A pleasing pre-party pep talk.
Anxiety nearly derails a spectral relationship.
In a neat, apparently empty pink bedroom, an unseen narrator insists, “There is a ghost in this room.” A pointed hat floats before the window, and readers are invited to comment: “Do you like their hat? Do you like the way it brings out their eyes?” As the book progresses, it becomes clear that Ghost is fretting about an upcoming party; they try on makeup, practice small talk, and ask for advice on a gift to bring the host. Ghost stumbles while going to get the present, which unleashes feelings of panic, conveyed in a series of “what if” statements swirling across a double-page spread. But after sharing these thoughts—and a cup of tea—with readers, Ghost feels much better. Turns out Ghost is worried about making a good impression on the party’s host, Martha (a fellow ghost). Will readers come, too? Please? Inside Martha’s home, the narrator reports that Ghost and Martha are happily chatting. “She’s laughing! She’s touching Ghost’s arm!” Though some of the social situations may not resonate with younger readers (worries about small talk, Ghost’s anxieties stemming from a romantic interest in Martha), this nervous, needy protagonist elicits plenty of empathy, and the happy ending is a satisfying one. The detail-rich art cleverly suggests the spirit presence, with glowing spots of light and empty space, gradually showing more conventional white blobs with pink cheeks.
A pleasing pre-party pep talk. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781665956925
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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