Halloween in the Orchard by Phyllis Alsdurf illustrated by Lisa Hunt

 A sweet book that relates how a boy and his parents spend an afternoon and evening in an apple orchard on Halloween. Children can search for the scarecrows in the illustrations throughout the book. Instructions how to make a homemade trick-or-treat bag are included. The "scariest" costumes are the skeletons and bedsheet ghosts-not scary, though!

-Borrowed from the library.

Hallowilloween by Calef Brown

Nefarious Silliness
Unique, imaginative poems
Warning: Halloween topics-   witches, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, grim reaper
-Borrowed from the library.

Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans by Amy E. Sklansky illustrated by Karen Dismukes

Fun, light-hearted poems that celebrate Halloween.
Warning: typical Halloween topics
I loved the artwork in this book-Ms. Dismukes beaded the pictures on canvas.  Beautiful and amazing!
-Borrowed from the library.

It's Halloween by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Marylin Hafner

Narrative poems that celebrate Halloween.
Perfect for beginning readers.
Warning: Poems containing werewolves, witches, goblins, ghosts etc.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Gargoyle on the Roof by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Peter Sis

I borrowed this book mainly for the poems about gargoyles when we learned about the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Of course my boys wanted me to read aloud all of the poems!
The poems are spooky.
Mr. Prelutsky's word choice is precise.  He offers the opportunity for vocabulary expansion!  Every poem contains several interesting, sophisticated words.
Warning: subject matter-trolls, headless horseman, vampires, werewolves, goblins

Fox Outfoxed by James Marshall

My first grader read this book to himself.
Three humorous stories with Fox displaying his crazy, crafty antics.
The first story has Fox racing Carmen in his car with no engine or pedals.  He has a secret weapon for winning!
The second story, Comic Fox, Fox is outfoxed by his new pretty neighbor as she manages to take his 10 favorite comics.
And in the third story, Fox is horrified he must take along his sister Louise trick or treating.  He comes up with a scheme to free up his evening from his responsibility of watching her . . .then regrets it when he thinks she has turned into a pumpkin and he by accident smashes it (her).
Guided Reading Level: J (2nd grade)
Warning: Fox is mean to his sister Louise and calls her Halloween costume "dumb".  The mom's reply? "You're so mean."    Fox lies when he says he wasn't fooled-"I was just playing along.".  His mom doesn't call him on it, just says, "You're so smart.".  A character says "oh my gosh".

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat illustrated by Marc Simont

My first grader read this book to himself.
On Halloween night Little Hex (Rosamond's cat) has disappeared.  Rosamond won't eat her candy because she is so upset.  So Nate and Sludge set out on this night full of mysterious people searching for Little Hex.
-Borrowed from the library.
Guided Reading Level: K (end of 1st grade-2nd grade)

Andy Shane and the Pumpkin Trick by Jennifer Richard Jacobson illustrated by Abby Carter*

Andy is not thrilled about attending Dolores birthday party on Halloween, and doubly irritated that he has to help her set up for the party!
He, however, feels badly for her when trickster come and smash her pumpkins two days in a row.  Can Andy come up with a good trick to stop the pumpkin smashing tricksters?
*Highly recommend for transitional readers and building stamina (4 short chapters).
-Borrowed from the library.
My first grader and I took turns reading the pages aloud.  He likes Nate the Great better than this series.
Guided Reading: L (2nd grade)

The Runaway Pumpkin Pie Man by Vicky Town illustrated by Roberta Baird

A witch decides to bake a pumpkin pie on Halloween Night.  The pie, however, rolls out of her house and a spooky line of individuals chase after the pie.
I really liked the word choice in this story.
Warning: witches, ghosts, werewolves, Count Dracula, kids dressed up as zombies and a ghoul
-Borrowed from the library.
Pumpkin pie recipe included.
A page full of recommended activities for extension opportunities.

Dog and Bear Tricks and Treats by Laura Vaccaro Seeger*

I love this new book by Ms. Seeger!
Perfect for beginning readers-three short chapters about the same two characters-dog and bear at Halloween.
Each ending is funny.
Opportunities to predict and infer.
*Highly recommend.
Three other books in the series.

Bramble and Maggie-Spooky Season by Jessie Haas illustrated by Alison Friend*

I love this series for new readers who love horses.
It is fall and Bramble has to adjust to the new sights--especially costumes.
Three short chapters-perfect for beginning/transitional readers who are building stamina.
*Highly recommend.
Two other books in the series.

Thirteen O'Clock by James Stimson

Enter a spooky house which has a clock that strikes the thirteenth hour.
Illustrations are in black, white, eerie green, browns.
I did not care for it but it was well written and contained great word choice and word play.
Warning:  witches, ghosts etc.

Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane illustrated by Jane Manning

A Halloween version of "Over in the Meadow".
Rhythm and word choice are excellent.
Halloween books are not my favorite  . . . .zombies, ghosts, goblins, mummies, witches, skeletons are in this one.

The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco

The Graves family is unusual.  The residents of Union City are wary of them.  Seth and Sara, however, reach out and befriend the oldest boy, Hieronymus who they nickname Ronnie.
Seth and Sara try to help the family fit into their new surroundings.  Many humorous events ensue.
A great book about kindness and acceptance.
A second book about this family is also available-The Graves Family Goes Camping.

Mercy Watson Princess in Disguise #4 by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Chris Van Dusen *

Mrs. Watson decides that Mercy should go trick or treating on Halloween night so she sews her princess costume.  Their first trick or treating stop is the Lincoln sisters' home which of course results in a chase and very exciting, funny events!  The ending would not be complete without a buttered toast party!
*Highly recommend series.
Great for reluctant readers and for building stamina (short chapters, bold, full page illustrations).
GLE-2.3
Lexile-390L

The Legend of the Jersey Devil by Trinka Hakes Noble illustrated by Gerald Kelley

After reading Lauren Tarshis' I Survived book- Shark Attacks of 1916, this title caught my eye (in the book Shark Attacks, the main character uses this legend to pull a prank on some friends).
This book relates how the legend began and how it has affected people through the generations.  The legend is almost 300 years old!
A bit scary -mentions the devil, of course, demon, and witchcraft.
This book does a superb job of showing how a legend begins and how it continues on to future generations.
Pair with I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis.

Porkenstein by Kathryn Lasky illustrated by David Jarvis*

My four year old is pulling this book out often even though it is not close to Halloween!
A story that focuses on the third little pig and how he is lonely after the wolf ate his two brothers.  Since he is an inventor, he decides to invent a friend.  This friend may be more trouble that he is worth . . .until a familiar nemesis appears at the third pig's front door.
A humorous (maybe shocking ending for younger children) ending!
Strategies: connections, predicting, inferring
*Highly recommend.

Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch by Jana Dillon

Jeb and his parents work hard each day to scare away the crows.  This year, however, they hear that the crows plan to host their big harvest celebration in Jeb's pumpkin patch.  Jeb comes up with a clever plan to scare away the crows and to bring his family some extra money.