• Young readers will laugh out loud at Michael Rex's parody of a classic bedtime tale in "Goodnight Goon" (Putnam, $14.99). Rex uses the rhyming scheme of Margaret Wise Brown's "Goodnight Moon," but populates his book with all manner of scary creatures. Kids will particularly love the surprise ending. (Ages 7-10).

• Babymouse, the star of a hugely popular graphic novel series for young readers, celebrates Halloween in "Babymouse: Monster Mash" (Random House, $5.99). Once again, author Jennifer Holm and her artist brother Matthew Holm, do a terrific job at capturing the challenges of childhood in a light-hearted way. If you haven't met Babymouse, you're in for a treat. (Ages 7-10.)

• Author Deborah Noyes takes Edith Wharton's classic ghost story, "Kerfol," and expands on it in "The Ghosts of Kerfol" (Candlewick Press, $16.99). In a series of spooky short stories, Noyes offers a different twist on Wharton's main character, a young Frenchwoman accused of killing her jealous older husband, then moves the story into modern times as she writes of those who now are connected with the Kerfol estate. (Ages 13 up).

• Kids can learn how to take phony UFO photos, turn themselves into zombie and turn a pencil into "gold" in "Gotcha!: 18 Amazing Ways to Freak Out Your Friends" (Kids Can Press, $16.95), written by David Acer and illustrated by Stephen MacEachern. (Ages 8 up.)

• The White House is one of the nation's most famous haunted houses as author Jeff Belanger details in "Who's Haunting the White House?" (Sterling, $14.95). Illustrated by Rick Powell, this book gives readers a very different — and fascinating — look at one of our national treasures. (Ages 8 up.)

• Everything you ever wanted to know about ghosts can be found in "The Ghost Files" (HarperCollins, $19.99), written by Eugene Yelchin and Mary Kuryla, and illustrated by Yelchin. (Ages 10 up.)