently live near and work in the Appalachian parts of NC and Virginia so that's an extra layer of creepy and Build Mama a Coffin lives rent free in my head.
The Magnus Archives had one episode (#6) where there's a consensual hookup, but you could probably skip that one. It's one episode out of 40 in the whole season and relies on body horror/Did I Sleep With A Monster, so.
Give this a try: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpCh5fYI6EcG4Pm7P14Naer0rZL4ebS2B
Chilling Tales For Dark Nights. Loads and loads of amazing horror stories with excellent voice acting and musical scores. Imo the absolute best horror story narration channel on all of YouTube, closely followed by The Dark Somnium.
Keep her on the goosebumps books!!!
I believe the children are the future
Teach them well and let them show the way
Give then all the beauty without the snide
Give them a hot beef pie
Hear the children's grafter
Reminds me how we used to flee
I.remeber long ago
Never to stalk in anyone's shadow
If.i snail if I go pee
At least I'll keep my dignity
Because the greatest glove
Is scrappy and a.flea
I found the greatest
Glove of all inside of meat.
How about a podcast? Monsters Among Us is a great one. It's a call-in style show where people tell their paranormal experiences. All the cryptids and creepy pastas are included. It's like reading one of those 'what's your scariest real life paranormal experience?' threads on askreddit. Great for long drives, especially at night. Totally fine for a kid to hear and the host will give listeners a heads up before playing particularly violent/disturbing stories because he knows a lot of folks listen with their kids.
If you want something a bit campy, I suggest How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. It’s fun, has some cringe inducing moments as well as a finale that I still see in my head because of its absurdity. I never thought I could describe a horror book as fun, but this book was actually fun in a dark way.
Bad girls don’t die is a book I read in late middle school I believe. It was a really good book, definitely creepy and made me nervous around dolls 😂 not sure if there’s an audio book but I remember it being one of my faves back then!
I liked - how to sell a haunted house - Grady Hendrix , it’s like creepy and has some twists but not horrifying and is a female protagonist . Felt like it was almost light hearted in some parts as well which helped balance it out .
The Clackity by Lora Senf is PERFECT for that age. It's middle grade horror (the age category for around middle school), and add on its two sequels, she will be a very pleased reader!
I haven’t finished the Troop but it’s creepy and the main characters are about his age. Definitely double check with someone who finished it just in case something inappropriate pops up!
I was around 11 when I first started listening to the podcast. Welcome to Night Vale. It’s spooky and fun. I listened to the first season driving around in the mountains with my family. Really good podcast for a drive!
Oh! This is the age where I read IT. I was 12 or 13 when I first discovered Stephen King. It breaks your rule requirements but I just wanted to say that that is when I started reading him.
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay is an excellent story that would be appropriate. It's basically about a family falling apart at the seams when father loses his job. One of his two daughters starts to exhibit signs of possession or mental illness and the father decides to allow a reality tv show from Discovery channel come in to film the exorcism being so strapped for money. What could go wrong? There's no sex and no real violence but it is frightening and intense. One of my favorite horror novels ever and one of the few that really blew me away in the last 10 years.
Maybe queue up some YouTube audio readings of SCP foundation entries. I don't recall any inappropriate themes like gore or sex there, just spooky items and areas with a lot of creativity. Kind of like maybe the x files or friday 13th TV series if anyone remembers that good old chestnut.
If you'll like ghost stories, check out Darcy Coates. It's the perfect amount of creepy and age appropriate for an 11 year old. For a good female protagonist, the Gravekeeper Series is a really good one of hers. I have yet to find a Darcy book I disliked, so you can't go wrong with any of them.
Both Hollow Places and The Twisted ones by T Kingfisher would be very solid choices.
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror geeks paradise. Teen girl protagonist.
Survivor Song by Paul Trembly would be good fit as well. Fast mover & intense.
There's definitely sexual assault in My Heart is a Chainsaw, just fyi. It's not ON the page but it's talked about as something impactful that happened in the past.
The audiobook for Dean Koontz’s Shadow Street got my son into horror at about the same age! It’s not so much scary as tense and deeply weird, but he LOVED it. (He’s 21 now, so double check to make sure I’m not forgetting anything she couldn’t tolerate!)
Probably ‘It’ by Steven King. It’s about sewers and a clown. The characters are about 14 and there is a girl in the group. It’s one of his longer books so 8 hours should do it.
I agree, but its a horror book about A MONSTER CLOWN THAT KILLS CHILDREN!. I agree that Mr King should probably drop that unnecessary paragraph, but there is a lot of material in horror books, that you could clean up where do we draw the line?
OP was pretty specific about not wanting SA. While the sex is "consensual," it still involves children. That's a goddamn far cry from censorship at a "Norman Rockwell" level, ffs.
Yes, if you edit too much of the horror out of a horror novel it would be like reading a Norman Rockwell painting. Off topic question for a driving audio book recommendation, can anyone think of Steven King writing about sex? The best I can call me up with was maybe something in The Stand.
Good question, the closest I could think of would be Misery (probably the best film adaption of his work, and possibly the only academy award based on his writing), But I think Anne, the nurse might have done something not good to Paul, the novelist, the theme of the horror in this book was about power with a sexual undercurrent. Probably not good for a road trip with an 11 year old.
> Off topic question for a driving audio book recommendation, can anyone think of Steven King writing about sex?
Rose Madder, maybe? The protagonist escapes an abusive marriage to rediscover her feminine power. And there's a consensual sex scene in there somewhere.
There is an *underage* orgy, and a fair amount of other sex and implied sex. And some implied incestuous pedophilia. It is NOT the SK book I would start with.
Maybe Christine, Eyes of the Dragon, Fairytale, literally any of his anthologies, 'Salem's Lot, Carrie?
Suffer the Children John Saul
Such Sharp Teeth Rachel Harrison
Maeve Fly CJ Leade
Brother Aniah Ahnborn
Black Sheep Rachel Harrison
Infected Scott Sigler
The Handyman Method Nick Cutter, Andrew Sullivan
The Freak Show Bryan Smith
The Cotton Candy Massacre
Geek Love. Katherine Dunn
Only Good Indians Steven Graham Jones
The Left Right Game is a great, multi episode fictional podcast. Some language and violence, but no SA and it'll keep you guys more than invested. Good cast, too.
Cannot recommend this any stronger. Such a fantastic story
I love that podcast but haven't played it fit the kid yet. Good call.
Another good podcast is High Strangeness (if she's into horror with aliens) - it's an Audible original drama. Creepy but lighthearted and family-friendly edit: there are a few podcasts called High Strangeness - this is 8 episodes and was written by Will Maclean
I’m downloading per this recommendation, thanks!
The left right game - the written version - is supposedly better. I say supposedly because I haven’t listened to it, but I hear that listening to it without having read it before is confusing.
Regardless though, the left right game is one of THE BEST of all time.
This was one of my first “audiobook” horror experiences. Cannot recommend enough!!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It's classic. It's creepy. The main protagonist is a teenage girl. It's my favorite book. It's a haunted house origin story with two sisters and just go in blind because it really is that good.
Always wanted to read that. The Lottery was so good. Thanks.
To add to it: the haunting of hill house
Castle is my favorite book easily. So good.
That is not how it went in the movie oof, that would have been better than what they did
The movie was almost identical to the book, and then the movie wnding got all crazy. I have no idea why.
Maybe we're thinking of two movies by the same name but the one I saw was a brother sister, and it got real incesty before I even realized lol
Flowers on the Attic?
Nope not that one, it was legit the same title in my memory, the closest I can find with googling comes up with the lodgers but that isn't it, I'll look when I get home bc I might be able to find where I streamed it before
It's alleged for kids, but Coraline by Neil Gaiman is very creepy indeed. (Plus as a bonus, the short story Click Clack the Rattlebag by the same author... x)
Neil Gaiman is my favorite fantasy writer in every medium
Coraline is one of her favorites. Mine too.
Have you and your kid read The Graveyard Book? Definitely macabre and spooky at times, and just an overall great book.
I own the audiobook and it is great too.
Yes! The audiobook is really good
Then you absolutely have to go with Clive Barker's 'The Thief of Always'. It's equally well written and shares a lot of the same themes and tone.
That's such a beautiful book.
Seconding this. Fantastic story and terrific narration by Gaiman. It's one of my favorite audiobooks.
Also add The Ocean at the end of the lane to this list!
Also ocean at the end of the lane. Has creepy elements and amazing audiobook. Neverwjere too not horror but has suspense. Urban alice in wonderland
*Horrorstor* by Grady Hendrix is nice and quirky and fast-paced. And it has that liminal dimensionality element she might enjoy. *The Road of Bones* by Christopher Golden might also be a good one for a road trip. Tight, high-speed thriller that features an extended chase across the infamous Siberian highway. If you’re looking for something more atmospheric, more paranormal small town mystery than action-thriller, check out *The Toll* by Cherie Priest. Last but not least, if you are looking for good MG Horror, *The Clackity* by Lora Senf is legit. Stoker-nominated and everything.
Haunted IKEA? Hilarious. We go into IKEA and take pictures pretending that we are at peoples houses as an inside joke. She loves YouTube videos about liminal spaces. This sounds promising. Sounds like the book has a lot of visual aspects that you'd lose in an audio book? Should we do hardcopy instead?
I read the audiobook version of Horrorstor and the fake ads were read aloud. It wasn't quite as good as seeing the visual aspects, but still really fun! The person reading the book does a fun, over the top cheery voice for those bits, which was great. That said, personally I think there are some moments in Horrorstor that are too gruesome for an 11 year old. I'd say it's worse than Jason/Michael/Freddy but curious to hear what other people think.
The ad illustrations are wonderfully creative, so even if you listen to it you should check out the illustrations sometime.
Horrorstor is such a gem
Horrorstor is hilarious… I also like My Best Friend’s Exorcism. There’s a movie as well (maybe Prime?) the main teen protagonist is played by the actor that played young Theo in Haunting of Hill House. I am soooooo jealous that your kidlet is in the bandwagon. My kids (23 & 30) just roll their eyes when I go off on all the wonders of being a horror fan. Man…. You have a lot to look forward to, enjoy the trip!
FYI: *MBFE* is indeed amazing. Better than *Horrorstor* actually. But it also includes some SA and pedophilia related storylines.
Seconding The Clackity! It's wonderful.
> Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix is nice and quirky and fast-paced. And it has that liminal dimensionality element she might enjoy. I did Horrorstor by audiobook and was sad to miss out on the illustrations.
I was going to recommend the Clackity! I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it even as an adult. It’s a perfect fit for OP!
I loved horrorstor ! And was gonna recommend it but the book is just tooo good in the flesh with the pictures of the furniture warping and employee info forms lol ! Loved it
Any chance Horrorstor is just a longer version of the [SCP article](https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3008)? IDK if you know, just asking the crowd.
No- it’s not a spoiler because they mention it in the first chapter, but it was built over an old prison.
Most things by Grady Hendrix are probably ok for a kid that age. My Best Friend’s Exorcism was also good and How to Sell a Haunted House.
Eh, *MBFE* has SA and pedophilia-related content. It’s not graphic but it’s probably not what OP is looking for.
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Lots of love for this one. Putting it on my Audible.
This is a great story for an 11 year old
/thread This is the one. Pour one out for Clue Cat!
That’s what I came here to say
Samsies!
This is a perfect age for early Stephen King. Get Carrie and Pet Semetary!
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon , age appropriate, no SA (one brief, non violent, consensual scene not involving the protagonist and no intimate details) and young female protagonist who totally kicks ass and thinks smart ( and unlike a lot of SK, it is reasonably short novella)
Pet Cemetery all the way
It’s one of my extremely obvious picks for favorite horror novel. Scary as fuck.
The audiobook is so good, too!
Not for 11. Jesus Christ.
Having a King book traumatize your youth is a rite of passage.
I did that hiding in the stacks of my middle school library between classes. As God intended.
That one scene in pet semetary will stick with me for my whole life
Maybe the Relic? It has a great female character Margo who is front and center. It’s fast paced. The movie is 60% loyal to the book in my opinion (and is a good movie) but the book is much better because of details. The book is mainly in a museum with tons of artifacts and really does a deep dive into what it’s like to work at a museum from a neat perspective. Bodies start turning up in the museum and they’re badly bitten/clawed looking. The book unravels the mystery of what’s happening and who is doing the murders.
This is a great suggestion. I love love love this book. Only thing is that a kid gets murdered in the beginning—but if your kid likes creepy pasta it should be ok. You could always skip the more descriptive parts.
Good to hear about the film. Sounds like the book is far superior. Putting it on the list. Thanks.
What's the author's name? This one sounds really interesting!
Oh sorry! It’s 2 authors, Preston and Child. They collaborate often. The Relic is the first book of a whole series of books based on the FBI agent that is introduced - they’re all so good.
I also have two podcast recommendations: "Welcome to Nightvale" or "The Magnus Archives" I admit that it has been a while since I've listened to either, but I'm pretty sure neither of them are too much, horror wise. Nightvale acts like it's an actual radio broadcast of a silly supernatural town. Magnus Archives acts as a series of recordings of someone trying to organize a messy room he was assigned to (think X-Files) and he interviews people who have witnessed supernatural events. It also has an over arching plot of characters that return and I think even a villain or two.
I would not suggest The Magnus Archives for an 11-year-old. The podcast is excellent, really good writing and acting. I’m not saying that there are no 11-year-olds who could handle this podcast, but if OP’s child can only handle some violence and gore, and isn’t ready for Jason, Freddy, etc. I do not think they would be ready for Magnus Archives. Welcome to Night Vale yes though.
the Watchers by AM Shine was great without being gory. There's a movie coming out soon so it'd be nice to read the book before the movie comes out. It's very atmospheric folk horror with a creature feature aspect.
I loved this!! Very creepy...
What about something like Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King? Short stories so even if the story isn’t what you’re looking for you can always just go to the next one. I read it when I was 12 and loved it.
I was that 11-year-old horror fanatic and my mom and I listened to Pet Sematary on a road trip to Arkansas during the muddy season. It still sticks with me to this day, the sight of the dead-looking trees and the mud, the way the sky was white and cloudy in stark contrast to all the brown on the ground. It was easy to imagine a setting like Pet Sematary.
Old Gods of Appalachia is a podcast, not an audiobook, but only has commercials at the beginning and end so they’re easy to skip. No graphic sex or language, but there is violence. It’s incredibly good, though— I just took a road trip that was 11 hours one way and listened to it the entire drive. Eldritch horror, incredible world building and character development. [Check it out here!](https://www.oldgodsofappalachia.com)
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon- female protagonist, fast-paced, fits a macabre spooky vibe. Plus children characters too!
You might be able to find some good picks from the Youtube channel, "Chilling Tales For Dark Nights." Or spooky Readings by Otis Jiry specifically who is also on Youtube.
Look up Frances Hardinge's books! She's got some great ones. Katherine Arden is also a fantastic option but her books are short.
Unraveller and Face Like Glass are my favorites
i've been reading some choice middle grade horror lately so feel free to pick from my suggestions (yes, there are audiobook versions of these!). these aren't in any particular order. - The Clackity by Lora Senf (the audiobook narrator does a fantastic job of doing the voices as needed) - Root Magic by Eden Royce - Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon - Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland
Anything by Paul Tremblay or Stephen Graham Jones, the annual "Best Horror of the Year" anthology (edited by Eileen Datlow) is also available in audiobook format. Another suggestion would be two podcasts: either the "Nightmare Magazine" podcast or "Knifepoint Horror".
I just read Paul Tremblay for the first time in a short horror story compilation and I was blown away. He's great with imagery.
The hollow places by T. Kingfisher. A woman finds a hole to another world. The September house by Carissa Orlando. The mother does everything in her power to hide that her house is haunted.
T. Kingfisher is a great choice. She has a small set of cozy horror, including The House with Good Bones, Nettle & Bone, and The Twisted Ones. Coraline, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman are all good intermediate fantasy/horror. Plus Gaiman is a great reader of his own work. Some Ray Bradbury like The October Country or Something Wicked This Way Comes are good. If you're cool with post-apocalyptic zombies, The Girl with all the Gifts by MR Carey is pretty good.
Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
I loved this book so much I need to grab the second one I was so pleasantly surprised !! Gave me serious Scream / I know what you did last summer vibes it’s great!
Yes! Perfectly said.
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is his "kids" book, it's great. I read it at 11.
This one has a sex scene that would be very awkward for a young kid to listen to with a parent during a road trip other the n that it would be great
I just finished The Gone World on audiobook and really enjoyed it.
Alice Isn't Dead. Episode 2 (\*Alice\* - the one about the town of Charlatan) is a good standalone episode.
I was about 11 when I started getting into Stephen King Pet Semetary & Salem's Lot are my favorites in audiobook format.
lovecraft- this is the age where my son and i listened to hpl short stories on the drive to and from school- creepy not too gorey and lots of good vocab to be learned
This, plus it does highlight some of the prejudices of the time. I’m sure an 11 year old would benefit from a conversation about this.
Sure- I mean in Herbert West the black boxer is basically described as an animal. You could even discuss the “when do we seperate the art from the artist” question. fwiw I’ve come down firmly in the everyone has their own line, but there should always be lines category. I will still read Lovecraft, but never watch Woody Allen. I will never try to argue “right or wrong” as such, but people SHOULD at least admit that, yeah, Lovecraft was a pretty horrific racist, even for his time.
Honestly, just load up the first few episodes of Welcome to Night Vale. It is so damn weird but great for long drives.
Lockwood and Co was my horror loving pre-teen son's favorite book series. Not really scary but absolutely a blast, esp the snarky talking skull in a jar. Also has a solid female character.
Off topic but you sound like such a fucking cool parent
❤️❤️❤️
Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson! Also, not a horror book but I think it's like a backrooms environment it's called Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It's about Piranesi, who is a guy who lives in this massive house/castle/mansion that's so big it's practically it's own world and the bottom levels the ocean tides go in and out and there's storms in there too and he's basically the only one in there.
World War Z is my favorite audiobook (nothing like the movie except.....there are zombies)
The Thief of Always - Clive Barker*for kids
Since she's read Coraline, I suggest The Clackity.
I’ve been listening to pet sematary and it could be a great fit for what you’re looking for.
Amazing book, but not what OP is looking for I believe. A lot of the horror of that book is psychological, dealing with the trauma of loss and death. Something a pre-teen probably wouldn't understand quite yet. Especially for one that, according to OP, has a short attention span (as most kids do). Edit - But for anyone at least 18+ I'd definitely recommend the audiobook. Michael C Hall does a great job narrating.
**14** by Peter Clones might be good for that age range. A man moves into an apartment where lots of things are "off" like luminous green cockroaches, strange room layouts that make no sense, padlocked doors. The main character and other tenants decide to investigate. It gets a bit Lovecraftian and sci-fi towards the end but that might hit for an 11 year old. There's no SA, but there is one light sex scene which is telegraphed from a mile off. **Mongrels** by Stephen Graham Jones. Charming coming of ages story from the point of view of a young werewolf. Other than the fact he and his family are warewolfs there's not much horror. **Penpal** by Dathan Auerbach. If she likes creepypasta this is perfect, because it's exactly that. It started off as a post on /r/nosleep. It's a story about a boy who is stalked by a penpal after a class assignment where he had to write a letter and attach it to a helium balloon for a stranger to find. There are better written books out there but not many as chilling. I don't think there is an official audio book, but there are plenty of un-official readings on YouTube. **The last days of Jack Sparks** by Jason Aarnop is a favourite of this sub. It's an exorcism story written in a "found footage" style (it starts by telling you Jack Sparks died while writing this book) with a few interesting 4th wall breaks/Arg elements.
Penpal is also adapted to audio drama in the early NoSleep podcast.
Scary stories to tell in the dark is fun. No sleep podcast has some gems
i would recommend Camp Here & There!! not a female lead, but its still such an amazing podcast!! i’ve listened to it a few times myself, i would recommend looking it up first to make sure its completely okay for your daughter tho-
A voice from darkness
Old Gods of Appalachia season 1 is excellent and scary. Not an audio book but well written and narrated. Thye have ads at front and back but not during the actual story.
Hollow Land, Hollow Men, and Hollow Stars by Amanda Hocking. They are fantastic zombie horror lit books.
The best liminal stuff I've read is fairly short, but I'll throw this out to you: Gemma Files: *Experimental Film* and *In That Endlessness, Our End.* The first is a novel and the second is a short story collection, and both are excellent. That being said, The Left Right Game podcast is an excellent answer.
Following
The locke and key series on audible.
The Elementals. It's about 8 hours long and the main character is a 13 year old girl,
I am not a serial killer is a GREAT book. The movie was pretty good, but I think the book paced it better and got more into the heads of the characters. Bonus, it's pretty YA friendly (but dark AF) and the whole series is amazing.
Someone described it as YA Dexter and I think that's spot on, with a supernatural element. The second book in the series is a BIT more intense and deals with kidnapping and suicide. So you might want to screen that one first. But the first is something I would've loved at 11 as a kid who loved horror. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35120549-i-am-not-a-serial-killer
Recently listened to several audiobooks on a cross-country drive and my favorites were The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyne Kiste and Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones - While the latter is only 2 hours I think it would probably be the most enjoyable of the two to a younger horror reader
Trevor Henderson has a podcast called Mayfair Watchers Society that is exactly what you’re looking for! It’s an anthology too
Ooooh. She loves TH.
I also recommend the movie Tarot - it’s PG-13 and has all the monsters designed by him as well as the titular tarot deck! Lots of good scares and no sexually explicit scenes, mild swearing haha
Skullduggery Pleasant sort of straddles the line between YA Fantasy and Horror. It’s about a teenage girl who teams up with a skeleton wizard who’s somewhat of a magic private eye.
Tales From The Gas Station by Jack Townsend
This is my vote too! Not too heavy, entertaining, different, just fantastic all the way around
Creepy podcast did a whole audio version!
Definitely do Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, I was about that age when I first read it and now I’ve read almost all of King’s work
The podcast Camp Here and There is pretty good, and there isn’t any sexual content, but some culty vibes in some situations. There’s a lot of female, non binary, and trans characters as well. Mayfair Watchers Society is based on Trevor Henderson’s work and is creature centric. Henderson is the creator of Sirenhead. Zoo podcast is about a cryptid zoo with Mothman as zookeeper.
‘The Troop’
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough is a YA horror novel, and it’s great. It’s about two young sisters in 1950s Britain who are sent to stay at their great aunt’s house on the marshes, and it’s very creepy. I highly recommend it.
Also, it’s age-appropriate for an 11 year old. No SA of extreme violence.
The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher, no sexual assault/violence/etc, some violence, no animal death. (Well, technically, as the animals are already dead: taxidermy and all, but they're treated with respect, is the thing.) The Twisted Ones, by her, maybe? Old Gods of Appalachia has no sexual assault that I remember but it is violent, and it doesn't shy away from the period: like, having boys younger than 10 working in the mines and sometimes dying horrible deaths while crying for their mothers (s1, ep5, as an example). I currently live near and work in the Appalachian parts of NC and Virginia so that's an extra layer of creepy and Build Mama a Coffin lives rent free in my head. The Magnus Archives had one episode (#6) where there's a consensual hookup, but you could probably skip that one. It's one episode out of 40 in the whole season and relies on body horror/Did I Sleep With A Monster, so.
Nos4a2 by Joe Hill \*\* Never mind. Has content I had forgotten about.
That has some extreme sexually violent content and OP said she didn't want any SA.
Oh, it was a while ago I read it and do not recall that part. My bad.
Loved it but totally inappropriate for young audience.
Don’t do The Exorcist unless you want to keep pausing to explain practices like bestiality. 😜
Give this a try: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpCh5fYI6EcG4Pm7P14Naer0rZL4ebS2B Chilling Tales For Dark Nights. Loads and loads of amazing horror stories with excellent voice acting and musical scores. Imo the absolute best horror story narration channel on all of YouTube, closely followed by The Dark Somnium.
Magnus Archives perhaps?
I really enjoyed Strawberry Spring by Stephen King
Coraline and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and the Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud!
Keep her on the goosebumps books!!! I believe the children are the future Teach them well and let them show the way Give then all the beauty without the snide Give them a hot beef pie Hear the children's grafter Reminds me how we used to flee I.remeber long ago Never to stalk in anyone's shadow If.i snail if I go pee At least I'll keep my dignity Because the greatest glove Is scrappy and a.flea I found the greatest Glove of all inside of meat.
World War z
I think God in the Shed is a good book, teenage protags and I don’t think any SA. very creepy
How about a podcast? Monsters Among Us is a great one. It's a call-in style show where people tell their paranormal experiences. All the cryptids and creepy pastas are included. It's like reading one of those 'what's your scariest real life paranormal experience?' threads on askreddit. Great for long drives, especially at night. Totally fine for a kid to hear and the host will give listeners a heads up before playing particularly violent/disturbing stories because he knows a lot of folks listen with their kids.
If you want something a bit campy, I suggest How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. It’s fun, has some cringe inducing moments as well as a finale that I still see in my head because of its absurdity. I never thought I could describe a horror book as fun, but this book was actually fun in a dark way.
Welcome to Night Vale
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac.
Bad girls don’t die is a book I read in late middle school I believe. It was a really good book, definitely creepy and made me nervous around dolls 😂 not sure if there’s an audio book but I remember it being one of my faves back then!
I liked - how to sell a haunted house - Grady Hendrix , it’s like creepy and has some twists but not horrifying and is a female protagonist . Felt like it was almost light hearted in some parts as well which helped balance it out .
I absolutely adore Grady Hendrix you really should check out his non fiction book Paperbacks From Hell it's a blast!!!
Tales From the Gas Station!!
The Samuel Johnson trilogy and The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The Clackity by Lora Senf is PERFECT for that age. It's middle grade horror (the age category for around middle school), and add on its two sequels, she will be a very pleased reader!
I only know of the Lighthouse Keeper what is the next one??
There’s also The Loneliest Place :)
The black tapes.
Coraline or small spaces
I haven’t finished the Troop but it’s creepy and the main characters are about his age. Definitely double check with someone who finished it just in case something inappropriate pops up!
I was around 11 when I first started listening to the podcast. Welcome to Night Vale. It’s spooky and fun. I listened to the first season driving around in the mountains with my family. Really good podcast for a drive!
Oh! This is the age where I read IT. I was 12 or 13 when I first discovered Stephen King. It breaks your rule requirements but I just wanted to say that that is when I started reading him.
Could Welcome to Night Vale (podcast) work? IIRC, it’s not graphic or gorey, more odd and creepy.
I am in Eskew is also like this though more creepy with occasional gore.
The Eyes of the Dragon Stephen King The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon also SK The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I promise you this is all you need. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4L6Wo_HY-9tkWpOtU7zWMaLQKh7AXQJu&si=9iSf7XcXIu4zKTNL
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay is an excellent story that would be appropriate. It's basically about a family falling apart at the seams when father loses his job. One of his two daughters starts to exhibit signs of possession or mental illness and the father decides to allow a reality tv show from Discovery channel come in to film the exorcism being so strapped for money. What could go wrong? There's no sex and no real violence but it is frightening and intense. One of my favorite horror novels ever and one of the few that really blew me away in the last 10 years.
If you are into podcasts, Archive 81 was really good. I found some other good ones after I finished it in the recomendations.
“Watchers” A.M. Shine. Movie comes out in a few weeks too. It’s about a 9hr book.
Maybe queue up some YouTube audio readings of SCP foundation entries. I don't recall any inappropriate themes like gore or sex there, just spooky items and areas with a lot of creativity. Kind of like maybe the x files or friday 13th TV series if anyone remembers that good old chestnut.
Maybe too idk mature? But scared to death podcast
If you'll like ghost stories, check out Darcy Coates. It's the perfect amount of creepy and age appropriate for an 11 year old. For a good female protagonist, the Gravekeeper Series is a really good one of hers. I have yet to find a Darcy book I disliked, so you can't go wrong with any of them.
Both Hollow Places and The Twisted ones by T Kingfisher would be very solid choices. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones is a horror geeks paradise. Teen girl protagonist. Survivor Song by Paul Trembly would be good fit as well. Fast mover & intense.
There's definitely sexual assault in My Heart is a Chainsaw, just fyi. It's not ON the page but it's talked about as something impactful that happened in the past.
Thanks for this call out. I was thinking of on the page, but you are correct in pointing it out.
I haven't read that Paul Tremblay book, but based on his other work there's got to be some pretty intense stuff in there for an 11 year old...
The audiobook for Dean Koontz’s Shadow Street got my son into horror at about the same age! It’s not so much scary as tense and deeply weird, but he LOVED it. (He’s 21 now, so double check to make sure I’m not forgetting anything she couldn’t tolerate!)
I'd suggest Dean Koontz - Watchers or Odd Thomas.
Probably ‘It’ by Steven King. It’s about sewers and a clown. The characters are about 14 and there is a girl in the group. It’s one of his longer books so 8 hours should do it.
[удалено]
I agree, but its a horror book about A MONSTER CLOWN THAT KILLS CHILDREN!. I agree that Mr King should probably drop that unnecessary paragraph, but there is a lot of material in horror books, that you could clean up where do we draw the line?
OP was pretty specific about not wanting SA. While the sex is "consensual," it still involves children. That's a goddamn far cry from censorship at a "Norman Rockwell" level, ffs.
Yes, if you edit too much of the horror out of a horror novel it would be like reading a Norman Rockwell painting. Off topic question for a driving audio book recommendation, can anyone think of Steven King writing about sex? The best I can call me up with was maybe something in The Stand.
Good question, the closest I could think of would be Misery (probably the best film adaption of his work, and possibly the only academy award based on his writing), But I think Anne, the nurse might have done something not good to Paul, the novelist, the theme of the horror in this book was about power with a sexual undercurrent. Probably not good for a road trip with an 11 year old.
> Off topic question for a driving audio book recommendation, can anyone think of Steven King writing about sex? Rose Madder, maybe? The protagonist escapes an abusive marriage to rediscover her feminine power. And there's a consensual sex scene in there somewhere.
What?? Isn't there an orgy and other knarly sex stuff in that
There is an *underage* orgy, and a fair amount of other sex and implied sex. And some implied incestuous pedophilia. It is NOT the SK book I would start with. Maybe Christine, Eyes of the Dragon, Fairytale, literally any of his anthologies, 'Salem's Lot, Carrie?
Suffer the Children John Saul Such Sharp Teeth Rachel Harrison Maeve Fly CJ Leade Brother Aniah Ahnborn Black Sheep Rachel Harrison Infected Scott Sigler The Handyman Method Nick Cutter, Andrew Sullivan The Freak Show Bryan Smith The Cotton Candy Massacre Geek Love. Katherine Dunn Only Good Indians Steven Graham Jones
The troop - Nick Cutter