The Skull (Jon Klassen)

$18.63

Jon Klassen is dominating the micro-niche of creepy existential horror stories for the six-to eight-set. (My kid was so freaked out by the eyeball alien in THE ROCK FROM THE SKY that after we read it, we had to hide it on the back of the bookshelf for two years.) In this droll and deadpan tale, Ottilla is on the run; from what, who can say? She finds a house inhabited by a skull; it is chased nightly by a headless skeleton. With a bucket, a rolling pin, some tea, and some nerve, she finds her way to a happy—or happy enough—ever after.

halloweeny books, books, books not just for kids

History

Noelle5mo ago

Easy chapter book about a girl who runs away from home and befriends a skull and when the skeleton body comes after it, she saves her friend by smashing the skeleton’s bones and throwing them into a bottomless pit. Perfectly dark; I would have been obsessed with this at 7.

5 months ago

Comments

Chris Mueller

@cmMay 3, 2026

Such a perfect book. My kids love it.

Lily

@lilyMay 3, 2026

Jon is my friend and a brilliant clever galaxy-brain impish philosophical mensch irl, too!

even*cleveland

@evenclevelandMay 3, 2026

Dang, that must be so much fun! I love reading his newsletter with Mac Barnett about picture books ... always seems like they are having the best time and looking at the most interesting things.

Lily

@lilyMay 3, 2026

They really are! 🙏💘

Across Rec League

The Skull

Noelle

“Easy chapter book about a girl who runs away from home and befriends a skull and when the skeleton body comes after it, she saves her friend by smashing the skeleton’s bones and throwing them into a bottomless pit. Perfectly dark; I would have been obsessed with this at 7.”