As a father of two voracious readers, I know it’s not always easy finding books for tweens and teens. By the time my kids reached middle school, they’d already devoured many of the most popular middle grade books and series. They wanted more, but it seemed like their options for age-appropriate books between middle grade and young adult were limited.

In today’s publishing environment, tweens and teens transitioning from middle grade to young adult books often get lost in the shuffle. The conventional wisdom says that middle grade protagonists are eight to 12 years old and young adult characters are 16 to 18. So, how do we categorize books with 13-, 14-, or 15-year-old main characters… and where can readers find them?

It’s a critically important question. Recent studies have shown that many kids stop reading for fun between the ages of 8 and 10. For those who do keep reading, we run the risk of losing them again in their tweens and early teens when middle grade themes no longer resonate but young adult books aren’t a great fit yet, either.

Why Teen Horror Books Appeal to Young Readers

The appeal of teen-centric horror and paranormal stories should come as no surprise to fans of TV shows like Stranger Things. Teen horror stories (also sometimes categorized as “upper middle grade horror”) are typically fast-paced, exciting, and complex enough to keep tweens and teens turning those pages for fun. They perfectly bridge the gap between middle grade and YA because they tap into developmentally appropriate fears and anxieties. They’re also very entertaining.

In my new novel The Curse of Willow Cove, the two protagonists are a 14-year-old witch named Abby Shepherd and her best friend, Robby O’Reilly. Both characters’ journeys deal with the fear of the unknown, the fear of change, and the fear of loss—in the context of vampires rising from their ancient graves to slowly take over their small New England town, of course.

The Curse of Willow Cove leans heavily into mystery, suspense, and supernatural elements that keep kids reading to find out what happens next, while also providing an outlet for them to process their own feelings and understanding of the world. Abby and Robby deal with relationship challenges, difficulties with parents and friends, and trouble at school, but, well, there are also vampires and witches to keep things interesting. For teens, sometimes it’s easier to make sense of the world this way, through fantasy rather than head on. Teen horror books are uniquely positioned to do this because their appeal is multifaceted.

Like The Curse of Willow Cove and its predecessor, The Witches of Willow Cove, teen horror is highly engaging precisely because the paranormal mysteries and revelations mirror the discoveries that teens are experiencing in their own lives. Readers are often required to piece together clues, analyze characters’ motivations, and predict what will happen next. Just like Abby and Robby in my books, tween and teen readers are able to learn more about themselves, their relationships, and the world around them through these stories while being thrilled and entertained along the way.

Upper middle grade horror often features protagonists who are themselves young—typically 13, 14, or 15 years old—making it easy for readers to see themselves in characters who are generally portrayed as resourceful and courageous. The triumph of these characters can feel empowering for tweens and teens grappling with their own fears and insecurities.

Age-Appropriate Content and Themes in Teen Horror Stories

One of the key challenges for younger teenagers is finding books that offer complexity and depth without venturing into content that may be too mature for their age. When kids crave the thrills of Stephen King but aren’t ready for adult themes, teen horror books are the answer.

The best teen horror books are intense, thrilling, and thought-provoking, but always stop short of graphic or explicit content found in horror aimed at an older audience. While YA horror may include graphic violence or sexual content, books aimed at younger teens tend to focus more on psychological suspense, eerie atmospheres, and supernatural elements. The scares are real, but they’re more suggestive than explicit. And as with any genre, there’s a range. The Witches of Willow Cove goes more for spooky vibes; The Curse of Willow Cove ramps up the horror elements.

In these upper middle grade horror books, readers can expect the characters to emerge from their encounter with terror stronger, more resilient, and ready to face whatever lies ahead. Yes, they’ve been pushed to the edge, but these books always bring them back to a safe place when the story reaches its conclusion.

A Diverse and Rapidly Growing Genre

Horror books for tweens and younger teens are on the rise. Not long ago, I could count the examples on one hand—The Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud (Lucy is 14 and Lockwood is 15) and The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (Molly is 14) come to mind. Nowadays, though, publishers, booksellers, and librarians are increasingly recognizing the popularly of the genre with readers. Beginning in 2022, the Horror Writers Association even added a middle grade horror category to its annual Stoker Awards.

Whether you’re looking to explore upper middle grade horror books for yourself or for a young reader you think will enjoy them, the options are growing more diverse in every sense of the word. Here’s a look at some teen horror books with 13-, 14-, and 15-year-old protagonists published recently or coming soon.

• Fright Watch is a three-book upper middle grade horror series by Lorien Lawrence starring 13-year-old friends Quinn and Mike in books one and two (The Stitchers and The Collectors) and 14-year-old Marion in book three (Unmasked).
• Don’t Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton has a 14-year-old main character named Victor, who also happens to be a murder-solving vampire.
• In Grounded for All Eternity and The Afterlife of the Party, the characters are “just your regular average kids from hell” whose ages are never specified but who read as 13 to 14 years old.
• Give Me Something Good to Eat by D. W. Gillespie is about boy who must free his Halloween-obsessed town and save his sister from a witch. All of the characters are in the 13-14 range.
• In The Witches of Willow Cove series, the main characters are 13 years old in book one (The Witches of Willow Cove) and 14 years old in book two (The Curse of Willow Cove); they’ll be 15 years old in the upcoming third book. The series is a blend of contemporary fantasy, mystery, and horror.
• On the horizon, some forthcoming teen horror books with 13- to 15-year-old main characters include Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell (Fall 2025), A Little Too Hauntedby Justine Pucella Winans (Fall 2025), and The Many Hauntings of The Manning Family by Lorien Lawrence (March 2025)

Meet the Author

Josh Roberts is the author of The Witches of Willow Cove series for tweens and teens and the forthcoming Victoria Dare series for young adults, both from Owl Hollow Press. His debut novel received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was a Massachusetts Book Awards Must-Read, a Kirkus Book of the Month, and A Mighty Girl Book of the Year. 

About The Curse of Willow Cove

The Curse of Willow Cove is the sequel to The Witches of Willow Cove, “a delightfully spooky page-turner for middle grade readers” (Kirkus Starred Review) set in a small New England town full of magic, mystery, and adventure. While it is the second book in the Willow Cove series, it can be read as a standalone novel. 

With a year of magic under her belt, teenage witch Abby Shepherd finally feels like things are going her way. That is, until her middle school classmates start vanishing in the night, her boyfriend stops speaking to her, and her mother announces they’re moving to a new town. 

With the clock ticking and the danger getting closer and closer to Abby’s doorstep, she and her best friend Robby O’Reilly must both decide what they’re willing to risk to save everyone they love . . . before an ancient curse from Willow Cove’s past sinks its teeth into them all.

Book reviews:

“Roberts is a masterful storyteller. I loved it!” —Lora Senf, Bram Stoker Award winner and author of The Clackity, on The Curse of Willow Cove

“A delightfully spooky page-turner!” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review, on The Witches of Willow Cove

“Atmospheric, just-spooky-enough, and magical, this story celebrates true friendship and standing up for what’s right.” —A Mighty Girl, Best Books of the Year, on The Witches of Willow Cove