The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson is essentially a sequel to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It features the same cast of characters, just with a different holiday. I felt obligated to read this book as there are definitely not enough books out there that are themed around Halloween. Overall, The Best Halloween Ever is the sort of audiobook that I’d recommend right on Halloween and specifically for primary school aged children.
So, the premise behind The Best Halloween Ever is that the Herdman kids are raising hell all over town as expected. Of course, this mischief really peaks right on Halloween. So, the adults all decide to cancel Halloween and trick or treating. Instead, they decide to host an event at the school but decide not to invite the Herdman kids. This way, Halloween is nice and safe and controlled.
Of course, the Herdmans find out that their presence is not exactly wanted and hilarity ensues. There’s some funny moments with a fur coat and a costume contest. Basically, mischief does indeed occur and everyone learns an important lesson in the end.
Overall, I would say that The Best Halloween Ever is not exactly better than The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The funny moments don’t really have poignant moments to go with them. However, this is not a terrible sequel. Plus, it does add to the children’s Halloween genre, which I am certainly a fan of.
The audiobook is narrated by Elaine Stritch. It’s is 1 hour and 33 minutes unabridged. The audiobook is an okay listen. I mean, I was sort of riveted. It felt kind of like my grandmother reading me a story. I think results may vary with the audiobook, just as with the actual physical book itself.
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Other reviews of The Best Halloween Ever:
- Reading For Sanity – “fun to read on Halloween night after the festivities are winding down“
Frazzled: Everyday Disasters And Impending Doom by Booki Vivat is an absolutely charming middle grade debut. I’ll admit, I was pretty excited to read this book on the basis of how great of a publicist Booki was like two years ago. Y’all, Frazzled totally lived up to my expectations and middle grade me could totally relate.
Frazzled is about this girl named Abbie Wu. Abbie is the middle child and she’s just starting out in middle school. Her older brother Peter is basically perfect. Her baby sister whose name I forget because I am the worst is super cute. Abbie, however, is kind of neurotic. She’s easily frazzled as you can probably tell by the title. Her main issue and worry is that she doesn’t have a “thing” like everyone else.
Straight up, I wanted to pull Abbie aside and mentor her. I wanted to be like, girl we have all been there and we all eventually find our way. Of course, she does find her way and starts a little bit of a revolution and a ruckus. So, not only is Abbie someone I could have related to in middle school, but she’s someone I would have admired based upon her agitating skills. She’s sort of a rabble rouser and I loved it.
ALSO! How could I not mention! THERE ARE PICTURES in Booki Vivat’s Frazzled. If you’ve followed Vivat’s Instagram, you’ll know what to expect with the pictures. She’s got a fun ink style. I don’t know any of the technical terms, just that I like it. Frazzled: Everyday Disasters And Impending Doom is sure to appeal to neurotic middle graders who are looking to find their way.
Support Good Books & Good Wine with your purchase of Frazzled by Booki Vivat:
Other reviews of Frazzled:
- Xpresso Reads – “absolutely adorable, quotable and extremely relatable“
- Swoony Boys Podcast – “didn’t stop smiling once“
- This Kid Reviews Books – “a pretty funny book“
Watching The Incredibles before I listened to Almost Super by Marion Jensen felt like a pretty good life choice. You see, Almost Super is a middle grade book about superheroes. It certainly does not skimp on humor. And as the official description does mention The Incredibles, I have to say that the book and the movie definitely pair really well together.
Rafter and Benny Bailey both hail from a family of super heroes. The two brothers are really looking forward to this year. You see, it is the year when they will get their super power. Unfortunately, the powers that they get really kind of suck. I mean, one can change their belly button from an innie to an outie. The other has a power which I can’t even remember. Rafter blames this girl in his class, Juanita Johnson. The Johnsons are super villains, after all.
There are definitely super suits involved in Almost Super. There’s also an actual villain to catch and old rivalries to re-examine. Readers who are into super hero movies should really enjoy this book. It’s full of humor and action. There’s some predictable moments to be sure. This is not a major issue though and the book does manage to still be quite charming.
The narrator of the audiobook for Almost Super is Mike Chamberlain. The audiobook is 6 hours and like 30-ish minutes long. It’s a very, very quick listen. I’d say this book is a good story regardless of your preference for audio or printed copy. It doesn’t need a good narrator to make the plotting interesting.
Support Good Books & Good Wine with your purchase of Almost Super by Marion Jensen:
Other reviews of Almost Super by Marion Jensen:
- The Hiding Spot – “a must read“
- This Kid Reads – “a fun superhero story that has a different twist“
- The Book Monsters – “great mix of humor, action and mystery“
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