She Wanted to Be Haunted
By Marcus Ewert
Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani
New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. Picture book.
Clarissa is an absolutely adorable cottage. She's bright pink and surrounded by daisies with a doormat that seems to smile in welcome to everyone who visits. The only problem is that she wants to be a terrifying, haunted house inhabited by monsters or ghosts like her father, a vampire castle, or her mom, a witch's hut. She tries everything she can think of to be scarier -- but only manages to make herself cuter. Just when she is ready to give up, an uncharacteristically frightening friend comes to stay and Clarissa realizes that she, like her new resident, can be both terrifying and cute.
This haunting tale of self-acceptance is, like Clarissa, a little bit spooky and a little bit cute. The lighthearted cadence of the rhyming text makes a humorous contrast against the Halloweeny illustrations, especially those of Clarissa's parents. This is a fun read aloud for Halloween or anyone who wants to be haunted.
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