HallowREADS Family Friendly Thrills:The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

 

 

 

 

 

 

First printing (L) 20th Anniversary Edition (R) 

PUBLISHER:

Hyperion

Source:

Purchased

 

“It was late one fall in Halloweenland, and the air had quite a chill. Against the moon a skeleton sat, alone upon a hill.”

 

It’s hard to believe that The Nightmare Before Christmas is celebrating its 20th Anniversary on October 29th. This film owns so many pieces of my heart! I was fortunate to buy many of the movie tie-in books when they were first released in 1993. My favorite is this storybook written and illustrated by Tim Burton. The book is told entirely in rhyme and contains many of the hallmark moments fans will remember from the movie. Burton is a very talented artist and the movie took advantage of this in the development of it’s animated counterparts. All your favorites from the movie are here with the exception of Sally and the Mad Scientist. T

I recently re-read the story after many years and enjoyed it just as much as  the first time around. This is wonderful to read to children on Christmas Eve or any time between Halloween and Christmas. I’m looking forward to picking up the 20th Anniversary edition to add to my collection.

Also look for a variety of Nightmare products at the Disney store and at Barnes & Noble stores across the USA.

HallowREADS Macbeth Read-a-Long

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't this a wonderfully bloody cover for Halloween? I heard about this Read-a-long  from Roof Beam Reader The sign up post is on BiblioSue’s  site. The goal is to read one act a week. I will also be watching this documentary about Shakespeare and his plays:

HallowREADS: Family Friendly Thrills 2 : The Familiars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

PUBLISHER:

Harper Collins

There is a Harry Potter shaped whole in my heart. I’ve been looking for a magical series to fill the void and The Familiars

is coming pretty close! This middle grade series gives us a magical adventure through the eyes of the Familiars in the Kingdom of Vastia. Our guides through the series are  three very different characters:

 

Aldwyn

An alley cat who thinks he lacks magical talents until he is accidently taken home by the Loyal Jack.

 

Skylar

A strict by the rules Familiar who has the ability to cast illusions. Skylar loves libraries and being an important asset to her Loyal Dalton.

 

Gilbert

The comic relief of the trio, Gilbert is a tree frog with the power of divination, though his interpretations can be a bit off :) His Loyal is Marianne.

 

This unlikely trio build a friendship through various adventures involving their Loyals and the leaders of their kingdom. Wonderful dialogue and humor and interesting plot lines make this a wonderful all ages read.

 

There is also a really fun interactive website :The Familiars where you can read more about the characters, read excerpts from the book and even take a quiz to find out what animal  is your best match as a companion.

 

I will have a full review of book one in this series later this month. Hope you give them a try!