Overview
A boy moves to a Halloween-themed town only to realize there may be more to the tourist trap than meets the eye in this middle grade novel of ""thrills and chills in a gloriously goofy setting"" (Kirkus Reviews) perfect for fans of The Last Kids on Earth and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library! When Caleb's mom decides they are moving to her childhood home in Wisconsin, Caleb is not thrilled. Moving schools, states, and time zones would be bad enough, but Mom's hometown is Samhain, a small and ridiculously kitschy place where every day is Halloween. Caleb is not a fan of Halloween when it only happens once a year, so Halloween-obsessed Samhain is really not the place for him. How is he supposed to cope with kids wearing costumes to school every single day? And how about the fact that the mayor is so committed to the bit that City Hall is only open from sundown to sunup to accommodate his so-called vampirism? Sure enough, Caleb becomes an outcast at school for refusing to play along with the spooky tradition like the other sixth graders. Luckily, he manages to find a friend in fellow misfit Tai, and just in time, because things are getting weird in Samhain...or make that weirder. But there's no way the mayor is an actual vampire, and their teacher absolutely cannot really be a werewolf--right? Caleb discovers Samhain is so much stranger than he ever could have imagined. As one of the only people who realizes what's happening, can he save a town that doesn't want saving?
Full Product Details
Author: Christine Virnig ,
Laura Eckes
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Imprint: Aladdin Paperbacks
Edition: Reprint ed.
Dimensions:
Width: 13.00cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 19.40cm
Weight: 0.295kg
ISBN: 9781665946582
ISBN 10: 166594658
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 19 August 2025
Recommended Age: From 8 to 12 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
""Surrounded by witchy neighbors, werewolf teachers, and other things that go bump in the night, Caleb must navigate feelings of grief and isolation; levying hijinks balance weightier themes of loss and adjusting to a new normal.""-- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""Thrills and chills in a gloriously goofy setting.""-- ""--Kirkus Reviews""
Author Information
Christine Virnig is a fan of books, candy, spooky stories, poop jokes, and coffee...in no particular order. A former physician, Christine now spends her days writing books, reading books, and working at a library where she is surrounded by books. Christine lives in southern Wisconsin with her husband, two daughters, a ridiculous number of dust bunnies, and one incredibly lazy cat. You can visit her on the web at ChristineVirnig.com.
