Trick-or-treating, costume parties, and carving pumpkins. Halloween is time to have a scary-good fun!

At Renaissance, we have more than 2.8 billion real-world data points that show us exactly how students build skills and achieve mastery in core subjects. Analysis of these data points—what we call learning analytics—helps us continually refine and improve our solutions. It also helps inform us about what kids are reading and what’s popular worldwide. We took a look at what students are reading in the USA related to Halloween and highlighted some of the most-popular selections below. Take a look!

1. Halloween Gotcha!
By Felice Arena

Billy and Sam head out for some Halloween trick or treating in their neighbourhood. They raid the spooky house at the end of the street for lollies, giving Sam a mega shock when he least expects it.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
By J.K. Rowling

While all the books in the Harry Potter series are a nice addition to a reading list this time of the year (or anytime, for that matter), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets fits particularly well. While Harry, Hermione, and Ron attempt to figure out who opened the Chamber of Secrets, Headless Nick hosts a party for other Hogwarts ghosts on Halloween.

3. Eighth Grade Bites
By Heather Brewer

A fresh take on vampires, Eighth Grade Bites follows Vladimir Tod, a middle-school student who happens to be a vampire. On top of dealing with bullies, a tough principal, and girl trouble, Vladimir now has to worry about a vampire hunter after him! The first book of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, Eighth Grade Bites is an adventure for middle-school students!

4. The Bad Beginning
By Lemony Snicket

The first book of the ever-popular Series of Unfortunate Event books (and Netflix series), The Bad Beginning tells the story of three children who become orphans and are sent to live with Count Olaf. As if that isn’t bad enough, Count Olaf attempts to steal their inheritance.

Between the endless Butterfingers and many great books, there is a lot to love about Halloween. A good book can lead to a love for reading for years to come. Each book idea mentioned above leads to Renaissance Accelerated Reader Bookfinder^®, where there are thousands of books searchable by category, grade, and more. Encourage students to browse the website, as they might find their next read! As for me, I’ll be nestled up with a good book and snacking on candy this Halloween.