Five Faves: Spooky Season Informational

There are so many awesome Halloween-themed informational books at the library. Some are fun and spooky while others are down-right frightening. Here are five of my favorites for those wanting to get in the holiday spirit.

The Ghostly Carousel
Written by Calef Brown
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 2018. 32 pages.

This book of very silly poems will get you in the mood for Halloween. There are poems about scary shadows, creeping crud, and a zombie named Joel. You will definitely get a kick out of these goofy monsters.

Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters
Written by Dan C. Jones
New York: Scholastic Press, 2021. 166 pages.

The author of this book is a member of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma and grew up hearing scary stories from the elders in his tribe. As an adult, he travelled the country to hear more chilling tales from other tribes and nations. These stories truly are spooky--some so wild, you wouldn't come up with them in your wildest dreams. You might want to read these with a light on....

Pumpkin Carving!
Written by Renee Kruilla
New York: Odd Dot, 2022. 47 Pages

If you're anything like me, you can never decide what face to carve into your pumpkin. This "show-how guide" is a fun way to get inspiration for your jack-o-lanterns. It has guides to traditional faces and encourages you to design your own! This would be especially helpful for first-timers who want to learn some tips and tricks.

Wild Things
Written by Jo Schofield
Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Global Limited, 2019. 176 pages.

This book is ideal for Halloween lovers who are more interested in the magical side of the holiday. Dig into this book of mythical creatures, with only a few spooky monsters. It's pages are full of creative outdoor activities to celebrate these wild things.

Ghosts Unveiled!
Written by Keri Logan Hollihan
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2020. 195 pages.

Not everyone believes in ghosts, especially when you hear so many far-fetched stories. This book is full of actual ghost sightings all around the world. Some of these tales you might be able to write off as a trick of science or a groggy mind, but for the people who experienced these ghost sightings, they were real.

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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