Happy Halloween Everyone! I've been reading a few Halloween themed picture books to get into the spirit.   Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 for books you may want to read next year with your little ones! Today I'll be reviewing Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting, The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin by Margaret Wise Brown, Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth, and Night Fright Flight by Laura Kraus Melmed.


Description: A band of trick-or-treaters and a mother cat and her kittens spend a very scary Halloween.

Review: This book is a treat! A suspenseful mystery with enough creepy moments to keep the young kids interested. Two sets of stark green eyes begin Bunting's teasingly scary poem describing a parade of creatures that moves down the path on Halloween night. More mysterious sets of green eyes appear nervously and we get to hear more voices as they view the creepy pedestrians. It turns out the anxious watchers appear to belong to a mother cat and her kittens, who, when the monsters trick-or-treaters in costume are gone, prowl the night for their own brand of fun. Deep, dark nighttime backdrops make the bursts of color in costumes, jack-o'-lanterns, and candle-lit faces especially vibrant. The scenes play out across double spreads that adeptly lead the eye from left to right. This book would make a great read-aloud on Halloween.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades K to Grade 2

If you like this book try: Bone Soup by Cambria Evans (best suited for Grades 1-2), The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval

Description: A little pumpkin dreams of the day when he will be a big, fierce, yellow pumpkin who frightens away the field mice as the scarecrow does.

Review: This book is better suited for younger children who are just beginning to grasp the basic concepts of Halloween. Seasonal changes are discussed as well as baby steps to suspenseful moments are well plotted throughout the story as the simple pumpkin transforms in a spooky one. Older readers, however, will find this book a bit boring and would want their stories with larger doses of fright.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades Preschool to Grades 1.

If you like this book try: The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll, Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor



Description: On Halloween night, Stillwater the giant panda tells Karl, Addy, and Michael a spooky and unusual story. Based on a Zen koan.

Review: I've not heard of the Zen picture book series by this author so I had no idea what to expect in reading this book. While I did get the anticipated ghost story which was unique, I was left scratching my head. I later realized that there is an author's note explaining a Zen koan. A koan is a spiritual riddle. While I would not choose this one as a read-aloud because the ghost story doesn't have much oomph and action to keep readers entertained, I do think this would be a good choice in reading about ghost stories from Eastern culture as well as learning about Zen Buddhism and philosophy. Though filled with gorgeous colors and illustrations, this book may be a bit too cerebral for younger children and would be better appreciated by older readers.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 6 and  up.

If you like this book try: The Three Questions by Jon Muth, Zen Ties by Jon Muth, and Zen Shorts by Jon Muth


Description: On her way to Halloween trick-or-treating, a witch makes room on her broom for a group of fiendish friends.

Review: If you are looking for scary but not too scary for 3-4 year olds, Fright Night Flight is a good choice. The rhyming text is really fun. The full-spread illustrations are rich with color and amusing detail, which will draw their attention while they listen to the story. You could ask them questions about who the witch will pick up next. The classic scary characters such as the vampire and werewolf are drawn in a nonthreatening cartoon style that will not scare young children.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Preschool to Grade 1.

If you like this book try: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler and In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting

   One more day left until Halloween! What better way to excite the little ones about the holiday than to read them Halloween themed picture books? I've got several picture books ready to review. This is my second installment of Halloween picture book themes. Be sure to check out part 1 and stay tuned for part 3 tomorrow! Today I'll be reviewing Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann, Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi, The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijo, and Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw.

Description: Although devastated when his pet dog dies, a young boy goes trick-or-treating and receives a timely visit from an old friend during a scary encounter with graveyard skeletons.

Review: Bone Dog is a bittersweet read about friendship, loss, and slightly spooky Halloween story with a humorous twist. The book begins on a sad note when Gus's dog, Ella, tells her owner that she is getting old and may not last long, but she will always be with him because promises under a full moon can't be broken. Days pass and we realize that Ella is no longer. Gus doesn't feel like participating Halloween this year but he begrudgingly dresses as a skeleton for trick-or-treating. A shortcut through the graveyard results in being surrounded by nefarious, real-life skeletons until ghost Ella comes to the rescue, howling so as to summon a legion of living dogs to chase down the skeletons. I really enjoyed this book that has many layers built around the Halloween theme. Most of the important action takes place off the page, but the illustrations, tones, and colors effectively alerts the reader of what is going on. Thick-lined illustrations filled with autumn colors give this a true Halloween feel, but I loved the three wordless two-page spreads in which the skeletons run, the dogs give chase, and a single mutt struts back, bone in mouth, which gives the book a little lightness in the story. Several moments border on frightening so be sure to peruse the book to see if it's safe for your little ones. Some may call the book morbid, but Bone Dog is a tender story of love and friendship that transcends all bounds.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Sammy in the Sky by Barbara Walsh, A Dog Like Jack by DyAnne DiSalvo



Description: Bella Legrossi and Boris Kleanitoff, the messiest and cleanest monsters in Booville respectively, do nothing but argue until the night of Harry Beastie's Halloween party.

Review: With Boris and Bella, I think I may have found a Halloween favorite read! Bella Lagrossi is the dirtiest and messiest monster in Booville. Her neighbor, Boris Kleanitoff, is the complete opposite, a complete neat freak with nothing out of place. Naturally, Boris and Bella are not the best of neighbors. To celebrate Halloween, each decides to have a Halloween party, but no one will come. They find a common enemy, Henry Beastie, who's throwing a party of his own. All their mutual monsters are going there; no one wants to go to a party at a house so dirty--or so clean. An infuriated Bella and Boris head off individually to give Harry a piece of their minds, but they wind up together, on the dance floor, and then holding hands in the moonlight. While Halloween is clearly the back drop of this story, there is more of a story here as Boris and Bella learn there are good parts of their personalities and learn to compromise. The story is fun and the illustrations are along the lines of the Addams Family (I had the theme song of that show running through my head while reading the book). There is also some really nice word-plays through the narrative. I think this is one of the few books that could be read and enjoyed on any day.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 1 and up.

If you like this book try: Monster Mess by Margery Cuyler, Cinderhazel by Deborah Nourse Lattimore


Description: The brave and trusty Halloween Kid saves trick-or-treaters from a crowd of sweet-stealing Goodie Goblins.

Review: The Halloween Kid is a weird yet entertaining mash up between the classic Western and the spooky night of Halloween. When tricks interfere with treats on a suburban street, it's up to the Halloween Kid to save the night. With his trusty stick horse, mysterious Lone Ranger mask, and contagious catchphrase, Yee-Ha-lloween! he is able to foil all the monsters such as the TP-crazy mummies, pumpkin-sucking vampires, and tropical werewolves, but when Goodie Goblins who steals all the candies from the children The Halloween Kid has a real challenge. It's the Kid himself who needs saving, and the neighborhood teams up to do just that, proving that even heroes can use some help now and then. The orange, yellow, and black digitally-enhanced art sets the 1950s-flavored scene, and the cowboy lingo adds even more fun when reading this one aloud. I kind of wished it comes with an audio cd as I don't have the western style of talking down pat.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades K-2.

If you like this book try: Halloween Mice! by Bethany Roberts, Spooky Hour by Timothy Mitton



Description: When sheep dress up to go trick-or-treating at a nearby farm, their costumes scare away some wolves lurking in the woods.

Review: I have to say this book was my least favorite in the bunch that I reviewed today. The illustrations are okay, a bit shadowy and not that large to share in a big reading group. The text is a bit blah with some forced rhymes and it doesn't really match up to the pictures. It's hard to get excited about this story because it isn't very interesting and it doesn't really stand out with all the other Halloween books out there.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades K-2.

If you like this book try: Here They Come by David Costello, Shake D'em Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa

  Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. At the moment, I've got sucked into the world of Nana where music is the back drop and fuels the characters' passions and love and heartbreak go hand in hand. It seems that the closer that I get to volume 21 where the series is at a stand still, the more ominous the tone gets. I hope my characters will be alright.

Description (from back of the volume): Ever since she got engaged to Takumi and moved out of apartment 707, Nana K. has felt like she's slipping out of Nana O's life. When the tabloids start digging up Nana O's troubled family history, Nana K tries to step in and take care of things. But will her good intentions stir up more trouble? Blast is rocketing to stardom, and the price for bringing them down keeps going up.

Review: In the last few volumes of Nana that I've read, we are steered to the more personal aspects of Nana O.'s life. Volume 17 gives us a little more insight into Nana O's family and her past. There are two story lines going on, one of the future and one of the present. In the future, Nana O. has gone missing. People in the music industry believe she is dead, much like many young rock stars who diffuse easily once they reach the flames of popularity. Her bandmates, however,  strongly believe that is she is alive but just doesn't want to be found.  One day when Nana K. comes to apartment 707, the apartment she shared with Nana O. when they first moved to Tokyo, and checks the mail, she finds an envelope addressed to her with pictures of a girl with long hair and the same tattoo as Nana on her arm, singing at a bar. With clues such as this photo, the band is beginning to investigate Nana O. possible whereabouts. Blast's band status is still unknown, but I'm guessing that they either completely broken up or just put on pause until they reunite with their lead singer.
  After a stressful and anxiety ridden first chapter in the future, we are now taken to the present as Nana K. has been approached by a tabloid reporter saying he knows about Nana O's past and hints at Nana O's family's current location will publish it as the next big story. Nana K., who is always noted for her brilliance (yes, that's sarcasm) decides to go to Nana O's hometown and warn Nana's mother about the paparazzi blitz that will surely take place, but the woman denies having a daughter named Nana though they share many familiar physical features. As readers, we know that the woman is lying and is indeed Nana O's mother. We are also given more information about Nana O's family background, particularly of the strained relationship between Nana O's mother and grandmother, which might explain the nonexistent mother and daughter relationship between Nana O. and her mother. To cheer Nana O. up when she realizes that the story will break, Nana K. comes to live with her until Takumi returns from his trip. After this sudden turn of events, we are left with several questions. Will Nana O. be fine? Now that Misato, Nana O's half-sister who is a fan of hers, knows about their relationship, how will she react? And will she leave Nana O. alone? Will Nana O's mother's life be the same and will she ever reunite with her daughter?
 In other plot developments, Reira have broken up with Shin because she said she wanted to focus on her career. Hurt and heart broken Shin cuts all ties with Reira, but Reira seems to be the one who can't let go by sending him text messages and proposals for nightly visits. What is interesting is that the more time Ren spends with Reira and the two openly talk, we suspect that Reira's real plans are of wanting to be near Takumi. And in a scene from Reira's childhood, we see her telling Takumi that she loves him. What are Reira's true intentions? And does she really have feelings besides lust for Shin?

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Language, sexual situations, and crude humor. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: We Were There by Yuuki Obata, Nana Vol 18 by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa

 With less than a week left until Halloween, what better to excite the little ones about the holiday than to read them Halloween themed picture books? I've got several picture books ready to review and this is just the first installment. Be sure to come back and check out parts 2 and 3 next week! Today I'll be reviewing Monster Museum by Marilyn Singer, Boogie Knights by Lisa Wheeler, and Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood.


Description (from the publisher): Come in--if you dare--and meet the werewolf, Count Dracula, the mummy, and some of their slimy, screaming, slithering friends. They're just dying to show you a good time!

Review: Singer describes an array of scary apparitions and frightful figures in this "ghastly" collection of poems. Children take a field trip and walk through a museum filled with monsters. The poetic verses found below the illustrations cleverly describe the monsters in a variety of poetic forms including limericks.  Grimly's (yes, that's the illustrator's real last name) colorful caricatures add to the fun by diffusing scary illustrations with humor. Several of the monsters wend their way out to the parking lot-one even drives the school bus. The "Glos-Scary" helps to keep all of the creatures straight. This fresh, witty book will be popular for not-so-scary story times, as well as independent reading for kids who just love monsters.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 1 through 5.

  After being disappointed in Hunting Ground and River Marked , both of which I thought were lack luster reads by Patricia Briggs, I was hoping that Fair Game would infuse a bit more oomph to the characters and to the story line. I'm pleased to say that Fair Game delivers and sets up an interesting new direction for Briggs's future releases.

Description (from the publisher): They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
   Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
  Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Review: Fair Game is the third book in the Alpha and Omega series, a spin off to Brigg's popular Mercy Thompson series. Though the two series can be read independently, I would highly recommend that you read the Alpha Omega series in order and begin with the novella On the Prowl which first introduces us to the relationship of Charles and Anna.
  Briggs continues to explore the dynamics between the very alpha, serious and quiet wolf Charles and his stubborn, deceptively demure, and omega wife Anna. While they are still learning about each other and enjoying the early stages of their mating, Charles and Anna have hit a new bump in the road. Charles has a problem and he refuses to open up and let Anna help him.
   For many years, Charles has worked as Bran’s (the alpha of all werewolves in North America and Charles's father) executioner, destroying those who have broken the code of werewolves and have threaten the safety of the werewolf packs. Recent events have led werewolves to come out to the public and now Bran is trying to maintain a positive and safe image for his wolfs.
  Briggs's werewolves manage to keep the carnal aspects of the wolf without losing their humanity. While they can assimilate with the general public, they still pose a volatile and violent threat to those around them as their anger can be triggered very easily. For this reason, Bran sends Charles out to kill those wolves who are unable to keep their wolf in check. Neither Bran nor Charles take pleasure in hunting down fellow werewolves, but a system of balance is needed. Charles's executions are now taking their toll and as a result he is emotionally shutting everyone out, especially Anna.
  Charles's conflict is very complex, which Briggs effectively demonstrates this by showing how it effects many people especially Anna and Bran through their point of views. If we are placed in Anna's shoes, we can't help but wonder if Bran is just using his son to do the dirty work and is completely oblivious to see the ramifications on his son. If we see it through Bran's eyes, he knows he asks a lot from his son and feels guilty about it, but he really can't send out other alphas, fearing they couldn't handle it and it would push the older wolves to go lope. As for Charles, it's just another thing that he has to deal with and sort through himself.
  Readers of this series know that Charles is very introverted. His physically aggressive demeanor is a front and his reputation of a killer doesn't exactly make him approachable. In Fair Game we see Charles at his most vulnerable state. He has the ghosts of his previous kills lurking around him. They talk to him, scare him, and he is terrified if he acknowledges them too much, they will take control of him and eventually harm his wife. So he fights against the spirit's growing strength and keeps this pain and torment hidden from her. For the majority part of the book, Charles resorts to transforming himself to Brother Wolf, the name of Charles’s wolf, in order to deal with people.