My 12 yr old is really into ghost stories. She has out grown RL Stein and has read all of the Mary Downing Hahn books. I think Stephen King may be a bit much for her.  Are there any other authors that would contain good ghost/horror stories without having sex in them? I know even many of the teen books contain a large element of romance.

Thanks

Kat

My first inclination was to suggest Mary Downing Hahn; I love her books.  Darren Shan has a great series, Cirque du Freak, that has little in the way of sex.  To be honest, I can't remember any at all beyond the innocent crush stage.  The series does mature as you get to the later books (there are 12), but it matures much like the Harry Potter series where it goes from being somewhat light to being a darker, scarier tale. 

I started reading Stephen King at that age...this was back when he first started writing, so my parents had no idea what this guy was all about. LOL!  When my boys were that age I let them read Cujo and Salem's Lot. 

She might like Caroline B. Cooney, too. 

Thanks, I will check those out. I have only read a few horror books (Stephen King and VC Andrews) back when I was younger and I just dont know what to expect in the books today. My 17yr old reads a lot of paranormal teen literature, but they all have romance as a major part of the book and I know from reading Mysteries, it seems hard to get away from it in any genre. I just would like to keep it out of my 12yr olds  reading for atleast a couple more years, lol. 

ETA: I looked up Caroline Cooney and saw she is the author of Face on the Milk Carton. I loved that book!!! My oldest read it in middle school and I read along with her. We wound up reading the second book in the series as well.

I started reading Dean koontz when I was in 7th grade I think.  but he does have sex and gore and stuff.

two teen books I read as an adult and enjoyed were:

escape from the furnace- alexander Gordon smith- about a boy that gets taken into this weird experimental prison

Souless by Christoper Golden- zombie story

I'd recommend Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and W.W. Jacobs.

I recently read "Everlost" by Neal Shusterman and thought that was really good.  I haven't read any others by him, though.

Department 19 by Will Hill is Teen Fiction.   It is about a teen age boy who learns that his deceased father was involved in a secret govenment agency that hunts vampires.  I enjoyed it, and the sequel.