That One Spooky Night

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, MI