The most superstitious day of the year is here, and lucky (err, unlucky) for us, this year we get two! Let’s kick off round one with some fun reads celebrating everything we love and hate about Friday the 13th, from spooky curses to wacky myths and good luck charms.
1. Fancy Nancy: Just My Luck!
Jane O’Connor
Level: Preschool-Grade 2
Learn all about luck with Fancy Nancy in this beginning reader from the New York Times best-selling team Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasse. This Level One “I Can Read” book is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
When Nancy discovers there’s a whole list of what’s lucky and what’s not, her mind starts spinning. There are so many things to keep track of! Fans of Fancy Nancy will delight in Nancy’s attempts to sort out what she really believes.
2. Friday the 13th from the Black Lagoon
Mike Thaler and Jared Lee
Level: Grades 2-4
Hubie has planned a fantastic party for his birthday. There’s only one problem: He didn’t know it was on Friday the 13th. Now that’s bad luck!
What if nobody shows up? What if nobody brings presents? Hubie had better wish for some good luck!
If your kid enjoys this, check out the audio version of “The Teacher from the Black Lagoon” and others on Epic.
3. Myths Busted
Emily Krieger and Tom Nick Cocotos
Level: Grades 3-6
Winner of the Children’s Choice Book of the Year Award for grades 5-6!
Did you know fortune cookies aren’t even found in China? Or that alligators don’t really live in the sewers of New York City? This book gives kids the tools to break and bust myths from around the world.
Chock full of colorful photographs and funny text, this book includes hundreds of fascinating facts and interesting tidbits that prove you can’t believe everything you’re told. Each busted myth also features an explanation of where it originated, which uncovers often surprising historical significance.
Available on Epic!
4. Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye
Tania del Rio and Will Staehle
Level: Grades 3-6
With fantastic Victorian-esque design, fast-paced action, and plenty of puzzles to solve, this middle-grade mystery is a fun and engaging read for even the most reluctant readers.
Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, groundskeeper and errand boy of his family’s ancient hotel.
The strange, shadowy mansion is full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles—and it just might be home to a magical treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye.
Filled with puzzles, secret codes, outrageous inventions, and hundreds of intricate illustrations, Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye will delight and confound readers of all ages.
If your kid is into this series, we’ve got “Warren the 13th and the Thirteen-Year Curse” on Epic.
5. Fortune Falls
Jessica Townsend
Level: Grades 4-6
Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks—and worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.
But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears and whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.
To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to compete for a place against hundreds of other children, each with an extraordinary talent that sets them apart—or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.
Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman!
Is your kid into dark and spooky reads like these? Check out our post: “Spooky Stories From Around the World” for even more recommendations!
