One Halloween Night

Wendell, Floyd, and Mona can't seem to avoid trouble, particularly on Halloween! It all starts when a black cat crosses their path while they're walking home from school, which seems to cause all their costumes to go awry. Then, while trick-or-treating, some of their neighbors surprise them with tricks instead of treats. As if that weren't bad enough, a pack of nasty witches is chasing them through the neighborhood, making fun of their costumes! Will the kids be able to save their Halloween from disaster?

"Anything can happen on Halloween night," Wendell warns his friends Floyd and Mona when a black cat crosses their path. And remarkable things certainly do happen. At first it's pretty benign stuff--Wendell's mad scientist outfit has gone pink in the wash, Floyd dons a pirate costume only to discover he has to take his baby sister trick-or-treating ("'Pirates don't have little sisters,' he complained"), and Mona's mother forces her to dress up as a fairy princess. But things get more mysterious. Chased by witches (identified as the unspeakable Leona Fleebish and her cronies, but no less scary for that), the three friends flee through the darkening streets and must take refuge in a cemetery. But they needn't have worried. Floyd as a pirate is supernaturally heroic, Wendell makes a very convincing mad scientist and makes them disappear, and Mona taps the magic in that embarrassingly silly fairy princess wand...

Mark Teague's colorful illustrations, particularly his portrayal of the wide-eyed kids, conveys childish anxiety with relish and humor. This warm, funny introduction to "Scare Night" (and the power of costumes!) is intentionally not all that scary. (Ages 3 to 8)