Yesterday, just in time for Library Lover's Day, the Horror Writers Association (HWA) announced the titles for the 2024 Summer Scares reading program. Each year, the selection committee picks three titles for each age group (adult, young adult, and middle grade).
NoveList is proud to be a Summer Scares partner, and we always look forward to seeing the selections. To give you a quick sense of the books on this list and help you easily search for read-alikes, I've compiled keywords for each using NoveList's Story Elements and metadata.
Adult:
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
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Small-town horror, intricately plotted, disturbing, missing children
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
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Werewolves among us, darkly humorous, gruesome, psychic trauma
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
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Cosmic horror, nonlinear, character-driven, haunting, grief
Young Adult:
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
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Fast-paced, intricately plotted, richly detailed, fast-paced, serial murderers
Dead Flip by Sara Farizan
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Coming of age, Bittersweet, creepy, suspenseful, friendship
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil
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Battle royale, action-packed, gruesome, darkly humorous
Middle Grade:
Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland
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Suspenseful, atmospheric, ghosts, racism, secrets
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
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Scary, evil animals, anxiety, families
My Aunt Is a Monster by Reimena Yee
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Action-packed, whimsical, monsters, adventure
As a member of the selection committee, I took part in selecting titles and counted down the days until the announcement. With the vast number of great books to choose from, to say it was challenging to narrow it down to just three books per group is an understatement.
No matter the age of the reader, there are chillingly good choices. The variety of stories in these nine books and the different types of horror they represent perfectly encapsulates why I love the genre so much. You'll find dark humor, suspense, terror that lingers, and in-your-face scares. There is a horror story for everyone.
Now, the fun begins! The Summer Scares Programming Guide will be available on March 1st, where you can see all the picks, their read-alikes, and programming ideas. Shortly after, you'll find Recommended Reads lists for each age group in NoveList and 2024 Summer Scares templates in LibraryAware. So, stay tuned for more resources you can use to celebrate horror any time of year and keep readers happy.
Yaika Sabat is the Manager of Reader Services at NoveList. She is currently reading What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher.
