Grades 5 to 8
The 10 P.M. Question by Kate De Goldi
DB 72853
Read by Jack Fox. Reading time 7 hours 36 minutes.
New Zealand. Twelve-year-old Frankie, a nervous hypochondriac with a best friend and a large extended family, worries a lot. His mother answers his anxiety-ridden questions each night, but Sydney, a quirky new classmate at school, helps Frankie navigate the world. 2008.
A Bridge to the Stars by Henning Mankell
DB 67210
Read by Steven Carpenter. Reading time: 4 hours, 4 minutes.
Sweden, 1956. Eleven-year-old Joel Gustafson and his father Samuel, a logger who was once a sailor, live alone with their secrets. Joel sneaks out at night to find a lonely dog he saw. But his father's secret involves a woman. Joel Gustafson series, book 1. 1990.
Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales by Neal Shusterman
DB 65794
Read by Kristin Allison. Reading time 6 hours 32 minutes.
A collection of scary, bizarre short stories--with some humorous touches. In "Monkeys Tonight," a twelve-year-old boy who taunts his eight-year-old sister about her nightmares of monkeys finds their shared bedroom invaded by apes. In "Growing Pains," a short boy's quickly growing best friend goes crazy. 2007.
Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine
LP 0846
When his father dies and none of his relatives will take Dave in, he goes to live at the HHB---the Hebrew Home For Boys. To escape the cruel treatment he receives there, he sneaks out at night and discovers real friends in the cultural world of the Harlem Renaissance. 1999.
The Glitch in Sleep by John Hulme and Michael Wexler
DB 68469
Read by Joe Peck. Reading time: 6 hours, 53 minutes.
Middle-schooler Becker Drane applies for work in the Seems--a parallel universe that runs everything in the World. Becker's first mission as a fixer is to repair a glitch in the Department of Sleep that threatens everyone's ability to ever fall asleep again. 2007.
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
DB 62745
LP 1563
Read by Judith Ann Gantly. Reading time 3 hours 2 minutes.
A young dream-giver with a gossamer touch tries to save an eight-year-old boy whose anger at his abusive parents is made worse by a Sinisteed, an inflictor of nightmares. The dream-giver also bestows dreams on the lonely woman who provides a foster home to the boy. 2006.
I Am David by Anne Holm
BR 16079; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
A twelve-year-old boy who has spent most of his childhood in a concentration camp seizes an opportunity to escape. Facing tremendous obstacles he heads toward Denmark, running by night, stowing away on a boat, hitchhiking, and always fearing recapture. Formerly titled North to Freedom. 1963.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
LP 0775
A schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane moves to Sleepy Hollow where he loves the tales told by the townsfolk of ghosts and goblins and of the Headless Horseman, especially. He also loves Katrina Van Tassel, a wealthy farmer's daughter. One night, Ichabod has a frightening encounter with the Headless Horseman, and is never seen in Sleepy Hollow again. 1992.
Midnight Magic by Avi
BR 13138; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
One stormy night in 1491 in Italy, Mangus the Magician and his twelve-year-old apprentice, Fabrizio, are summoned to the castle of King Claudio to determine if his daughter, Princess Teresina, is indeed being haunted by a ghost. 1999.
Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon
LP 1435
Emily is sent to a camp for underachievers where she discovers a murderer on the staff who might provide an explanation for her recurring nightmares. 2003.
Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury
BR 17715; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 65946
Read by Gary Roan. Reading time 4 hours 9 minutes.
Hawaii, 1975. A Boy Scout campout on a remote beach goes terrifyingly wrong when an earthquake hits in the night. The boys and their leaders are separated during the resulting tsunami. But eighth-grader Dylan finds an unexpected ally as he and fifteen-year-old Louie rescue the group. 2007.
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean
DB 61096
Read by Michael Russotto. Reading time 8 hours 10 minutes.
In a desert kingdom King Shahryar, accustomed to killing a new bride every day, marries the storyteller Shahrazad. Each night she tells the king about Sinbad the Sailor or Ali Baba, and he postpones her execution to hear another tale the next evening. 1982.
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
DB 74486
Read by Bill Wallace. Reading time: 6 hours, 6 minutes.
Recounts the events leading up to the night of April 15, 1912, when the "unsinkable" RMS Titanic sank after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage. Uses letters, newspaper articles, and survivor accounts to describe the disaster, which claimed 1,496 lives. 2012.
Women Astronomers: Reaching for the Stars by Mabel Armstrong
DB 68921
Read by Kerry Dukin. Reading time: 6 hours, 20 minutes.
Profiles twenty-one female scientists highlighting their education, the obstacles they overcame, and their contributions to astronomy. Ranges from early astronomers in Babylonia and Egypt to twentieth-century Europeans and Americans. Discusses technological developments, the process of breaking the gender barrier, and gaining an understanding of the universe. 2008.
Grades 6 to 9
Alice on Her Way by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
DB 62502
Read by Kerry Dukin. Reading time 6 hours 46 minutes.
While Alice is adjusting to her new stepmother and changes at home, she and her girlfriends manage an unchaperoned night out on a school trip to New York City. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. 2005.
Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
DB 59340
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time 12 hours 48 minutes.
Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the Abarat continue. She makes a startling realization about who she is, while the forces of the Night begin plans for war. Sequel to Abarat (DB 56273). Some strong language. 2004.
Fear: Thirteen Stories of Suspense and Horror by R. L. Stine
DB 72465
Read by Erik Sandvold. Reading time: 7 hours, 42 minutes.
Collection of thirteen horror and suspense stories by Heather Brewer, Meg Cabot, James Rollins, R.L. Stine, and others. In "Welcome to the Club" the new kid at school must pass a horrifying initiation rite. Some violence. 2010.
Horowitz Horror: Stories You'll Wish You'd Never Read by Anthony Horowitz
DB 66948
Read by Erik Sandvold. Reading time: 4 hours, 59 minutes.
Nine tales in which everything seems ordinary but where horror lurks just beneath the surface. In "Bath Night," a newly installed Victorian bathtub has a ghastly history that only a little girl perceives--at first. In "A Career in Computer Games," Kevin's job starts immediately. 1999.
The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
BR 18053; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Teen Finn Whitman becomes a hologram host/guide at Disney World Park in Orlando, Florida. In the middle of the night, Finn finds himself, in hologram form, transported to the Magic Kingdom to fight a group of Disney villains--the Overtakers, who are led by Maleficent. 2005.
The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh
DB 69048
Read by Gabriella Cavallero. Reading time 4 hours 43 minutes.
A near-fatal accident enables ninth-grade classics student Jack Perdu to see dead people. On a trip to New York City, Jack encounters Euri, a lovely teenage ghost, in Grand Central station. She helps him navigate the underworld--where Jack hopes to find his deceased mother. Edgar Award. 2007.
On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming
BR 19930; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
High-school student Mike Kowalski is hurrying home on a cold night in October when he picks up Carol Anne, a phantom hitchhiker. Events lead Mike to a rundown cemetery, where he listens to teen ghosts recount details of their untimely deaths. 2012.
One Hundred and One Questions About Sleep and Dreams That
Kept You Awake Nights--until Now by Faith Hickman Brynie
DB 71521
Read by Kerry Dukin. Reading time 4 hours 53 minutes.
Explains the stages of sleep during a typical night, the twenty-four-hour cycle, and the negative effects of sleep loss. Examines dreaming, sleep disorders, animals' sleep habits, and the state of sleep science. Based on questions from students. 2006.
The Secret Within by Theresa Martin Golding
DB 57780
Read by Anne Hancock. Reading time 6 hours 23 minutes.
Thirteen-year-old Carly lives at the New Jersey shore where she dodges her abusive father by sneaking out at night to roam the boardwalk. When a stranger seeks to question her about mysterious packages she delivers for her father, Carly's neighbors suspect him of criminal activities and rally around to help her. 2002.
Sleep and Dreams by Andrew T. McPhee
BR 15117; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
Discusses the nature of sleep and dreams, the causes and treatments of sleep disorders, and the possible meaning of common dreams. The chapter "Toward a More Restful Sleep" offers advice on various techniques to overcome problems of falling asleep. 2001.
Stephen Fair by Tim Wynne-Jones
BR 51378; web-braille not available.
It happened to his older brother, and now it's happening to Stephen. Every night he has the same nightmare. His mother calls in a witch, but there is no help until Stephen decides to unlock the story of his own childhood and the dream. 1998.
Tomorrowland: Ten Stories about the Future by Michael Cart
BR 13288; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
In honor of the new millennium these ten short stories by noted authors describe visions of past and future times. In James Cross Giblin's "Night of the Plague" a young monk in the year 1000 ponders the night sky and the end of the world. For grades 6-9. 1999.
True Legend by Mike Lupica
DB 75549
Read by Alec Volz. Reading time: 6 hours, 49 minutes.
Fifteen-year-old Drew "True" Robinson loves being the best point-guard in high school basketball. But late one night when he goes to practice alone, a ghost of a player is already there--and is amazing! The former star teaches Drew a few things about the consequences of fame. 2012.
Junior High
Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife by Marie Winn
DB 69617
Read by Mark Ashby. Reading time: 9 hours, 46 minutes.
A journalist's account of nighttime natural-history explorations in the thirty-seven-acre wilderness area of New York City's Central Park. Chronicles eleven years spent observing nature, insects, and animals. Describes the park's creatures and the people watching them. 2008.
Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance.
LP 1770
Famous horror story writer Ian Tremblin comes to the town of Maplewood to hold a short story writing contest, offering the five finalists the chance to spend what turns out to be a terrifying--and deadly--night with him in a haunted house. 2007.
Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
DB 66693
LP 1772
Read by Mary Kane. Reading time 10 hours 23 minutes.
1906. Fifteen-year-old Laura Hame and her cousin Rose come from a family of dreamhunters--people who enter the place of dreams and relay them to others. After Laura's father disappears, Laura searches the magical world for him, experiences nightmares, and encounters a monster. 2005.
A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd by Patrick Ness
DB 74426
Read by Jason Isaacs. Reading time: 4 hours.
Thirteen-year-old Conor is tormented by his mother's impending death, a school bully, and recurring nightmares. But one night a monster comes to Conor, tells him three tales, and instructs Conor to tell the fourth--and scariest--of all the tales. For junior and senior high and older readers. Commercial audiobook. 2011.
The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
DB 60848
LP 1898
Read by Mary Kane. Reading time 6 hours 55 minutes.
Upon moving to Bixby, Oklahoma, fifteen-year-old Jessica Day learns that she is one of a group of people who have special abilities that help them fight ancient creatures living in an hour hidden at midnight. These creatures seem determined to destroy Jess. 2004.
Welcome to Bordertown: New Stories and Poems of the Borderlands by Holly Black
DB 74021
Erik Sandvold. Reading time: 19 hours, 34 minutes.
Anthology of stories and poems set in Bordertown, a city populated by human and elfin runaways that spans the edges of the faerie and human worlds. Introduction by Terri Windling. Authors include Neil Gaiman and Jane Yolen. Some strong language. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2011.
The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings by Dennis Pepper
BR 12696; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Thirty-four scary short stories with mysterious or unnerving endings by authors such as Roald Dahl, Ramsey Campbell, E. Nesbit, T.H. White, and Ray Bradbury. 1997.
Senior High
The Awakening by Marley Gibson
DB 72759
Read by Kristin Allison. Reading time: 8 hours, 17 minutes.
When sixteen-year-old Kendall Moorehead's family relocates from Chicago to Radisson, Georgia, her mother buys her a white-noise machine to help her sleep. But the womb-like sounds change to a whispering voice, inspiring Kendall to hunt ghosts. Ghost Huntress series, book 1. Some strong language. 2009.
Beastly by Alex Flinn.
DB 71582
Read by Chris Patton. Reading time 6 hours 43 minutes.
New York City. A humiliated witch casts a spell on popular Kyle Kingsbury and transforms him into a beast. Banished from his home, Kyle prowls at night, waiting for true love's kiss to break his curse. Some strong language. 2007.
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales by Deborah Noyes
BR 16518; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Horror stories for young adults by authors Vivian Vande Velde, Neil Gaiman, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, and others. In Janni Lee Simner's "Stone Tower," a sorcerer's teenaged daughter fights to regain her will and free her boyfriend from an evil spell. 2004.
Heaven Cent: Xanth by Piers Anthony.
DB 30213
Read by Bruce Huntey. Reading time 10 hours 23 minutes.
Xanth is a magic realm where bad dreams are directed by the Night Stallion and carried by Night mares, and where Gorgons stare at milk to make Gorgonzola cheese. Prince Dolph, age nine, bedeviled by his older sister, bossy fourteen-year-old Ivy, sets off on a quest to find the missing Good Magician Humfrey. Eleventh book of the Xanth series.
How I Spent My Last Night on Earth by Todd Strasser.
DB 48068
LP 0944
Read by Kimberly Schraf. Reading time 4 hours 12 minutes.
Senior Allegra ("Legs") arrives to find her high school in commotion: an announcement on the Internet says the earth will be struck by an asteroid tonight! As the excitement mounts, surfer Andros Bliss--the guy Legs fantasizes about--notices her. She decides to spend her last hours with him.
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
BR 16460; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 61879
LP 1533
Read by Nick Sullivan. Reading time: 4 hours, 12 minutes.
High school senior and football star Keir believes he's a "good guy" who can do no wrong. When his behavior spins out of control, escalating into date rape on graduation night, Keir is forced to assess his morals. Some strong language. Nat'l Book Award Finalist. 2005.
Insomnia by J. R. Johansson
DB 77445
Read by Michael Scherer. Reading time: 8 hours, 35 minutes.
For four years sixteen-year-old Parker has entered the dreams of the last person he sees, never sleeping himself. Parker fears he will die of exhaustion. When he enters Mia's uncomplicated dreams, Parker finds rest. Desperate for sleep, Parker seeks her out. Night Walkers series, book 1. Some violence. 2013.
Marked by P.C. Cast.
BR 18461; 3 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2. Volume 3.
DB 68149
LP 2234
Read by Mary Kane. Reading time 8 hours 54 minutes.
Zoey is struggling in high school when she is marked by a Tracker to become a vampire. Zoey's Grandma Redbird enrolls her in another school, the House of Night, where Zoey learns new rules and uncovers a sinister plot. House of Night series, book 1. Strong language. 2007.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
BR 16896; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Strangers Nick and Norah meet at a punk-rock club and experience a night of adventure. Nick, a musician, has just had a painful breakup with his girlfriend, and brokenhearted Norah also needs reassurance. The two romp through Manhattan and fall in love. Strong language. 2006.
Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver
BR 18211; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 67940
Read by Erik Sandvold. Reading time: 4 hours, 15 minutes.
While preparing for a special Saturday night stock-car race in a small Minnesota town, seventeen-year-old driver Trace Bonham suspects his dad's crew chief Larry Rawlins of sabotaging his car. Meanwhile another teenager, Melody "Mel" Walters, daughter of the Headwaters Speedway owner, checks on track conditions. Motor Novel series, book 1. 2008.
Tightrope by Gillian Cross
BR 13406; 2 Volumes. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Fourteen-year-old Ashley helps her disabled mother after school every day, but by night she is "Cindy," an expert graffiti artist, tagging the walls of the shabby English town where she lives. When someone begins stalking her, Ashley turns to a local gang leader for help. 1999.
Wake by Lisa McMann.
DB 69614
Read by Mary Kane. Reading time 3 hours, 57 minutes.
Whenever people fall asleep around her, seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan is sucked into their dreams as an unwilling bystander. But after she slips into a violent dream alone in her car, Janie realizes she needs to control her paranormal ability. Some violence and some strong language. 2008.
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
DB 70194
Read by Mark Delgado. Reading time: 7 hours, 11 minutes.
When seventeen-year-old Shakespearean actress Kelley Winslow meets Sonny Flannery, a Janus Guard of the Samhain Gate, she discovers the fairy otherworld. But this year when the gate opens on the night of Samhain, something horrible comes through to the human world. Wondrous Strange series, book 1. Some strong language. 2009.
Zombies vs. Unicorns compiled by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
DB 73389
Read by Ellen Grafton. Reading time: 11 hours, 50 minutes.
Twelve tales compare the merits--and demerits--of zombies and unicorns. In Meg Cabot's "Princess Prettypants," seventeen-year-old Liz receives an unusual gift on her birthday. Includes works by Libba Bray, Garth Nix, Carrie Ryan, and others. Compiled by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. Some violence.