Library Lines: Get your Halloween thrills and chills this Halloween season at the library

When you think of scary stories, is it an American classic like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "Headless Horseman" that comes to mind? The 19th-century horror stories of HP Lovecraft? Or maybe you think of something more modern like the RL Stine’s "Goosebumps" books and shows? Whatever it is that gives you the shivers, you can find it here at the library.

We have books with a creep factor for every age and stage of reader. Find a great seasonal read-aloud in the kids’ room: we have an abundance of picture books to recommend. Beginning readers can find buckets full of Scooby Doo stories. The kids’ room also has a whole rotating rack of "Goosebumps" and "Chillers" books for more advanced readers.

The YA room abounds in more than just vampires. Try Holly Black’s eerie faerie stories, or a graphic novel edition of the "Tales of Edgar Allen Poe." You’ll also find works here by Neil Gaiman and Kelly Barnhill, whose stories we have for children, young adults, and in the general collection.

Is Stephen King your Halloween reading tradition? You’ll find his books in our general collection, large print books, and audio. Looking for something new to try, less well-known works, or just not sure what to read? We now have a “Surprise Me” form on our website (cheboyganlibrary.org). You’ll find it in our menu under the “looking for” tab: fill it out and a staff member will use your preferences to find books for you to try.

And while you’re online, explore spooky stories on one of the three digital platforms included with your library card. Through Libby, you can borrow books from our own Up North Michigan Library as well as 6 other digital library catalogs across the state. You’ll find hundreds of thousands of ebook and audiobook titles here. Looking for something like a costume or decorating ideas? Libby recently added hundreds of magazines, too.

Or open hoopla, where you can borrow titles with no waiting. hoopla offers ebooks and audiobooks, and also week-long passes to resources like Curiosity Stream, with thousands of hours of shows including topics like true crime and historical mysteries. hoopla even has music albums for your fall festivity soundtracks.

And don’t forget Kanopy! Kanopy is our digital streaming platform where you will find all kinds of fine films. Kanopy goes all-out for Halloween, featuring lists of films to borrow like “Fright Fest” and “Creepy Classics.” Kanopy also offers unlimited kids’ content, too.

For some not-too-spooky real-life fall fun, check out the library’s Harvest Flower Fairy in Washington Park. Our scarecrow and many others are featured along Main Street as part of the Downtown Cheboygan Scarecrow Stroll for the month of October. You can even vote for your favorite by scanning a QR code at any display.

This weekend, you can visit the library during our open hours for our family-friendly Haunted House walk-through. The team who created our Candy Land walkthrough this spring are transforming library space into a spooky scene of Halloween fun! The library’s Haunted House will be open Friday 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-2:45 p.m., and Sunday 1-4:45 p.m. There will be an adjacent drop-in Halloween Zine workshop Saturday afternoon from 1-2:30 p.m.

And we’re happy to say that kids will once again get a free book from the Friends of the Library this Halloween! Find the Friends along Main Street during Downtown Trick-or-Treating on Tuesday from 3-5 p.m. Happy Halloween!

— Sarah Olsen is a staff member of the Cheboygan Area Public Library.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Library Lines: Get your Halloween thrills and chills this Halloween season