LOOK AT IT!

Middle-Grade Horror Covers That Will Make You Scream!

Ally Russell
March 29, 2024

We’re not supposed to do it. But we’re a bunch of bookish rebels, aren’t we?

I’m talking about judging books by their covers.

When I walk into a bookstore and spy a book from across the way, the only thing I’m able to judge is the cover. Of course, once I’m lured across the store I can read the synopsis and decide if it’s something I want to keep reading.

But first . . . the cover.

You came here for frights, so let’s talk about horror covers.

The funny thing about horror covers is that they’re meant to unsettle you. Usually, they convey some of the terror or dread that you might experience when you read the book. But horror covers, no matter how scary they might be, almost always have the opposite effect on our weird little demographic, don’t they? Rather than fleeing from them, we reach for them with glee.

Flesh falling off skin. Bones. Blood. Ghoulish faces. All the things I avoid looking at before bed are suddenly acceptable—as long as they’re on the cover of a book!

When I think about my childhood love of Goosebumps, R.L. Stine’s stories were spooky and thrilling, but Tim Jacobus’s bright, splashy covers were just as much fun to look at.

Three versions of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark coverr

^{_{Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark}}^{_{by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, (HarperCollins Publishers)}}

And what about Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books? We were supposed to be terrified of the books because Stephen Gammell’s cover art told us as much. On one version of the cover, a ghoulish figure with widespread arms warns the reader against going forward. On another iteration of the cover, a bruised and blood-stained head dares readers to open the book. And on my copy, the haunt from “The Haunted House” stares at me with hollow eyes and rotting flesh.

AND STILL!!! I reach for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark every time I see it.

Why am I talking about horror covers so much? Because my wonderful editor sent the full jacket art for It Came from the Trees and I’m IN LOVE with it. I’ll share it with you at the end of this post, but first, I want to share some of my favorite things from MG horror covers.

I LOVE…

Colors! Some of my favorite horror covers are incredibly vibrant. Sometimes, they even have splashes and pops of neon ink. And if the cover calls for it—RED. Bright, bloody red!

^{_{Hide and Seeker}}^{_{by Daka Hermon, cover art by Marcela Bolívar, jacket design by Stephanie Yang (Scholastic);}}^{_{Slappy Beware!}}^{_{by R.L. Stine, cover art by Brandon Dorman, jacket design by Maeve Norton (Scholastic);}}^{_{Don’t Turn Out the Lights}}^{_{, edited by Jonathan Maberry, cover art by Iris Compiet, jacket design and hand lettering by Laura Mock (Harper);}}^{_{The Smashed Man of Dread End}}^{_{by J.W. Ocker, cover art by Jeannette Arroyo, jacket design and lettering by Catherine Lee (Harper);}}^{_{Stories to Keep You Alive Despite Vampires}}^{_{by Ben Acker, cover art by Scott Buoncristiano, jacket design by Laura Eckes (Simon & Schuster)}}

Illustrations. With different styles of illustration, artists can convey varying levels of terror. Below, we have everything from horror Mr. Rogers might enjoy to Fear Street reader in training.

_{^{The Girl and the Ghost}}_{^{by Hanna Alkaf, cover art by Anastasia Suvarova, jacket design and lettering by Alice Wang (Harper);}}_{^{Scary Stories for Young Foxes}}_{^{by Christian McKay Heidicker, cover art by Junyi Wu, jacket design and lettering by Carol Ly (Henry Holt & Company);}}_{^{The Jumbies}}_{^{by Tracey Baptiste, cover art by Vivienne To, design by Carla Weise (Algonquin Young Readers);}}_{^{Camp Scare}}_{^{by Delilah S. Dawson, cover art by Matt Ryan Tobin, jacket design by Katrina Damkoehler (Delacorte Press)}}

Trees. (Hello? I wrote a book called It Came from the Trees!) A cover with gnarly trees is much more likely to get my attention than a cover without them. Why? Because it means the book is likely set in the most terrifying of all places—THE WOODS. Bonus points if the tree branches look like SPINDLY FINGERS. I’ve seen this book shelved in YA and MG sections. I think it works as a MG book for readers on the older end of that age range.

^{_{Through the Woods}}^{_{by Emily Carroll, jacket design by Sonia Chaghatzbanian (Margaret K. McElderry Books)}}

Creatures. Especially if they have red eyes. My book is a love story to all the monster stories I loved reading when I was a child. If I spy a beast with red eyes, that book is probably coming home with me.

_{^{Hanging with Vampires}}_{^{by Insha Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Lilla Bölecz, cover art by Lilla Bölecz, jacket design by Andie Reid (Quirk Books);}}_{^{Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales}}_{^{by Tehlor Kay Mejia, illustrated by Junyi Wu, Justin & Alexis Hernandez, and Kaylee Rowena, cover art by Sebastian Skrobol, design by Brann Garvey (Amulet Books);}}_{^{Artie and the Wolf Moon}}_{^{by Olivia Stephens, cover art by Olivia Stephens, design by Kimberly Morales (Graphic Universe);}}_{^{Fright Watch: Unmasked}}_{^{by Lorien Lawrence, cover art by Kelley McMorris, title lettering by David Coulson, jacket design by Jade Rector & Brann Garvey (Amulet Books)}}

Scary optical illusions. Covers that creatively hide creepy images are akin to monsters hiding under your bed or in your closet.

_{^{The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away}}_{^{by Ronald L. Smith, cover art by Pierce Kelly (Clarion Books);}}_{^{It Looks Like Us}}_{^{by Alison Ames, cover art and jacket design by Julia Tyler (Page Street Publishing);}}_{^{The Legend of Skeleton Man}}_{^{by Joseph Bruchac, cover art by Matt Rockefeller, design by Michelle Taormina (Harper)}}

Haunt fonts! If the text whispers do not read me, you can bet that I am, in fact, going to buy the book. If the font screams DO NOT READ ME . . . I’m going to read it right away.

_{^{Spirit Hunters}}_{^{by Ellen Oh, cover art by Matt Rockefeller, design by Joel Tippie (Scholastic);}}_{^{Small Spaces}}_{^{by Katherine Arden, cover art by Matt Saunders, design by Jaclyn Reyes (Puffin);}}_{^{Tales to Keep You Up at Night}}_{^{by Dan Poblocki, cover art by Marie Bergeron, design by Mary Claire Cruz (Penguin Workshop);}}_{^{Bumps in the Night}}_{^{by Amalie Howard, cover art by Matt Rockefeller;}}_{^{Read at Your Own Risk}}_{^{by Remy Lai, design by Aurora Parlagreco (Macmillan)}}

Do you have a favorite middle grade cover that is actually quite scary? What’s the scariest book cover you’ve ever seen? Tell me!

As promised, here’s your first look at the jacket art for It Came from the Trees! I hope you will reach for it with glee on Tuesday, July 30. Or even better, please preorder it. Preorders let bookstores and my publisher know that you’re excited about my book!