The best thing about this book is that it brings stuttering to light.  But this is a lesson book, and the story is more about the lesson than the entertainment.  It works fine for what it is, but it would not be a book I recommend over and over again. 

 

I absolutely loved this book. It could be a new story time favorite. Miss Golightly does not like animals in her garden in her house anywhere, and she keeps telling them to shoo! However, when she’s had a week of complete quiet and no visitors she realizes she might have liked them a little more than she thought. The artwork is spot on it enhances the feeling of the story and all around it’s a sprightly rhyming cadenced great read. It will be a book I am recommending for a long time to come. 

 

This is a new book in the DC universe for younger readers, in this case YA. Zatanna comes from a magical family. Her father is a world-renowned illusionist and her mother his sidekick. Her family has always wanted her to go into the family business, but she has absolutely no desire. One of her best friends however would love to take her place. It’s the summer before senior year and it’s meant to be spent at Coney Island, on the beach, and with her friends. But it’ll be dangerous, dark, and a bit magical, when Zatanna learns she’s not who she always thought she was. This was an interesting story and I wonder if it is a new character or a preexisting one? Either way I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The art is fantastic, the color amazing, and overall, a joy to read. I need volume to right now. 

 

I LOVED THIS SERIES!  The ending was so good.  The kids are back at Grace Field House.  After book 19 they had taken over almost anything, but Peter Ratari was still left.  Now it was time for his defeat.  But should he die?  Moral questions abound in this series, and I loved how the character Emma was always the moral compass.  She could find if not the good in everyone, the reason for people to be the way they are and how that influences their actions.  And it is this special sight that helps the series wrap un in such an exciting, hopeful and loving way.  I am a bit sad to part ways with this crew after 3 months and 20 books.  It has been a long but wonderful ride.  Now I just have to see the anime.  I have heard it’s fantastic.  I hope it lives up to the books, because this series was wonderful. 

 

Wow!  Just wow. So much action.  Warning, there are lots of kids with guns, and using them in this book.  It is not all monster gore and blood.  Now on to the story.  This is the penultimate book.  It is time to start wrapping things up.  In the last book all the hierarchy was dead.  The queen, dead.  The royal houses, dead, many of the monsters dead.  But turns out someone we thought dead over 7 books ago, not so dead.  And they become the voice of the monsters, creating a new power kingdom that will do wonderful things for the world.  But the Kids are still in danger.  One more book to wrap up and I can not wait.  This book was full action from page one, and it flew by. 

 

The queen survives book 17 to pop back and create trouble in 18.  But killing her and the remaining demons will not be easy.  But should they be killed? Do they have any redeeming qualities?  Plus, what about the Evil Blooded ones.  We finally find out who they are, and why they travel alone. This edition was exciting, while being bloody and gory.  But it also still just drags the story on.  It could have ended at the end of this book but there are still 2 more to go.  I can not decide if I want those book, or if it just just the drag of the story I want.  Kind of like my grandmother and her soap operas.  I have my own manga soap opera. 

 

It’s all out war.  Norman’s plan is in action.  Emma and Ray are trying to get back after a promise was made.  Their goal is to Stop Norman from killing all the demons.  But in the meantime, the demon war has begun, and Norman’s plan to stay safe while the demons perish is pretty cleaver.  This edition was fast paced and a quick read.  There are only 3 books left in the series, so I am not quite sure where it is headed next but I am along for the ride. 

 

Ya know how sometimes a book gives you exactly what you want when you see the cover?  Yes, Dark Harvest did that for me.  Originally published in 2006, this book has been on my TBR for years because of how much the cover makes me think Evil Wizard of Oz Story.  If you didn’t know, Jack Pumpkinhead shows up in the second book and the second movie of the Wizard Of Oz stories.  His pumpkin head sits on top of his stick boy, and has magical life.  When I see the cover for Dark Harvest my mind says Jack Pumpkinhead is burning and I have to know what is going on.  This cover designer did an amazing job. 

 

No on to the story. It’s Halloween night (sing if you must), and The RUN is about to commence.  It’s 1963, and for decades Old Boy (sometimes called Ol’ Hacksaw, or Sawtooh Jack) arises from his cornfields, armed and ready for murder. 

 

Pete McCormick has been held as a type of hostage for the last 5 days.  While provided water, he was otherwise starved.  Many of the kids in town suffered this same fate.  On Halloween night they are released and the hunt or the run begins.  One of these boys, aged 16-18, will be the winner.  Defeat the October Boy and a life out of the small corn town is possible.  Your family will be taken care of: given new cars, homes, money.  What ever is needed.  But the spoils only go to the victor.  October Boy has some trick up his sleeve as well.  Ol’ Hacksaw drops Bit O’Honey candy those starving boys love.  But he is not just a rabbit to be chased.  The October Boy is also a killer, after all it is a kill or be killed world.  

 

This book is full of all the things that make a horror novel a frightful read.  There is blood, there is gore, there is abuse and assault.  It is all in there.  I do not think it’s extremely graphic but to some it may be.  But it is done in such a poetic way.   Once started the reader needs to see the run to the finish line.  

 

I toughly enjoyed this book.  It could become a staple of Halloween, and the prospect of the movie that is out in September 2023, just adds to the anticipation.  This story would work amazingly in film, and I can’t wait to see if the film is as compelling as the novel.  The run has started, do you think you could beat the October Boy to the finish line.  Do you have what it takes to survive a walking PumpkinHead? 

 

Traveling down a dark road one night, Ivy and her boyfriend are confronted by a naked woman, standing where she should not.  Avoiding the woman meant hitting the tree and getting a bit bruised and battered.  It also starts a mystery that has been playing out longer than Ivy knows.  

 

Ivy and her mom are not the closest.  Ivy often fells like a third wheel between her mom and her mom’s best friend, and this recent accident and other things just expands that gap more.  However, this is a dual story, told in the now time from Ivy’s perspective in suburban America. The other side of the story is from mom’s perspective at the same age as her daughter in 1990’s Chicago.  

 

This story is a thrilling mystery with a magical streak.  Magic dark and light are the thread that sews together this story of family connections, family togetherness and family safety.  If one is a fan of Practical Magic or other Alice Hoffman magic books, they are sure to enjoy this tale.  It is dark, atmospheric, and completely engrossing.  Once started this book will be hard to put down as the reader not only needs to know what happens next but also have their “who done it” theories slashed into pieces.  

 

While not a tale of horror, this book is a witchy treasure perfect for long cozy nights.  It has intrigue, it has heart, it has small bouts of scariness.  So beware, dead animals are present, and so is underage drinking and crashes associated with that action. 

 

Riley Mays is in fifth grade. They love laughing and to make others laugh, they also love to draw. Their best friend moved away and now they must make new friends, especially if they’re going to talk their parents into art classes. This book is fantastic. In the beginning you didn’t know if Riley was a boy or a girl and it didn’t matter. You do find out about a fourth of the way through and that actually becomes part of the idea of this book. Who is Riley Mayes? Are they gay? Are they a lezbo? If they are will that ruin their life? Will they have friends still? Will that even matter? These are all questions that run through Riley‘s mind after being called a Lesbo. Riley realizes that maybe I am, maybe I’m not, but does it matter? This book was awesome. It fits a fifth grader so well. I think anybody could read this and learn something either about themselves or the people around them. I also think it shows that it is OK to not know who you are or be worried about who you are. If I had to compare this book to another, I would say this is gender queer for younger readers. It is not afraid to ask the questions and explore on levels appropriate for fifth grade. I loved absolutely everything about this book, however I am deathly afraid kids won’t be able to read it because of current book banning and book censorship problems in schools across our nation. Add to that problem Barnes & Noble only selling top notch authors this book could be hidden. Please don’t hide this book! Share it! Save it! Send it! Buy it! Use it! There are kids out there that need this book. And there are many people even if they do not need it will love it.