That One Spooky Night

There can only be one night a year when a broom will go in search of a witch, when mermaids might swim in a bathtub and when a house party can get a little too batty. Here are three strange stories about that one spooky night!

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Combining humor and gentle spookiness, this is a graphic novel for the Halloween season. The three stories take place on the same night. In "Broom with a View," a girl accidentally ends up with a real witch's broom, leading to a magical experience. In "10,000 Tentacles Under the Tub," two boys find their post-trick-or-treating bath transformed into an undersea world. The final story, "The Fang Gang," follows a group of friends as they end up in Dracula's mansion on the scariest night of the year. Although the Halloween setting ties everything together, these selections function chiefly as stand-alone tales, their tone is more likely to elicit smiles than shivers. The full-color cartoon illustrations are appealing and nicely match the mood of the book. An economical use of dialogue allows the artwork to do the bulk of the storytelling. Brisk, entertaining, and easy to enjoy, this is a good choice for children looking for something light on Halloween.-Travis Jonker, Wayland Union Schools, MIα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

What happened on this one spooky night? In this fun trio of interwoven comics, young readers follow six trick-or-treaters on their Halloween adventures. In “Broom with a View,” Giselle finds the perfect accessory for her witchy costume, but when she bumps into another hag on the way out, who’s to say which broom is hers? Aspiring Aqua-Heroes and twin brothers Anthony and Alexander give their dad a hard time in “10,000 Tentacles under the Tub.” Last but not least, Gemma, Hiroko, Jobeth, and Malaya make some new friends in “The Fang Gang.” With hungry friends like these, who needs enemies? These quick, cute, gentle, snappy, and sassy holiday comics are a great transitional read for those moving out of Babymouse territory into something a little more sophisticated yet still safe. This title would be perfect for fans of Scary Godmother (2010), by Jill Thompson. Grades 3-5. --Candice Mack

Booklist

A good choice for readers new to the format and those looking for a quick hit of Halloween silliness.―Kirkus Reviews All three stories are lighthearted and not too scary ... most young readers will be ... salivating over the the thought of having their own spook-filled Halloween adventures ...―Quill & Quire Brisk, entertaining, and easy to enjoy ...―School Library Journal These quick, cute, gentle, snappy, and sassy holiday comics are a great transitional read ...

About the Author

Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children's author, educator and storyteller. His writing includes both chapter books and picture books. Dan currently travels across the country, visiting schools and libraries to present his books, give storytelling performances and lead different writing workshops. Back in Vancouver, he teaches creative writing courses for children through the organization Creative Writing for Children Society (CWC). He shares his life with artist and goldsmith Dominique Bréchault and Sasha, the smartest and cutest cat in the known universe.Raised near Chicago, David grew up half a block from the candy store in one direction, and half a block from the playground in the other. Along with a limitless supply of Legos, cartoons and all genres of books, the resulting high-fructose queasiness is the point source for everything he has made ever since.

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