Description
Halloween is thirteen-year-old Syd’s favorite night of the year, but when she gets teased by older kids about her costume, she decides to sit this one out.
But then her friend Jake finds a strange mask in a box of estate-sale junk to wear for his costume and manages to convince Syd to go to a haunted house. When Jake puts on the mask, he starts acting strangely, claiming to be "the Spirit of Mischief", and soon he's causing trouble all over town. With Halloween revellers transforming into werewolves, pirates, alligators—real-life versions of their costumes—and Halloween decorations coming alive and roaming the streets, Syd needs to embrace her love of Halloween to find a way to defeat Mischief before someone gets hurt.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading-level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Author Bio
Allison Finley has a BFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. She works as a freelance writer and editor. Allison gratefully lives next to a river just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation.
Review Quotes
“A must-add to any collection.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ)“The quick and well-balanced tale is a great choice for striving middle grade readers and all those looking for a brief bit of scary fun. The pages are kept turning by just enough character development and setting to be engaging, alongside plenty of action. A high-interest chiller with broad appeal.”
— Kirkus Reviews“A wonderfully eerie tale perfect for the Halloween season. This book is filled with spooky details, puns, and all things Halloween. The pacing is quick but not too rushed, which will keep young readers engaged. For readers who like Halloween, mysteries, or short, quick reads.”
— School Library Journal (SLJ)Biographical note
Allison Finley is an author of fiction for young people, as well as a freelance editor and book coach. Her debut novel, Below the Surface, is a JLG Gold Standard Selection. She gratefully lives on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation, outside of Vancouver, BC, with her partner and dog.
