Halloween Safety Guide ... for Scaredies

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween
by Mélanie Watt

Are you thinking to yourself, "Texas Library Lady it is July! Why are your writing about Halloween?!?" Well, my answer is simple, you can never be too early for Scaredy Squirrel and his helpful, handy hints, better known as his safety guides. Not only that, but in order to be completely prepared, you have to, well, prepare! Just think about it. Halloween will be here before you know it.

Scaredy Orville Squirrel (appropriate initials follow - S.O.S.) provides everyone with the essentials necessary to survive Halloween, and it is all in this handy guide clearly outlined in eight short chapters. With the use of his favorite means: lists, diagrams, and maps, S.O.S. provides readers with a hysterical (or should I say "nutty") ways to get ready for All Hallows Eve.

He starts off with a quiz in order to evaluate your level of need for this guide (if you score anywhere between 1 - 8, it is the perfect book for you). Other features in this safety guide include the following:  a plan to help you danger proof your home (be sure to place your "blender on HIGH" at the top of your home -the "deafening noises [is] sure to keep ghosts and goblins away!" - even if they are fictional), a handy guide to help you pick the perfect costume (they range from "unscary" to "terrifying" - my personal favorite - the Theoretical Physicist - and in case you are wondering, he is listed as "unscary") for the scariest of all holidays, and a chart to help you choose the perfect size container needed to transport your candy.

Scaredy Squirrel provides a great deal of laughs for all in this wonderful book preparing young children for Halloween. Yes, S.O.S. is funny and everyone will have fun reading this safety guide, but when it comes down to the "nuts" and bolts of this book, it is a fantastic way to talk to kids about Halloween. This special day for children is no longer the carefree adventure it was when I was young. It is a day when some people choose to prey on the innocent. We shouldn't have to inspect our children's candy before they can eat it, but Scaredy reminds readers of the importance of "Detecting Quality" when he advises readers to "hand it over for thorough inspection." He even provides some alternative solutions to the door-to-door tradition, by suggesting party planning tips and activities.

You can read the history of Halloween or you can recall your own experiences from childhood, but I think the humorous manner in which Scaredy Squirrel presents Halloween will be one you and your family will want to revisit each year. Don't delay in picking up a copy of this book. I mean, after all, you don't have too much time....

Just look how many days are left!!

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Kids Can Press has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes through NetGalley.com.

Witches and Ghosts and Abhumans, Oh My!

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
by Joseph Delaney

When my son was ten I was fortunate enough to get an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Joseph Delaney's The Last Apprentice while attending the Texas Library Association's annual conference. He read it almost immediately and was hooked.

The Ghost Prison
by Joseph Delaney

When I opened the ARC of Delaney's novella The Ghost Prison last night, my son (now a high school graduate and seventeen years old) was excited to see it. He began reminiscing about The Last Apprentice and how much he enjoyed the books. We also talked about the upcoming movie (to be released in 2014). Like all book adaptations we agreed the book would be far superior to the movie. It is always a pleasure to talk about books with someone, especially when it is my son.

The Ghost Prison will be released in early October, just in time for Halloween, is a fantastic read. I loved the black and white illustrations that perfectly reflected the text. One of the greatest elements was close to the end of the book when young Billy, the fifteen year old prison guard, is plunged into darkness when his torch was blown out by a gust of wind. The illustrations turned from black on white to white on black. I love this effect. Not only does it make the ghostly images pop, but it also creates a more intense and scarier element to the story.

I will admit. I started reading during the late hours of the night and stopped. I finished reading in the bright light of the new day. I can't say I was exactly scared, because I have always LOVED spooky stories, but I can say that even though the pictures are in black and white, I could very clearly see the color red surrounding on particular illustration! For those of you who have seen the original black and white Psycho you can attest to the fact that the blood flowing down the drain was RED! Well, this is the case with the illustrations by Scott M. Fischer. Without saying which illustration to which I am referring (you can see it two different times in the book, the last on the second page of the "About the Illustrator" section). Now, when you read this great book, I want you to see if the red glows for you as well.

I will highly recommend this book for all libraries who serve children from the fifth grade and up. I'm sure it will be devoured just like Delaney's previous novels. Pair this book with books like Alvin Schwartz's collection of folklore in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in order to have enough terror for any and all readers for October.
                                                       

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Sourcebooks, Inc. has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book through NetGalley.com.