These are children’s books from the 1980s involving ghosts and other scary things. Possibly the most iconic scary books of the decade were the ghost story collections by Alvin Schwartz, like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
Individual Books
Behind the Attic Wall (1983)
Twelve-year-old Maggie has been bounced around between foster homes and boarding schools since her parents’ deaths because of her bad behavior. Her bad behavior is because she feels neglected and unloved. She eventually comes to live with her great aunts and an uncle in a house that used to be a boarding school. Behind the wall in the attic, she discovers a pair of mysterious dolls who are alive. They walk and talk and become Maggie’s friends, giving her the love she so desperately needs. However, the dolls have a spooky origin, and when Maggie realizes the truth about the dolls, it changes her life forever. By Sylvia Cassedy.
Christina’s Ghost (1985)
10-year-old Christina is staying with her uncle for the summer in an old Victorian house that he is house-sitting. The house turns out to be haunted by the ghost of a little boy in a sailor suit. Christina investigates the history of the house to learn the boy’s identity and the circumstances of his death, uncovering an old, unsolved crime. By Betty Ren Wright.
The Dollhouse Murders (1983)
The dolls in an old dollhouse seem to be reenacting the unsolved murder of Amy’s grandparents years ago. By Betty Ren Wright.
The Doll in the Garden (1989)
After Ashley’s father dies, Ashley and her mother start boarding with Ms. Cooper, who doesn’t like children. A girl living nearby, Kristi, tells Ashley that people think that the neglected garden of the house is haunted. When Ashley persuades Kristi to help her clean up the garden, the girls find a buried box with an antique doll inside and an apology note. The ghost is the garden is the former owner of the doll, and she wants her stolen doll back, but first, Ashley needs to confront the original thief. By Mary Downing Hahn.
Groosham Grange (1988)
A boy named David begins attending a haunted boarding school. By Anthony Horowitz.
The House on Hackman’s Hill (1985)
A pair of cousins are fascinated by the story of an old house that may be inhabited by a cursed mummy and decide to try to find the mummy and claim the reward. By Joan Lowery Nixon.
The Shadow Guests (1980)
Cosmo learns that his family is under a curse when his mother and brother mysteriously disappear. By Joan Aiken.
The Time of the Ghost (1981)
The ghost of a teenage girl struggles to remember who she is and how she died. At first, all she knows is that she is one of four sisters (she’s not completely sure which one) and that she was in a terrible accident of some kind. It turns out that her spirit has traveled back in time several years to her youth, when she did something that set up her accident later. Can she stop herself from making the same mistake and save her own life? By Diana Wynne Jones.
Wait Till Helen Comes (1986)
Siblings Molly and Michael resent their new little stepsister, seven-year-old Heather, who is bratty and clingy with her father, their new stepfather. Heather is still troubled by the death of her mother in a fire when she was three years old. The new blended family moves to a house which is actually a converted church and has a graveyard next door. One day, when Molly explores the graveyard, she finds a small grave belonging to a seven-year-old child. Then, Heather suddenly has a new locket that she claims was given to her by her new friend, Helen. Frightening things begin happening, and Molly soon realizes that Heather’s new friend is actually a ghost, and this ghost may have sinister intentions for Heather. In order to save Heather, Molly must learn both the history of this ghost and the truth about the death of Heather’s mother. By Mary Downing Hahn.
Who Knew There’d Be Ghosts? (1985)
A group of friends help ghosts to save their home. By Bill Brittain.
Series
The Ghost Squad Series
Four ghostly children help solve mysteries and crimes. By E. W. Hildick. 1984-1988.
Eleven-year-old Nina Tanleven and her best friend, Chris, have the ability to see ghosts and have encounters with them in their town. By Bruce Coville. 1987-1991.
Short Story Collections
In a Dark, Dark Room (1984)
A collection of classic scary stories based on folktales from around the world.
Series
A series of books of scary stories for children, best known for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 1981-1991.
Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories 