HWA Announces Summer Scares Reading Program 2027 Spokesperson and Timeline

HWA Announces Summer Scares Reading Program 2027 Spokesperson and Timeline

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the ninth annual Summer Scares, a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle-grade readers. 

Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2027 spokesperson, USA Today Bestselling middle-grade author, Ally Russell:

“As a wee ghoul, my best friend and I would trade scary books like currency. We didn’t get to see each other often, but I lived for those weekend sleepovers, because I knew we would spend a lot of our time together talking about scary books. The last book I remember trading was Give Yourself Goosebumps: Night in Werewolf Woods by R.L. Stine. I don’t remember why we stopped trading; I suspect we simply outgrew the practice. Sharing scares with a friend and fellow reader at that young and pivotal age turned me into a lifelong reader. Reading doesn’t have to be a solitary act, and the Summer Scares program understands that. As a young aspiring author, books were my creative writing teachers. Books taught me how to spell and define words, develop plots, write dialogue, and most importantly, foster friendships. Today, I write horror books for young readers because I had books. With Summer Scares, I hope readers of all ages will feel invited to partake in the horror genre and find community in the sharing of scary stories.”

Russell, along with a committee of six library workers, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. The program aims to encourage a conversation at libraries worldwide about the horror genre across all age levels and ultimately attract more adults, teens, and children interested in reading. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available to public and school libraries.

The committee’s final selections will be announced on February 12, 2027. Russell, along with some of the selected authors, will kick off Summer Scares at the 10th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day (Friday, June 11, 2027) during StokerCon® 2027 at the Westin Pittsburgh. Click here for more information.

Additional content, including podcast appearances, free webinars with Booklist, and lists of suggested titles for further reading, will be made available by the committee and its partners beginning early in 2027 and continuing through the spring and summer. Of special note is the annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, overseen by HWA Libraries Co-Chair Konrad Stump.

“The 2027 guide, developed by the HWA Libraries team, is packed with everything library workers need to engage their communities with these great titles, including an iREAD partner title in each age group,” states Stump. “From ideas for author events, partner programs with University of Pittsburgh Library Systems, book discussion groups, and much more, this guide is the library worker’s roadmap to creating exciting and meaningful experiences for their patrons through Summer Scares that they can use as a jumping off point for future horror-themed programming.” 

The guide will be available beginning March 1, 2027, on the Summer Scares Resource page here.

To see past year’s Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, please visit the program archive here.

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming soon from Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD and NoveList®, as well as at the HWA’s website: www.horror.org and RA for All Horror. 

Questions? Reach out to HWA Libraries Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump via email: libraries@horror.org.

Summer Scares 2027 Committee Members:

Ally Russell is the USA TODAY bestselling author of It Came from the Trees. Her other books include the Mystery James series, which was nominated for an Edgar Award and a Stoker Award, Down Came the Spiders, and Book of Outcasts (Wednesday). She grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children’s publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh—ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her black cats. She’s afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights. You can find her at @onedarkally on Instagram or allyrussellbooks.com. 

Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisory Specialist in Illinois. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All, writes reviews for Booklist, and  has a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is the author of three text books for library workers and the editor of the Bram Stoker Award winning Why I Love Horror [Saga Press, 2025]. Becky is currently serving as the Horror Writers Association’s Secretary and Co-Chair of their Libraries Committee.

Konrad Stump co-chairs HWA Libraries, including the Horror Writers Association’s summer reading program Summer Scares, and StokerCon Librarians’ Day, a full day of continuing education that connects authors and librarians and provides both with the necessary tools to engage communities with the horror genre. He also coordinates the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library’s long-running Oh, the Horror! series, an annual celebration of the horror genre. His work has appeared in Library Journal, NoveList, Booklist, Library Trends, and has been featured in Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (ALA) and The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition (ALA).

Carolyn Ciesla is an academic library director in the Chicago suburbs. She previously provided spooky programming to patrons as a teen and reference librarian, and has reviewed horror titles for Booklist for several years. She also teaches horror to unsuspecting first-year university students. 

Kelly Jensen is a Senior Editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for over 10 years. She is the author of three critically acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults. In 2024, she was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for her anti-censorship work. She earned similar recognition for her work in 2022, when she was named a person of the year from Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. She has twice earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her anti-censorship work. Prior to her work at Book Riot, Kelly was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Horror is her jam.

Julia Smith is a senior editor at Booklist, where she works in the youth books department and harbors a deep love of middle-grade literature. Prior to her career at Booklist, she worked at an independent children's bookstore and in the Chicago Public Library system.

Yaika Sabat (MLS) worked in public libraries before joining NoveList as a Senior Readers’ Advisory Librarian, where she develops content to help library staff connect readers with books they’ll love. She is passionate about providing inclusive, reader-centered services; encouraging libraries to embrace horror; and, helping readers explore widely across genres and formats. While horror always takes her top genre spot, she enjoys trying other genres, loves graphic novels, and is an avid audiobook listener.