Ghouls, ghosts, vampires and witches will come a-knocking on your door later this week, but if you want to keep your own little monsters under wraps during the mid-term break, what better way than with some top Halloween reads?

For the little ones, there are some great new picture books out, including Marie Burlington's The Little Witch Who Can't Spell (O'Brien Press). Aimed at boys and girls aged six-plus who are starting to get to grips with reading, this is the charming story of Willow and her cat Spooky. Unfortunately the only word Willow's wand can read is 'trouble'! Julia Donaldson's Room on the Broom (Macmillan) is also a must for fans of good witches, and the clever rhyming makes it a great read-aloud book.

Good for the eight-plus group is Marian Broderick's The Witch in the Woods, newly published by O'Brien Press, which tells the story of little witch Anna Kelly who prefers sleepovers to practising her magic. Horrid Henry's Spooky Surprise (Orion) is the latest in an ever-popular series by Francesca Simon and is good for ages five to eight.

Scream Street: Flesh of the Zombies by Tommy Donvaband is the fourth in this series, and is aimed at the eight to 11s. The underworld's greatest band Deadstock is coming to Scream Street, and friends Luke, Reus and Cleo have a new adventure on their hands.

Slightly older readers may enjoy Scared to Death by Alan Gibbons (Orion), which tells the story of Paul, whose family have inherited an evil curse, which is unleashed on a visit to London's Whitechapel, the old hunting ground of England's most famous serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

And don't forget the classics this Halloween. Teens will enjoy Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.