By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd

Win a book of your choice from today’s blog! Details below!

As a child, I loved Halloween and couldn’t wait to go trick-or-treating. My mom made costumes for my siblings and me, and I vividly recall the excitement I felt when she announced that her work at the sewing machine was complete. She always produced the most creative, adorable costumes. I didn’t inherit the seamstress gene, but I always made sure my children had fun costumes as they ventured out into the neighborhood with pumpkins in hand.

In anticipation of Halloween, I thought it was fitting to select books that featured pumpkins, spiders, and things that go bump in the night. These fun, “spooky” books are light-hearted and capture the spirit of the season. Enjoy!

Preschool — Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton

Silly characters that include a gigantic mouse, chickens and pumpkins with flickering eyes, not to mention a witch, wizard and scary robot, are all featured in Sandra Boynton’s most recent release. This adorable board book is sure to please all young Sandra Boynton fans, and will earn a spot on the bookshelf along with other well-loved favorites. Written with the same feel as her other popular titles, Eek! Halloween! is a perfect bedtime read for toddlers that are excited about Halloween.

Early Elementary — Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, Illustrated by S. D. Schindler

This book has been around for a few years, but remains a top pick for Halloween tales. The story features a witch that managed to grow the biggest pumpkin ever, and wants to make a pumpkin pie with it for Halloween. However, she has a problem when she realizes the pumpkin is too big for her to pick off of the vine. As each one of her friends — the ghost, vampire and mummy — come along to offer their help, they each conclude they are not able to move the pumpkin. Finally, a tiny bat friend comes to their rescue with a creative approach to resolving the dilemma. This is a great story about persevering and teamwork.

Elementary — Goosebumps Series by R. L. Stine

There were too many great Goosebumps titles to choose just one, so this month’s Elementary pick is the entire series! Each Goosebumps book is written as scary story, laced with humor. The stories feature child characters that end up in frightening situations, but never too dark. Monsters, supernatural haunts and other thrilling situations are designed to literally give the reader goosebumps.

Middle School — Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Charlie Laird is convinced that his step-mother is a witch. She dresses funny, acts strange, eats odd food, and even lives in a purple mansion, along with Charlie, his dad and younger brother. Plagued with nightmares, Charlie is eventually tricked into venturing into the Nightmare World, where he is faced with scary creatures and situations. Charlie learns to face his fears and discovers the identity of the real enemy in this story.

High School/Moms — The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan

Following are a few of the comments people made about this month’s selection: “utterly charming,” “enchanting start to a new series,” “thought-provoking mystery.” This book seemed to be a good selection for both high schoolers and moms.

Set in Mumbai, India, the story centers around the mystery of who stole the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The diamond was on display as part of the British Crown Jewels, and incidentally, stolen on the day that retired Inspector Chopra decided to visit the exhibition. This story is entertaining, interesting and gives readers a feel for life in Mumbai. If you like this title, please check out the others in the Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series.

Remember to share your thoughts and comments, and you could be selected to win a copy of one of the books, compliments of Barnes & Noble, Friendly Shopping Center, Greensboro. The staff of Triad Moms on Main will choose a random winner one week after the blog runs. (Please be sure to enter your email address when you fill out your comment so they have a way to contact you.)

To read Ellen’s previous Book Nook blogs, click HERE!

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Ellen Bryant Lloyd is the author of FRECKLES and FRECKLES and The Great Beach Rescue. Please visit www.funwithfreckles.com and www.facebook.com/funwithfreckles to learn more about Freckles. Ellen writes a blog about her perspectives on life and parenting at www.mindfulmom.wordpress.com and tweets at @EllenBLloyd. She lives in Greensboro with her husband and two children.