COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Horror Writers Association has announced its 2026 Summer Scares reading list, an annual program highlighting horror titles for adult, young adult, and middle grade readers.
The eighth annual list was released in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList, a division of EBSCO Information Services. Organizers said the program is designed to promote horror as an engaging reading option for audiences of all ages.
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McMahon will serve as the 2026 spokesperson for the initiative.
“We need horror now more than ever. Stories to unsettle us, to make us question what we think we know, to show us how to confront the darkness and come out the other side,” McMahon said in a statement. “Stories that we will put down and feel changed by.”
Each year, a committee of authors and library professionals selects three titles in each of three categories — adult, young adult, and middle grade — intended to reflect a range of voices and approaches within contemporary horror.
The 2026 adult selections are:
- “A Botanical Daughter,” by Noah Medlock (Titan, 2024)
- “Never Whistle at Night,” edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst (Vintage, 2023)
- “Maeve Fly,” by CJ Leede (Tor Nightfire, 2023)
Young adult selections include:
- “What We Harvest,” by Ann Fraistat (Delacorte Press, 2022)
- “Gorgeous Gruesome Faces,” by Linda Cheng (Roaring Brook Press, 2023)
- “Our Shadows Have Claws,” edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022)
Middle grade selections are:
- “Garlic and the Vampire,” by Bree Paulsen (Harper, 2021)
- “It Came from the Trees,” by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press, 2023)
- “This Appearing House,” by Ally Malinenko (Harper, 2022)
The Summer Scares program is intended to support school and public libraries by encouraging discussion and programming around the horror genre. A free Summer Scares Programming Guide will be available beginning March 1 on the program’s resource page, organizers said.
“The 2026 guide … is the library worker’s roadmap to providing exciting and meaningful experiences for their communities through Summer Scares,” said Konrad Stump, co-creator of the programming guide.
The initiative will also include three free webinars in March featuring selected authors in conversation with committee members. In-person programming is scheduled for June 5 in Pittsburgh as part of StokerCon, the association’s annual conference.
The Horror Writers Association is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals focused on the horror and dark fiction genres. Organizers said the Summer Scares program aims to promote literacy and connect readers with horror titles throughout the year.