This edition of Kidscreen’s ongoing Publishing Pipeline series features several spooky books from Kids Can Press with screen rights still available to option (contact Ali Lapp, alapp@kidscan.com). Read on to find your next Halloween special in the making!

Black and Bittern was Night

Demo: Four to eight

Author: Robert Heidbreder

Illustrator: John Martz

Published: 2014

Language: English 

Format: Picture book

Synopsis: A group of old skeletons descend on a small, quiet town on Halloween to shut down trick-or-treating. But the local  kids fight back by out-scaring the boney invaders to save the holiday—and their candy, of course.

Best screen approach: Animation and/or stop motion 

In the Dark: The Science of What Happens at Night 

Demo: Eight to 12

Author: Lisa Deresti Betik

Illustrator: Josh Holinaty

Published: 2020

Language: Chinese, English and Romanian

Format: Picture book

Synopsis: A fun introduction to spooky-themed science, looking at STEM topics like how bats use echolocation, what blooms in moonlight, and why the stars twinkle—with a healthy dose of creepy trivia on the side. 

Best screen approach: Live action and/or animation

That One Spooky Night

Demo: Seven to 12

Author: Dan Bar-el

Illustrator: David Huyck

Published: 2012 

Language: English 

Format: Graphic novel

Synopsis: Strange things happen in these three stories that are all set on a particularly spooky Halloween night. In “Broom with a View,” a girl in a witch costume has her prop broom swapped out with the real thing. “10,000 Tentacles under the Tub” sees two mischievous boys sucked into a battle in the underwater world at the bottom of their bathtub. And in “The Fang Gang,” four neighborhood bullies get a taste of their own medicine when they meet some real-life vampires. 

Best screen approach: Animation

Monster Science: Could Monsters Survive (and Thrive) in the Real World?

Demo: Eight to 12
Author: Helaine Becker

Illustrator: Phil McAndrew

Published: 2016

Language: English, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Russian and Turkish

Format: Non-fiction

Synopsis: Frankenstein, vampires, Bigfoot, zombies, werewolves and sea monsters teach the scientific principles behind their fantasy existence. (The Frankenstein chapter, for example, explores how electricity and organ transplants work in a human body, and whether someone could actually bring a person back to life.) Monster Science also features historical information about each iconic monster, along with plenty of spooky trivia and jokes.

Best screen approach: Live action and/or animation

Pictured, That One Spooky Night book.