6 Great Halloween Read Alouds For All Ages

A couple of weeks ago I posted about some fun picture books to read to kids at Halloween. That got me thinking about some of the fun chapter books I liked to read to my students around this time of year.

If you’re looking to start a new book with your kids this week, check out these great books that match the season!

Magic Tree House #30: Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve by Mary Pope Osborne

For younger audiences The Magic Tree House series is always a good choice. Brother and sister Annie and Jack use their magic tree house to travel through time and go on grand adventures. If you and your kids haven’t met the time traveling duo, no problem. You can jump in anywhere in this series and have a good time. But be forewarned! This series is addictive to kids and they may just want to go back to the beginning and read them all!

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids by Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey

In the first book “Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots” the unruly third grade kids of Bailey School meet their match when a new teacher comes to town. Hailing from the Transylvanian Alps Mrs. Jeepers’ strange powers help whip the Bailey kids into shape. This is a another great series that may have your kids hooked.

The Monster’s Ring: A Magic Shop Book by Bruce Coville

This fun little book was recommended to me by a fourth grade student, and highly appreciated by my third graders when I read it at Halloween. It’s the story a kid named Russel who, through strange circumstances, comes to possess a magic ring that can transform him into a monster!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling

What better time to introduce your kids to the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry? Not only will they learn about dragons and magic wands, but about bravery, ingenuity, and the friendship that made this series a classic. If you time it right you may even read about the Halloween feast and the great troll adventure on Halloween night.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

This is a classic your older and younger kids are sure to enjoy. I loved reading this one to my fourth graders. It’s the story of a young boy whose grandmother teaches him about real witches – women with flat feet and long fingernails who hate children. When he faces the Grand High Witch he must stop her, before she turns children everywhere into mice!

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

One of my favorites from my childhood, this is a fantastic historical fiction for older kids. The story of a teenage girl who leaves her island home in Barbados to live in colonial Connecticut. She struggles to fit in until she befriends an old woman who the locals believe is a witch, but finds that making friends with an outcast requires its own kind of bravery. There’s even a scene showing the locals disapproval of jack-o-lanterns and the celebration of All Hallows Eve.

So, there are a few of my favorite Halloween themed books, both from my childhood and my teaching days. What books do you like to read for Halloween?

Easy & Cheap Thing 1 and Thing 2 Costumes

I have a confession. I am not a crafty person. Usually my pinterest projects end up a total disaster. And doing anything without a step by step tutorial? Forget about it. So, naturally, when I find a way to do a project that is easy and simple it’s like winning the lottery. And since we are totally broke, being cheap is a must. Last year I was able to pull together a Halloween costume for my boys that was all three, and since it’s that time of year again I decided to put what I learned out there for the wonderful world of the internet. There are three basic parts to a good Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfit.

The Outfit

The first step was getting that red base. This was harder than I thought it would be. At first I started looking online and at stores for plain red footsie pajamas, but everything I saw had designs, and was more money than I wanted to spend. So I started looking for red pants and shirts.

Again, it was hard to find something without a design. Apparently, bright red pants are not “in”. You may just have to be patient with this one. I checked Walmart several times, but it wasn’t until just a couple of weeks before Halloween that I found what I needed. With the onset of colder weather came bright red, long sleeve, plain, turtleneck shirts! It was just what I needed. I also found red pants and socks to match.

You may need to compromise a little. The pants were athletic style (if that even exists for toddlers) and had a dark blue stripe on the side. I decided that didn’t bother me. The socks I bought also had a little blue on the toes and heals, but, again, it was something I could live with. I’ve also seen it done with pants that had red and white stripes, which was adorable.

It’s been a while, but I believe the shirts and pants were $4 each, and the socks were $2 (but they came with an extra pair). So, about $10 for each outfit, and they were all clothes that got a lot of use after Halloween was over. Not bad!

The Logo

The next step was getting their shirts to say “thing 1” and “thing 2”. I looked for shirts online, but all I found were t-shirts that were too big and pretty pricey. So, I decided to make the design myself. Remember what I said earlier about not being very crafty? I played with the idea of writing it on felt and pinning or sewing it on, but realized before I started that it was probably going to turn into one of my crafty disasters.

Then, as I was packing our things for a weekend at Grandma’s I realized the obvious. My mother-in-law has an embroidery machine and she loves to use it! So, I called her up and asked if she’d like to help out with the boys costumes. Needless to say, she was thrilled.

You may not have a mother-in-law who is an embroidery queen, but you may know someone with a machine who would be willing to help you out. It’s worth asking around. You could also look into logo printing and iron on options.

If all of that sounds too complicated, I would just skip this stage altogether. People will recognize the characters without the design.

The Hair

This, of course, was my favorite part. Who can resist little kids in fuzzy blue wigs? And this was way easier than I expected it to be! I followed this fabulous tutorial I found on Pinterest. Be sure to check it out for step by step pictures.

Simply take an old hat and glue on a blue feather boa with a glue gun. I had to use a full 6 foot boa for each hat.

A word of caution! When you glue on the boa put the hat on a bowl or ball first. When the glue dries it becomes stiff and the hat will no longer stretch. This will be fine if you’re using a big hat, but if they need to stretch at all to fit make sure they’re stretched out when you glue!

Also, be prepared for shedding. Unless you know of a really good brand of boas that don’t shed. I’m not a boa expert, so I just bought the cheapest ones I could find. I still pull them out and let the boys wear them sometimes, because they’re just so adorable, but I always have to vacuum after.

 

So, there you have it. Easy and cheap Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes for Halloween, or just fun dress ups!

7 Unconventional Picture Books for Halloween

Last week at the library I decided to look around for some fun Halloween books. While browsing I looked for words like “ghost” or “pumpkin”. Just by browsing I didn’t find many books about Halloween in a conventional sense, but I did find some books about ghosts, and bats, and other things that I absolutely loved.

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

At Halloween we usually associate bats with vampires, but this classic book about a batwill make your heart melt. Stellaluna is a baby fruit bat who is orphaned when her mother is attacked by an owl. During the attack the tiny bat falls from her mother’s arms and lands in a birds nest. She works hard to fit in with the birds, but always knows that she is different.

Nightsong by Ari Berk

This is another bat book that won’t make your blood run cold. A baby bat sits cozy in his cave surrounded by his mother’s wings. But he can’t stay there forever and this is the night he learns how to fly. Little Chiro is scared of venturing into the wide world, but his mother holds him close and tells him of his nightsong, the special bat sense that will help guidehim in his journey and lead him back to her.

Ghosts For Breakfast by Stanley Todd Terasaki

This fun book about a Japanese American family tells the story of a young boy who gets a surprise visit from his neighbors late one night. They say they have seen a bunch of ghosts in a nearby field. His father decides to investigate, and brings the frightened boy along. As they near the field the boy’s fear builds, but he is in for a surprise when they discover what the ghosts really are.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

Do you have a child who’s afraid of the dark? Perhaps they’re nervous about venturing out on Halloween night, after the sun has gone down? Here is a great story about a boy who faces his fear of the dark late one night when his nightlight goes out, and the friendly Darkwho doesn’t want the boy to be afraid.

Hildilid’s Night by Chelli Duran Ryan

I didn’t see this one at my library, but it was one of my favorite’s as a kid. This is another great one for kids who are afraid of the dark, or scared of going out at night. Hildilid is a funny old woman who hates night. One night she decides she’s had enough and tries everything she can think of to get rid of it. She tries sweeping it, catching it in a net, spitting on it, singing to it, among other hilarious antics.

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

If you’re like half the people on Pinterest October means your food suddenly becomes inundated with pumpkin. And whether or not your kids appreciate the pumpkin revolution they’ll certainly be charmed by the three woodland creatures from this bookwho share your enthusiasm. Duck, Squirrel, and Cat live in a small cottage in the woods. Every night they play their music and every day they make pumpkin soup. Everyone has their job in the soup making adventures, and everything runs smoothly, until one day Duck decides to change things up.

The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen

This is a beautifully written book by one of my favorite authors. As the wind blows across the fields a Scarecrow decides to join in and goes dancing with the wind. He has a wonderful time until he gets to the farmhouse where he hears a little boy praying for the chickens, and the cows, and for the old scarecrow.

Those were my great discoveries of not-so-Halloween picture books. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. What are you’re favorite books to read in the Halloween season?