13 Scary YA Books to Read on Friday the 13th

For those who are looking for something a bit more Nightmare Before Christmas this holiday season, this is your time to celebrate because it’s Friday the 13th in December! That makes it the perfect day to read a scary YA book. If you’re craving a bone-chilling story that will send shivers up your spine, we’ve got you covered with this list of scary YA books to read on Friday the 13th. On this reading list, you’ll find stories about ghosts, monsters, witches, spells, and murderous villains. These YA books are perfect to read by the campfire or under a blanket with a flashlight. Get ready for some hair-raising fun!

The Thirteenth Child

The Thirteenth Child

An instant #1 New York Times and USA Today bestseller! • Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale, “Godfather Death,” this new novel from the bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a sweeping, fantastical saga of actions and consequences.

All gifts come with a price.

Wednesday: A Novelization of Season One

Wednesday: A Novelization of Season One

Return to the hallowed halls of Nevermore Academy with Wednesday Addams in this delightfully dark novelization of season one of the hit show, Wednesday!

The Party

The Party

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read!

Are you invited?

Our Wicked Histories

Our Wicked Histories

A teen girl’s attempt to make amends with her former friend group takes a sinister turn during a weekend getaway at an ancestral Irish estate in this atmospheric, literary horror from the author of Those We Drown.

Wilder Girls

Wilder Girls

Wilder Girls is so sharp and packs so much emotion in such wise ways. I’m convinced we’re about to witness the emergence of a major new literary star.” –Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation

New York Times Bestseller • A feminist Lord of the Flies about three best friends living in quarantine at their island boarding school, and the lengths they go to uncover the truth of their confinement when one disappears. This fresh debut is a mind-bending novel unlike anything you’ve read before.

No Escape

No Escape

A twisted game master has no intention of letting players go in this escape room horror story.

There's No Way I'd Die First

There's No Way I'd Die First

A spine-tingling contemporary horror-comedy novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.

Monstrous

Monstrous

Forced to spend her summer in her aunt’s strange small town, a teen girl discovers dark secrets hidden in the woods. From the author of Bad Witch Burning comes another pulse-pounding novel perfect for fans of Supernatural and Lovecraft Country.

Hatchet Girls

Hatchet Girls

Set more than one hundred years after the Borden murders, this propulsive, supernatural thriller imagines what might happen if history were to repeat itself today. Perfect for fans of Kara Thomas and Courtney Summers!

Signed Sealed Dead

Signed Sealed Dead

From the author of the BookTok sensation Win Lose Kill Die, comes an explosive mystery about a teenager whose true-crime obsession hits a little too close to home when she begins receiving cryptic messages after moving into a new house.

“Deliciously twisted fun!”—Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

The Wicked Unseen

The Wicked Unseen

The new girl in town is having trouble fitting into a community that believes there’s a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the woods. When her crush goes missing, she starts to wonder if the town’s obsession with evil isn’t covering up something far worse. Perfect for fans of Fear Street!

Wander in the Dark

Wander in the Dark

The pulse-pounding thriller from the author of The Black Queen! Two brothers must come together to solve the Mardi Gras murder of the most popular girl in school after one of them is caught fleeing the scene of her death.

In Nightfall

In Nightfall

In the quaint town of Nightfall, Oregon, it isn’t the dark you should be afraid of—it’s the girls. The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this propulsive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Treatment.

Did you enjoy our recommendations for books to read on Friday the 13th? Discover more book recommendations here and get social with us at @getunderlined!

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