Hallowe’en Books for Children

For children, half-term must feel like a real treat – five days without school, no early morning starts and no lessons.

Do parents feel the same about having their children at home all week?

Never fear! If you’re looking for something to keep the young ones occupied, bring them along to the library to choose some books to read.

As it will be Hallowe’en this weekend, we invited Stan, the Skeleton Librarian at the University medical school, to recommend some of his favourite books. There are some real crackers on his list – stories of witches and wizards, ghosts and ghouls. Come and check them out for yourself.

Hallowe’en Craft Kits

We also have craft packs available for the youngsters to take home with them in return for a small donation to library funds.

We will not be hosting the normal half-term sessions in the library, but we’re still excited to see what our young visitors make with their kits.

It would be wonderful if you would bring perhaps one of the finished articles back to the library and we’ll put them on display.

Hallowe’en Tales for Adults

We asked Stan to tell us about his supernatural friends local to Jesmond Library. Have you heard about Elvira, the young serving maid whose ghost is said to haunt Millfield House in Jesmond Dene? Then there is the spirit of George, a deceased railway worker, who can be found at The Junction.

Do you know of any other Jesmond phantoms?

More tales of spooky happenings in the area can be discovered in these books in the Local Interest collection. Read them if you dare!

  • Otherworld North East: Ghosts and Hauntings Explored, by Tony Liddell
  • Haunted Durham, by Darren W. Ritson
  • Dancing with the Devil and other True Tales of Northern Witchcraft, by Jo Bath

Hallowe’en Fiction Recommendations

If you prefer your ghost stories a little more gentle and whimsical, we can highly recommend the Kindred Spirit series by local author Jennifer C. Wilson.

Jennifer is one of the judges in Jesmond Library’s annual Creative Writing Competition, and her books are an imagining of ghostly royal relations at the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

However you choose to spend the half-term holiday and Hallowe’en, we hope there will be plenty of treats in store for you and your family.