Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve (Magic Tree House, 30)
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House Books for Young Readers
In the second of the "Merlin Missions"--hardback additions to Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series--plucky heroes Jack and Annie must once again must travel back in time to rescue Camelot from looming danger.
One wonders why Merlin can't handle this sort of thing himself, but then of course we wouldn't get a chance to see Jack and Annie have another seat-of-the-pants adventure, getting mixed up with shape-shifting magic, armies of birds, a puzzling gem of power, and all sorts of other trouble. With the help of their old pal Teddy (Morgan le Fay's apprentice, last seen in dog form in four earlier Tree House stories), the two "Master Librarians and Magicians of Everyday Magic" must solve the mystery behind a castle full of ghosts and a menacing army of ravens. Not surprisingly, half the trouble comes in unraveling Merlin's riddles and helping Teddy use his rhyming magic correctly.
Osborne doesn't challenge readers overmuch (including the constant restatement of plot elements, perhaps worried that kids might otherwise forget or lose interest) and many parts of the story barely convince (like Teddy's "period" dialogue, e.g., "'Tis cool indeed"), but fans of the Magic Tree House will no doubt love another installment. (Ages 6 to 9) --Paul Hughes
The intrepid Jack and Annie are summoned once again to the fantasy realm of Camelot. There, Merlin the Magician tells them that the Stone of Destiny has been stolen. The answer to its disappearance lies within a haunted castle. With a young magician named Teddy, Jack and Annie take on the challenge in an adventure that takes them to new heights and places they couldn’t even imagine!
a Stepping Stone Book™
Scary Stories Boxed Set
by Alvin Schwartz
from HarperTrophy
Walking corpses, dancing bones, knife-wielding madmen, and narrow escapes from death -- they're all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories.
Room on the Broom
by Julia Donaldson
from Puffin
There's always room for one more on this affable witch's broomstick... or is there? In another mild-mannered tale from the creators of the Smarties Prize-winning picture book, The Gruffalo, a witch and her happily purring cat fly through the wind on their broomstick, without a care in the world, until the witch's black hat blows away. In the process of retrieving it, they pick up another passenger, a polite and helpful dog. All goes well until the witch's hair bow flies off. And then her wand. And then real disaster strikes--in the shape of a big red dragon, a broken broom, and some very important (but notably absent) friends. Julia Donaldson's story, though not earthshaking in plot or rhyme, is a pleasant way to pass the time leading up to the witching hour (Halloween!) especially when paired with the friendly illustrations by Axel Scheffler. Readers will especially love the final illustration, in which our heroes solve their space problems once and for all. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
My Weird School #13: Mrs. Patty Is Batty! (My Weird School)
by Dan Gutman
from HarperTrophy
Mrs. Patty, the secretary, gives out the best Halloween candy in the history of the world! But her house is haunted! People say she's a witch and her husband is a ghost. Is it worth A.J. risking his life for the best candy ever?
My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat #10: A Halloween Tail (Hank Zipzer)
by Henry Winkler
from Grosset & Dunlap
On Halloween day, Hank comes to school dressed as a table in an Italian restaurant. Nick McKelty, the resident school bully (dressed in a total blood-and-guts costume), thinks Hank's costume is wimpy and that Hank wouldn't know how to be scary and gross if his life depended on it! So Hank decides to create the scariest haunted house ever, and plans to invite McKelty over and show him what scary really is. The only problem is that Hank's dog, Cheerio, is scared of Hank's haunted house. So scared, in fact, that when Hank tries to find him, he's nowhere in sight! Have Hank's Halloween hijinks gone too far?
Junie B., First Grader: Boo...and I MEAN it! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
by Barbara Park
from Random House Books for Young Readers
In the 24th installment of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones series of illustrated early chapter books, Boo... And I Mean It!, the precocious first grader is worried about Halloween--with good reason. Paulie Allen Puffer has given her five good reasons, in fact, not least of which is that real witches and monsters go trick-or-treating on Halloween (no costumes necessary); if you carve pumpkins with pointy teeth, they will bite your feet; and...shhh...candy corn isn't really corn. Junie B. goes to great lengths to avoid trick-or-treating altogether, but she finally decides that if she dresses up like Squirty the Clown (a disturbing circus clown who terrified her grandmother by chasing her with a seltzer bottle and making her wear an "unattractive balloon hat"), even the most horrific witches and monsters will be scared off. As ever, her way of expressing herself "I did a groan" and "Chills came on my arms" is grammatically unique, but as you get to know her, more endearing than alarming. Children who have mixed feelings about Halloween festivities will relate to Junie B.'s fears, and they'll be relieved when Halloween passes without a monster attack or pumpkin bite, just a delicious bag of 100% candy. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson
Halloween with Junie B. has got to be a scream! Get ready for a “Halloweenie” adventure with the world’s funniest first grader!
“Despite Junie B.’s ascent to the rigors of first grade, Park’s feisty, funny heroine retains her trademark use of language, mirthful malapropisms, and essential larger-than-life personality.”—Kirkus Reviews
“First grade offers a whole year of exciting possibilities for Junie B. . . . As always, Park is in touch with what kids know and how they feel.”—School Library Journal
From the Hardcover edition.
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise (Mercy Watson)
by Kate Dicamillo
from Candlewick
Can visions of treats entice a porcine wonder to wear her princess costume? Hold on for some Halloween havoc, Mercy Watson-style!
When the Watsons decide to zip their porcine wonder into a formfitting princess dress for Halloween — complete with tiara — they are certain that Mercy will be beautiful beyond compare. Mercy is equally certain she likes the sound of trick-or-TREATING and can picture those piles of buttered toast already. As for the Lincoln Sisters next door, how could they know that their cat would get into the act and lead them all on a Halloween "parade" of hysterical proportions? Kate DiCamillo’s beguiling pig is back in a tale full of treats, tricky turns, hijinks, and high humor.
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together (You Read to Me, I'll Read to You)
by Mary Ann Hoberman
from Little, Brown Young Readers
In an irresistible fourth You Read to Me collaboration, Mary Ann Hoberman and Michael Emberley have added spooky tales to their bestselling and award-winning series--and it's a scary lot of fun. You've never met witches, zombies, ghosts, or ghouls like these before!
The Widow's Broom
by Chris Van Allsburg
from Houghton Mifflin
"Witches' brooms don't last forever. They grow old, and even the best of them, one day, lose the power of flight.... On very rare occasions, however, a broom can lose its power without warning, and fall, with its passenger, to the earth below ... which is just what happened one cold autumn night many years ago." So begins The Widow's Broom, the gentle, strangely captivating book by Chris Van Allsburg, who received Caldecott medals for Jumanji and The Polar Express.
The story gets under way when the lonely widow Minna Shaw finds a wounded, sky-fallen witch in her vegetable garden. The witch disappears before dawn, but leaves her old, presumably defunct broom behind. Minna begins to use it around the house and finds that "it was no better or worse than brooms she'd used before." However, one morning, Minna sees the broom sweeping by itself! Opportunistically, she trains it to chop wood and fetch water.
When the neighbors find out about this "wicked, wicked thing" (posing as an innocent, hardworking broom), they accost the widow and demand that the broom be burned. Are they successful in separating the lonely widow and her diligently sweeping friend? This is a wonderfully suspenseful book to read aloud and young listeners will earnestly hope for the broom's survival. Still, older, wiser readers, ages 8 and older, will be swept up in the story, too.
A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.
The Houdini Box
from Aladdin
Victor is forever trying to escape from locked trunks, walk through walls, and perform any number of Houdini's astonishing magic tricks...without success. Then -- amazingly -- he actually meets his idol, and begs Houdini to explain himself. A mysterious locked box is the magician's only answer, and Victor is left to wonder: Does the box contain the secrets to the most famous magic tricks ever performed?
+++
