Maybe you got past the phase of being afraid of the dark when you were little and maybe you didn’t, but read on for the scariest books that showed us it’s probably best to avoid hanging out after sundown…

Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every 24 hours, it comes every 28 YEARS…and she’s just been left behind in 14 years of Night. THIS is why we invented flashlights, people.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The Others have planned 5 Waves of destruction to take over planet Earth. The first? Lights Out: a massive electromagnetic pulse that shorted out all technology and anything that uses electricity. Approximately half a million people were killed by the first wave.

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

If for some reason you were thinking a great Halloween plan would be attending an all-night underground rave in the dark subways of New York City, read this first and get back to us.

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

Ash Larkin follows her mother to the spiritual commune she escaped from long ago only to find something sinister in the dark corners of a village lost to time.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Avoid hanging out in the shadows of Regency London, because an innocent-looking bystander could easily be possessed by a demon looking to do some serious damage to your soul.

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

When you’re participating in an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, the scariest part is when your eyes adjust to the darkness and your next challenge becomes clear…because ultimately, you have no control.

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Four teens are quarantined with hundreds of shoppers at the mall because a biological bomb was discovered in the air ducts, and the heart-racing only intensifies when “Lights Out” is declared each night they’re trapped there.

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

Ah, the scary story – the reason we HAVE to keep night lights on hand. These 14 short stories from YA authors each ensure a tingling of the spine and chilling of the bones.