13 Books to Read If You Can't Get Enough of Hocus Pocus
Celebrating Halloween without an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus is like trying to get through the entire Fall season without drinking a pumpkin spice latte — it's just not right. The classic 1993 film has everything a good Halloween movie needs: trick-or-treating, killer dance scenes, a talking black cat, and Bette Midler. Face it, the Sanderson sisters are true icons, and they also happen to be a trio of witches we would love to hang out with, despite the whole stealing the souls of children thing. Still, as perfect as Hocus Pocus is, you can only watch the film so many times during October before you start craving something else. But what if you could satisfy your desire for something new while still feeding that nostalgic feeling you get every time you see Binx on your TV screen?
Thanks to these 13 books like Hocus Pocus, you can enjoy the fun, Halloween perfection of the film without having to watch the movie every single day of the month (unless you want to do both, in which case, this is a judgment-free zone).
1. Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel 
Disney released an original novelization of the first film and a new follow-up just in time for Halloween, and Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel is a must read. Written by A. W. Jantha, the two-part novel puts a fresh spin on the movie in the first half before telling a new story starring Max and Allison's 17-year-old daughter, Poppy, in the second half. Poppy and her two best friends find themselves facing down the Sanderson sisters on Halloween night, just like Poppy's parents did, and they're the only people in Salem who can stop the witchy trio from destroying their town. This setup offers the perfect blend of magic and nods to the movie to keep fans of the film happy.
2. The Wicked Deep 
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw introduces a new trio of witches who have more than a little in common with the Sanderson sisters. Two centuries ago, in the town of Sparrow, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Now they return every Summer to possess three young girls in order to lure men to the harbor where they can be drowned. This story has everything a Hocus Pocus fan could want: witches, a curse, a dash of romance, and a race against the clock to save a town from a dark fate.
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes 
Published in 1962, Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is a certified classic for good reason. Set just days before Halloween, the book follows two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, as they encounter a sinister carnival. The story is full of genuinely scary moments, but much like Hocus Pocus, it's also a nostalgic look at the waning days of childhood and the power of friendship.
4. Practical Magic 
And you thought Practical Magic was only a movie. Before it hit the big screen, Alice Hoffman's tale of two sisters, their magical gifts, and the family curse that makes finding love a bit tricky was an enchanting book full of romance and sisterhood. Think of it as Hocus Pocus's big sister in book form.
5. The Witches 
The Sanderson sisters are fun; the stars of Roald Dahl's The Witches are terrifying. After losing his parents, a young boy moves in with his grandmother, whose dark stories about witches are entertaining until they turn out to be true. Together, the boy and grandmother have to find a way to stop the Grand High Witch from carrying out a dastardly plot. Whether you read this book when you were young or not, The Witches is perfect for a chilly October night no matter how old you are.
6. The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen 
If Allison and Max's young love story made you swoon, then give Katherine Howe's The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen a chance. Set in New York City, the book tells the story of NYU film student Wes and the mysterious Annie, who is desperately looking for a lost ring. Their adventure leads them to explore the darkest corners of the city in this supernatural gem.
7. A Discovery of Witches 
The discovery of an ancient magic book leads scholar Diana Bishop into a world of witches and vampires in Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches. The first book in the All Souls Trilogy includes all of the spooky, magical fun that you can handle, while also establishing a vivid world that you'll want to return to again and again. If you love Hocus Pocus but you're looking for a more grown-up book series, this is the trilogy for you.
8. The Graveyard Book 
Hocus Pocus instantly puts viewers in a Halloween frame of mind, and the same can be said for Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. The main character, Bod, is the only living resident of the graveyard, and as such he exists in both the world of the living and the dead. His haunting story is one that Binx would no doubt relate to. It's also one that you'll devour thanks to the book's beautiful prose and atmospheric setting.
9. How to Hang a Witch 
Set in Salem, Adriana Mather's How to Hang a Witch has echoes of Max and Dani's story. New girl Sam is a descendant of Cotton Mather, the man responsible for the witch trials, and her presence in town isn't welcomed by the descendants of the women he condemned to death. This dark tale touches on heavy subjects like bullying, but there's also a curse to break and an intriguing ghost boy to figure out. The balance between the dark and lighter sides of the supernatural makes this a perfect Halloween read.
10. The Gates 
John Connolly is a master of the modern fairy tale, and he further stakes his claim on the genre with The Gates. Samuel Johnson and his Dachshund, Boswell, get a three-day head start on trick-or-treating, and in the process they stumble upon their unwitting neighbors accidentally opening the gates to Hell. Now Samuel and Boswell have much bigger things to think about than finding the houses with the full-size candy bars in this witty and imaginative book about a Halloween gone awry.
11. When the Moon Was Ours 
This is another book for Max and Allison fans. Anna-Marie McLemore's When the Moon Was Ours is a magical feast about two best friends — Miel and Sam — whose eccentricities bind them together. However, as odd as they are to others, they're not feared in the way that the Bonner girls are. The four sisters are thought to be witches, and they'll stop at nothing to use Miel and Sam's unique gifts for their own gains in this lyrical novel.
12. The Wood 
Chelsea Bobulski's evocative novel The Wood will instantly transport you to an eerie locale like no other. Just as Binx guards the Black Flame Candle, Winter protects the travelers who venture into the strange woods her family has long been tasked with looking after. Since her father's disappearance, the woods and the gates therein have become more and more dangerous, and Winter must work with a stranger if she has any hope of figuring out why this once magical place is becoming so dark.
13. Gallows Hill 
Lois Duncan is a master of suspense, but she can spin a superb supernatural tale too. She does just that in Gallows Hill, a book about a California transplant named Sarah Zoltanne who discovers she's not just playing at being a psychic, she actually is one. Now she has to deal with scrutiny from a town full of people who don't trust her or understand her gift in this story inspired by the Salem witch trials.