Some of the spookiest ghost stories come from YA novels. Stories about ghosts and ghouls, hauntings and terrors can fill any must-read list, especially if you are a fan of horror. Ghosts can also be flexible when it comes to storytelling. They can be evil spirits that are there to terrorise our characters, but there are also misunderstood ghosts trying to find peace in their afterlife. If you’re looking for the best YA supernatural books with ghosts and ghouls, here are a few that fall under that category:
The Agony House by Cherie Priest
In Cherie Priest’s The Agony House, Denise Farber returns to New Orleans with her family after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. They hope to restore an old house and transform it into a bed and breakfast, using their last resources. Strange occurrences don’t faze Denise at first, but as the floors collapse, deadly objects rain down, and eerie voices reach her ears, she realizes that something dark and sinister lurks within the house.
Digging deeper, she discovers an old hidden comic book in the attic, the final work of a renowned artist who vanished in the 1950s. Determined to uncover the truth to protect her family, Denise must uncover the secrets within the comic’s pages and beyond, for their survival depends on it.
I am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina
Tony Medina explores the life of Alfonso Jones, a young boy excited to play the lead role in his school’s hip-hop adaptation of Hamlet. Alongside his passion for theatre, Alfonso is eager to confess his feelings for his best friend, Danetta. However, tragedy strikes when an off-duty police officer mistakes a hanger for a gun, shooting and killing Alfonso.
Upon awakening in the afterlife, Alfonso finds himself on a ghost train, accompanied by victims of police shootings who guide him through the subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso’s loved ones struggle with their grief and fight for justice in the streets. Together, they confront their new realities and recognize the immense work that lies ahead in their fight for justice.
We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund
In We Speak in Storm Natalie Lund takes you to Mercer, Illinois, more than 50 years after a devastating tornado took the lives of many young teenagers at a drive-in theatre. The town is now on edge as, on the anniversary of the tragedy, another tornado strikes the same spot. Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller feel a deep unease, sensing a connection they cannot understand.
Despite their outward differences, their paths intertwine, bringing them together when they least expect it. As they navigate their shared struggles and secrets, both the living and the dead, they realize that only by collaborating can they uncover the truth, find peace, and move forward.
Mary: The Summoning (Bloody Mary) by Hillary Monahan
Mary: The Summoning follows Jess and her friends delving into the dangerous world of summoning. Armed with research and following precise steps, they attempt to summon the infamous Bloody Mary. The first summoning fills the room with fear as a figure emerges from the mirror.
Obsessed, Jess summons Mary again and again, until their circle is broken, unleashing Mary’s wrath. As the girls face Mary’s revenge, their loyalties are tested and their lives are forever changed.
The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupeco
The Girl From the Well follows Okiku, a vengeful spirit seeking retribution against monsters who harm children in the same way she was hurt centuries ago in Japan. However, one American boy catches her attention like no other.
Together, they are immersed in a world of unsettling doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms, spanning from the American Midwest to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.
The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol Ostow
Meet Winnie Flynn, a girl who is sceptical of ghosts, yet is desperately yearning for her deceased mother to provide answers about her suicide. When Winnie’s enigmatic Aunt Maggie, a prominent TV producer, unexpectedly invites her to work as a production assistant on the reality show Fantastic, Fearsome set in New Jersey, Winnie witnesses unexplained phenomena and begins to question the authenticity of the urban legends that they investigate. Winnie must confront her scepticism and uncover her aunt’s hidden truths.
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
In Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Cas Lowood carries on his father’s legacy of killing the dead. Accompanied by his mother and their cat with a knack for sensing spirits, Cas travels the country, eliminating murderous ghosts and avoiding personal connections. When he sets out to hunt a ghost named Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas anticipates a typical mission.
However, he encounters a vengeful ghost entangled in curses and seething with rage. Anna, wearing a blood-stained dress from her brutal murder in 1958, has mercilessly killed anyone who enters her abandoned Victorian home. Strangely, she spares Cas’s life, setting the stage for a haunting and complex journey.
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
The Taking of Jake Livingston follows the titular character, one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Not only does Jake struggle to fit in, but he also possesses the ability to see the dead. These lingering spirits usually remain in their own death loops and rarely interact with the living. However, when Jake encounters Sawyer, a troubled teen who killed six students and then took his own life, everything changes.
Sawyer, now a powerful and vengeful ghost, begins haunting Jake and plotting his afterlife. Bodies start appearing in Jake’s neighbourhood, turning high school into a dangerous survival game. Uncertain of his chances of winning, Jake must navigate a terrifying world where the rules of life and death are shattered.
Beware The Riptide by Deborah McClatchey
The idyllic coastal town of Newhaven holds dark secrets that threaten to unravel the lives of its residents. Laura and Joe are in love, their future seemingly bright, until a devastating accident changes everything.
As they struggle to rebuild their relationship and come to terms with their new reality, they uncover a web of deception and betrayal.
One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter
In C.C. Hunter’s One Foot in the Grave, seventeen-year-old Riley Smith is once again the outsider at her new school, labelled a freak due to her dad’s job that brings home lingering spirits. Riley possesses the ability to see and communicate with the dead, a secret she keeps to herself while grappling with her own struggles: the loss of her mother and her father’s alcoholism.
When a haunted young spirit named Hayden enters her life, Riley discovers the girl’s death was not an accident, and now she becomes a target of the killer.
There we have it! Some of the best YA supernatural books that feature ghosts and ghouls. If you’re looking for a spooky YA read, give them a try. Have you tried any of these novels? Did we miss any of your favourites? Comment below and let us know!