Book Recommendations for Friday the 13th
It’s almost Friday the 13th and our superstitious silly energy is really coming out. Not only is it a Friday (practically the weekend), it’s also this strange time of year when we’re creeping up on the shortest day of the year. It’s spooky season part two, no matter what the calendar actually says, so tack on that extra spooky number 13 and all of the sudden we’re extra on edge. Let’s lean into that weird energy with some book recommendations for this silliest of superstitious days.
Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio and Will Staehle
This action packed, middle grade mystery isn’t just for middle school readers. It’s for lovers of Tim Burton, Victorian-era adventures, and books that put the Friday the 13th heebie jeebies at bay. If Warren is going to solve the mystery in this graphic novel adventure tale, he’s definitely going to need the reader’s help. And isn’t it wonderful to be included? There are three books in this series—the third book, Warren the 13th and the Thirteen-Year Curse, comes out on March 24, 2020—so now is the perfect time to read the first two!
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Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
In Her Body and Other Parties, fiction visionary Carmen Maria Machado takes readers on a genre-defying whirlwind through psychologically thrilling short stories. Some foundations are familiar – like “The Husband Stitch,” a retelling of “The Green Ribbon.” Others are completely new and as hilarious as they are terrifying – like Machado’s retelling of every episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. If you’re in a funk this Friday the 13th, Her Body and Other Parties is sure to take you on an entirely different ride.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
If you’re ready to ride that short story wave, but are looking for something a little more visual, check out Through the Woods, a graphic novel of short spooky stories written and illustrated by Emily Carroll. Like Her Body and Other Parties, some of Carroll’s stories will feel slumber party familiar. But that’s where the spooky feeling comes from – that ghost of a story that you once told with flashlights under your chin fully realized in dark reds and bright blues. It’s perfect for long nights under a warm blanket.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
Sheets by Brenna Thummler
If your Friday the 13th energy tends toward the whimsical, check out Brenna Thummler’s graphic novel Sheets. In this middle grade book, a thirteen-year-old named Marjorie runs the family laundry business and an actual real live ghost named Wendell sabotages Marjorie’s business on his quest to find a better afterlife. It’s the story of an unlikely friendship and the unexpected ways we find forgiveness – perfect for an off-center Friday the 13th.
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