DON’T GO IN THERE! It’s that time of year. Spirits that inhabit otherworldly realms are lured to this earthly plane by the rolling waves of pumpkin spice scent, and things can get a little weird. Don’t worry. Mt. Lebanon Public Library is one of the places where they ain’t afraid of no ghost.
The library staff has lots of fun activities planned, and the librarians have curated some book lists so you can prepare for the scare. Keep up to date with programs, and register at mtlebanonlibrary.org/508/Events [1].
Children’s Programs
The kids’ department is offering its Story Spooktacular event again this year on Monday, October 27. Children ages 3-7 and their families are invited to trick or treat for stories with their favorite librarians outside the library. Walk from station to station to hear some fun and fantastical tales. Costumes are welcome. In case of bad weather this event will move inside to the children’s library. One registration
per family.
On Thursday, October 30, elementary-age kids are invited to Scary Tales with Miss Rachel in the library courtyard. Costumes are encouraged. One registration per family.
All through the month, find surprises like pop-up crafts, a Spooky I-Spy tank and themed storytimes.
Teen Programs
On Tuesday, October 14, at 6 p.m., the Allegheny Land Trust will give a talk on carnivorous plants. They eat flies. They eat beetles. Once they get the taste for flesh, will they come for you? Find out!
The LEGO Club’s meeting on Saturday, October 18 at noon will be deadicated (see what we did there?) to all things Halloween.
On Wednesday, October 22 at 3:30, you can decorate your own pet skeleton. You don’t need to bring in an actual skeleton. It’s not that kind of program.
On Halloween, from 3 to 5, stop in for a Space Haunting Polaroids Photo Shoot. We don’t have a lot of information on this, but it’s a pretty good bet that orbs will be involved. Maybe space orbs, which are a whole different thing.
Adult Programs
Ghost Stories and Local Legends with Thomas White
Tuesday, October 14, 7 p.m.
Maybe you know about the Green Man, the vanishing B-25 and the ghosts of the Biddle Brothers (or maybe you don’t). Thomas White has authored eight books about unexplained happenings in the region. If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, White probably already knows about it.
Classic Horror Movie at the Library
Monday, October 27, 6:30 p.m.
A movie so terrifying, the mere mention of its name could cause fainting, or worse. Check the library’s online calendar for details. If you dare!
Seasons of Horror: Spooky Season! Horror Book Club for Adults
7 pm, Tuesday, October 28
Seasons of Horror is a quarterly book club that meets to read and discuss horror novels — from classics to contemporary. This year’s book is ’Salem’s Lot by Stephen King.
And to get you even more primed for the season, Mt. Lebanon librarians have curated a list of books that may make you leave the light on at bedtime.
Children’s books
The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting
In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to happen. And then on Halloween night, Fred vanishes.
In A Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, both by Alvin Schwartz, are geared toward new readers and those getting into chapter books. The books are series of short horror stories and urban legends retold for children.
All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn
Travis and his sister, Corey, are spending the summer at their grandmother’s Vermont inn, which has a history of ghost sightings. They pass the time by faking some supernatural events, only to encounter the real thing.
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
Clare is a fox who is not quite dead, but not quite alive, whose task is to guide the newly dead into the afterlife. His routine is upset by a badger named
Gingersnipes is unable to complete the journey, leaving the pair with a mystery to solve. Recommended for kids old enough for chapter books.
The Scariest Campfire Story You’ve Ever Heard by Ron Keres
This picture book tells the story of what happens when a campfire story about Bigfoot summons the creature to the campsite.
For a slightly younger crowd looking for something a little eerie, the experts recommend The Slightly Spooky Tale Of Fox And Mole, a picture book by Cecilia Heikkila, and the Mister Shivers series by Max Braillier.
For a Halloween ghost story that is not even a little bit scary, try There’s A Ghost In This House by Oliver Jeffers and The Haunted Scavenger Hunt by Steve Patschke.
Teens
The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu
Iris and Lark are inseparable identical twins who are split up into different classrooms in fifth grade. Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. At the same time, things begin to go missing without a trace. As Iris decides it’s up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
Steve is worried about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive. He discovers a wasps’ nest under his roof, and a wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to save his brother.
We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado
A novel told through alternating voices that follows two cousins as they unravel their town’s sinister past, their family’s complicated history, and the terrifying spirit that holds their future captive.
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Briseis has a gift: with a single touch she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms. When her aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents hope that surrounded by plants and flowers, she will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they never expected-it comes with a mysterious set of instructions, a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world, and generations of secrets. First in a two-part series.
Dead Girls Don’t Dream by Nino Cipri
Riley is murdered in a strange ritual, Madelyn uses her magic to resurrect her, and their lives are immediately entwined in the gnarled history of Voynich Woods.
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet. First in a series.
Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters
Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness. But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets. In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make the ghosts sing.
This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel
Twins Victor and Konrad Frankenstein stumble upon the Dark Library and discover secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies. Father forbids them from ever entering the room again, but when Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is drawn back to the library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Determined to save Konrad, Victor makes an unthinkable sacrifice in his quest for the elixir’s ingredients.
Adults
The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story, by Olga Tokarczuk
Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk’s novel about the Guesthouse for Gentlemen, where disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Someone — or something — seems to be watching, attempting to infiltrate this cloistered world.
The Fisherman, by John Langan
In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman’s Creek offers the promise of fine fishing. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other’s company and a shared passion for fishing, are drawn into a tale of dark pacts, long-buried secrets and of a The Fisherman. Winner of the 2016 Bram Stoker Award.
My Death, by Lisa Tuttle
A widowed writer begins to work on a biography of a novelist and artist, and soon uncovers bizarre parallels between her life and her subject’s.