MITCHELL ON THE MOON

Who will save the moon?

It’s Halloween night when Gretchen, dressed as a princess, notices that the moon is vanishing. Mitchell, probably her older brother, decides that as the Sorcerer of Space (his costume), it is his job to put things right, and he can’t have sidekicks (“Too dangerous”). Fanciful watercolor-and-acrylic illustrations loaded with detail depict the mighty Mitchell blasting off into space on his “moon ladder,” blowing up meteors, lassoing the moon, and conquering the Jack O’Jerks (hungry, flying jack-o’-lanterns) with the help of a mysteriously appearing sidekick (readers will have noticed what Mitchell did not: Gretchen has tagged along). With a few magic words (“SNIZZLE SCOOT! BLAMMITY BOOT!”), Mitchell’s lightning wand takes care of business, and Gretchen repairs the moon, allowing them to return to their friends, Clark and Annabelle, for pumpkin seeds and trick-or-treating. (Annabelle takes the lead in the simultaneously publishing Annabelle at the South Pole.) The plot is light and fast-paced and captures the feeling of a child’s imaginary play; though a bit thin, overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read with plenty of action, bound to appeal to boys and girls alike, particularly when paired with its sister selection. The children have different hair colors but share the same pale skin tone.

A rollicking Halloween adventure.