In the hands of skilled novelists, the stories of an heiress, a prime minister and a literary mystery woman are brought to life.

As spooky season approaches, the master of children’s horror recommends creepy-crawly classics and modern thrills for young readers.

In “The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science,” the former “S.N.L.” star “wanted to create a mad scientist whose highest goal was to respect and protect nature.”

In a comprehensive biography, the historian Dan Jones tries to reconcile the hero of legend with the complicated young monarch of reality.

“Comrade Papa” is told from the perspective of two European arrivals to the West African country, nearly a century apart.