A cemetery is the rare place that is genuinely two things at once. Half the year it is a quiet field where families bring flowers, trace a carved name with one finger, and tell a story about somebody the children never met. The other half — roughly from the first cold night in October — it is the best set in all of children's literature: fog, iron gates, a leaning stone with the date worn off, and something moving between the rows. Writers have always known this, which is why the graveyard shows up in a Newbery Medal winner, a wartime London adventure, a Halloween picture book, and a Day of the Dead procession, doing a completely different job in each one.
Drawing from Bookroo's collection of 58 cemetery and graveyard books, our editors picked the ones worth handing over: a boy raised by ghosts among the headstones, a soldier's tomb guarded every hour since 1937, a dog who comes back on Halloween night, a twelve-year-old caretaker of Highgate Cemetery, and a family's midnight walk through a Mexican village to sit with their dead. Start with our fixed shortlist of 12 favorites, then browse the picture books and middle-grade stories by age.
A toddler escapes the man who murdered his family and is raised, instead, by the ghosts of an old hillside graveyard.
Gus's dog Ella has died, and on Halloween night her bones come back to help him face a graveyard full of rowdy skeletons.
Molly's new house comes with a family graveyard out back, and her little stepsister has started talking to the girl buried in it.
The story of Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, told by the unknown soldier inside it.
A school trip to a fog-bound farm strands Ollie among scarecrows, and the gravestones behind the barn are carrying names she recognizes.
A Mexican family cooks all day, then carries candles and marigolds to the cemetery to sit with their dead.
Cassidy can slip through the Veil into the world of the dead, and her parents' ghost-hunting show has just booked them into Edinburgh.
Twelve-year-old Flossie is the Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery, keeper of its dead — until a German officer's ghost turns up somewhere he should not be.
Three friends set out to bury a bone-china doll in the grave of the girl whose ashes went into making her.
Sid dares herself into the old cemetery, thumps a tomb, and accidentally wakes a four-hundred-year-old pirate.
Emma's family runs a café beside a graveyard, and the Casey women have always been given a dream that shows them what to search for.
Melody spots a boy nobody else can see hiding in a derelict cottage in the graveyard, and decides to find out who he is.
Halloween skeletons, marigold-lit graveyard visits, and real monuments explained plainly, for read-aloud ages 4–8.
Lupita discovers the true meaning of Día de Muertos when her uncle can't join the celebration.
Uncover a hidden tomb's secrets and solve the mystery of a missing mummy in 1924 Egypt.
Skeletons rise to celebrate Day of the Dead with music and dance.
A ghostly voice haunts Melvin after he takes a golden tire from a graveyard.
A witch's spell is triggered when her Halloween pie is eaten by a group of graveyard creatures.
A Halloween night visit to an old cemetery reveals a gravestone with a living person's name, sparking terror and mystery.
A boy's visit to a solemn monument changes his view on bravery and sacrifice.
Can Juan honor his grandfather by flying the giant kite alone?
On Day of the Dead, Nando seeks a spirit's presence at the cemetery.
Graveyard mysteries, haunted headstones, ghost caretakers, and after-dark dares for independent readers ages 7–12.
A mysterious force threatens Biltmore. Can Serafina harness her powers in time?
A boy raised by ghosts faces his destiny in a world of shadows.
New neighbors, strange furniture, and Halloween. Can Kenny uncover the truth before it's too late?
A haunted house rehearsal threatens to turn a Christmas play into a nightmare.
Five kids face their worst fears unleashed from a grave. Can they conquer them?
A timid mouse faces Halloween pranks and a spooky graveyard encounter.
A boy is sent to Egypt to help with an archaeological expedition, but things take a turn when he discovers the true intentions of the expedition leader.
Three kids on vacation in New Orleans stumble upon a mysterious grave robbery in a small village
A ghostly presence demands friendship, leading to chilling discoveries in a forgotten cemetery.
A boy's eerie gifts lead to a forbidden friendship with a ghoul, risking a fate worse than death.
A cemetery superstition hides a mystery. Can the truth be uncovered?
Siblings face a ghostly threat to save their stepsister from a vengeful spirit.
