Hi there! I’m here to do something a little different today – instead of a review I’ll be doing a Halloween movie inspired book tag created by some lovely people over on booktube! **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.**

When I was little, one of my favorite parts of October was sitting down with my sisters to watch Halloween-themed movies on Disney Channel. Those I was most excited to watch included the Halloweentown movies – Halloweentown, Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge, Halloweentown High, and, years later, Return to Halloweentown. Even today, seeing those movies on television brings a smile to my face. So when I saw that Peyton (from Peyton Reads) and Brittany (from Brittany & Books) created a Halloweentown inspired book tag, with questions related to major characters / places we see in the movies, I just had to do it. So please enjoy my answers to this silly tag, and even think about what book you’d choose as well!

1.) Halloweentown: Name a fictional place you wish were real
After thinking about this first question for longer than I should have, I’ll go with Quadara from Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. I received this book in an OwlCrate box last year, and found myself rather enjoying the story, which revolves around Keralie Corrington, a thief who finds herself entangled in a conspiracy to leave the kingdom’s four queens dead. The Quadara is separated into four quadrants – Archia, Eonia, Ludia, and Toria – which each have their own opportunites, lifestyles, and respective queen. Though I found some of the world-builidng a bit lacking in the novel itself, I found the concept of the world quite fascinating, and wished we could have dove into the nuances and politics as to why each section became the way it was. It was a fantasy world I appreciated and do (in some ways) wish was real.

2.) Marnie: Name a book about witches
For this one I’ll have to say These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling. I found this book through LGBTQReads, it was my Patreon pick for October 2019, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story follows Hannah, an elemental witch who has to team up with her ex-girlfriend, Veronica, to find out if there is a blood witch attempting to attack their coven. Its sequel, This Coven Won’t Break, was released this year, completing the duology and, in my opinion, wrapping up the story quite nicely. There’s even a prequel novella, This Spell Can’t Last, that gives more background into Veronica and Hannah’s relationship, and perhaps why it ended prior to the first book. I highly recommend the series as a whole, and am interested to see what other books Isabel Sterling has in store for the future.

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3.) Sophie: Name your favorite middle grade book
I don’t read much middle grade, but lately I’ve been getting some amazing recommendations (especially for fantasy middle grade) from certain booktube channels (like How to Train Your Gavin). From what I’ve read, I’ll say my favorite is Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow, which isn’t spooky in any way but I found it to be a great story about friendship, figuring out your identity, and finding the confidence to follow the beat of your own drum (quite literally). The story follows Melly, who’s attending summer camp with her best friend, Olivia. Melly loves playing the drums, but when she’s separated from Olivia she struggles to find her own tune. She’s also grappling with the fact that her parents told her they’re getting a divorce a few days before camp, and with the way her heart seems to act when she’s around another girl in her group, Adeline. I found this to be sweet and adorable while not shying away from tough discussions regarding family and friendship. I’m looking forward to checking out several other books from Lisa Jenn Bigalow, especially Hazel’s Theory of Evolution.

4.) Dylan: Name a book about a magical school
So, this might not exactly fill the prompt, considering I haven’t read the book yet and the magic school isn’t the focus of the novel, but I don’t read a lot of magical books and this is the only one on my radar that remotely fits. Don’t come at me. I recently read an early copy of Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders (review coming soon), which is out next April, and I enjoyed the writing style so I started to look into her backlist. I came across All the Birds in the Sky, which centers childhood friends Patricia Delfine, a witch, and Laurence Armstead, a mad scientist, who reconnect as adults after parting ways due to a falling out in middle school. According to an article titled “9 Fantasy Books Set at Magical Bording School,” Patricia attends a boarding school for the magically gifted, which we will probably get scenes from if flashbacks are used to present these characters’ pasts. So I’m counting it. But, if you are looking for some better recommendations, I notced Regan (from PeruseProject) just posted a magical school book recommendations video, which you should check out.

5.) Grandma Aggie: Name a book that helps you escape into a brand new world
For this I will say the entire Green Creek series by T.J. Klune. This will be the first of many T.J. Klune books on this list, so just a warning (I mean he’s my favorite author, so I apoligize but I’m not really sorry about it). Introduced in the first book, Wolfsong, Green Creek and its residents is a special town full of secrets that’s just so enticing and captivating that it draws you in. And the characters, primarily the Bennett pack and their family, are equal parts mysterious and lovable that you will come back to the suceeding books itching for more (and secretly cursing Klune for putting your favorite characters through so much pain and anguish). The series recently came to a close with the release of Brothersong on October 13, and while a werewolf series full of angst may not be for everyone, Wolfsong, Ravensong, Heartsong, and Brothersong have helped me escape to a new world when I needed it most.

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6.) Kalabar: Name your favorite villain
This was a fun question to think about, because it brought back some serious childhood nostalgia. I think my favorite villain will always be Desmond Tiny from Cirque du Freak series, or The Saga of Darren Shan, by noneother than Darren Shan himself. This series involves a young boy named Darren Shan who is convinced by his best friend, Steve, to sneak out and attend a freak show that’s circulating through town, Cirque du Freak. His fascination with spiders causes him to steal Madam Octa, the spider for Mr. Crepsley’s act in the show, and let’s just say that action caused a myraid of consequences. I will always admire Desmond Tiny as the villain of this series, because throughout each book I knew he was bad, but he did enough good to convince me of his innocence. He loves chaos and meddling, which becomes much more apparent further into the series (there are 13 books total, so I don’t want to go into too many details and spoil anything). Also, I will always be mad at myself for not connecting the dots when it came to the final book in the series. But that’s on me. This will probably remain my favorite vampire series, and Cirque du Freak truly does have a special place in my heart.

7.) Benny: Name a book that is always there to get you out of a hard time
8.) Luke: Name a character with a hard exterior but is actually soft inside
I’m combining questions 7 and 8 because I’ll be talking about the same book, so I figured, for formatting, it would just be easier this way. Hands down, the book that has always gotten me through a hard time is How to Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune. I discovered this book in late 2018, and it quickly became both my favorite and most reread book of all time. The story follows Gustavo Tiberius, a man living in Abby Oregon who has a routine and likes to stick to it. When Casey Richards, an asexual stoner hipster, shows up in town, and calls Gus abnormal and strange and weird, Gus may, for the first time, try and ask for help to learn how to become a “normal person.” When I say this book gets me through a hard time, I mean that in every sense of the word. I read this book when I heard news of the death of a family member, when I was called to jury duty for the first time, and the night before I took the most important test of my life because I knew it was one of the only ways to calm me down. And I would certainly call Gus a character with a hard exterior but is soft inside. He is very closed off to many people he doesn’t know, but when they nestle their way into his life he will do absolutely anything for them, whether that be play stoner scrabble, give them discounts at his video store, or accept a muffin every morning even though he hates them. I can truly go on for hours about how this book means to me, but I think I’ve rambled on long enough to make my points.

9.) Kal: Name your favorite guilty pleasure book
Ah yes, another one that brings back some serious nostalgia. My favorite guilty pleasure book would have to be If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? by Melissa Kantor. I read this book for summer reading before 7th grade (which would be, jeez, 2008?) and it’s still a story on my shelf that I can go back to, reread, and bask in all its hilarity. The book follows high school sophomore Lucy Norton, who has been moved across the country to Long Island, New York to live with her stepmother and two stepsisters. She’s pretty much a loner until she attracts the attention of popular basketball player, Connor Pearson, and soon Lucy begins to think her life is very much like a fairytale. Does this book have its issues that I cringe at every time I read it? Absolutely, for a book released in 2005 it surely doesn’t hold up to the test of time. But I still laugh and get teary eyed and adore Sam’s speech at prom. This will probably stay my one true guilty pleasure book for a while.

10.) Gort: Name a book you love that you forget to talk about
For this one, I’ll have to shout out a romance series that I love but don’t get the chance to talk about all that often, which is the Signs of Love series by Anyta Sunday. Currently at 5 books (hoping for the last one soon, but I’ll be patient), each story involves two characters of differing astrological signs and explores their romance. All of the books have an m/m romance and center different identities and tropes. Honestly, I truly just fall in love with all of these characters, and the situations are so silly sometimes but I just find a smile on my face reading through them. My personal favorite is the second installment, Scorpio Hates Virgo, because Cal and Percy have a “frenemies” situation going on, but each brings it’s own uniqueness while still feeling connected (my ranking for the remaining four would be Leo Loves Aries (1), Pisces Hooks Taurus (4), Cancer Ships Aquarius (5), and Gemini Keeps Capricorn (3). Any book can be read as a standalone, so I highly recommend picking one up if you need some more romance in your reading life.

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11.) Ethan: Name a character you’d want to go on a romantic broom ride with
Here I go changing up the prompt again to suit my needs. Well, as someone who is aromantic and asexual, I don’t find myself imagining people to do romantic things with, even characters from books. So instead I’ll just mention a couple who I would love to see go on a romantic broom ride, and for that I’d say Josy and Quincy from How to Be a Movie Star by T.J. Klune. After hearing that Klune was adding a second book after How to Be a Normal Person, I was intrigued to follow the story of Josiah Erikson, and his story with Quincy Moore was one I absolutely adored. As polar opposites, they really shouldn’t work, but once you see them together you can’t ever imagine them apart. Understanding and loving every part of each other is what makes their story great. Josy would be in front, slightly stoned and shouting lines from his latest movie out into the open, and Quincy would be holding tightly to Josy’s waist, eyes closed and quiet, but smiling softly as he drifts across the night sky with his boyfriend. I need someone to draw this now.

12.) Natalie: Name a character who is proud of who they are
And finally we’ve reached question 12 (based on Natalie, who’s definitely one of my favorite characters for Halloweentown High). For a character who is proud of who they are, I am going to choose Yadriel from Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a trans boy who, in order to prove to his family he can be a brujo, tries to summon the ghost of his cousin to solve his murder. But when something goes wrong and he summons Julian, a boy from school, instead, things become just a bit more complicated. Yadriel spends the novel trying to prove himself to everyone else, because in his heart he knows exactly who he is and is frustrated when others, especially his family, don’t see him that way. Aided by Julian and his cousin, Maritza, Yadriel embraces his true self and works to show just how capable he can be. This book was an incredible debut by Aiden Thomas, and I look forward to reading more of their work in the coming years.

So there you have it! That’s all there is to the Halloweentown Book Tag! This was so much fun to do, and maybe I’ll do some more tags like this in the future to spice it up a bit. Again, just wanted to give a shout-out to the creators, and please be sure to check out Peyton’s and Brittany’s videos because they’re great. All credit for cover art can be found down below, and if you’re feeling it to it, join in on the fun and complete the tag yourself! Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go binge all the Halloweentown movies, because I’m honestly still a child inside.

Cover credits:
–Four Dead Queens: cover design by Theresa Evsngelista, jacket art by Katt Phatt
-These Witches Don’t Burn: for These Witches Don’t Burn – jacket design by Corina Lupp, photography by Michael Frost, and art by Libby Vanderploeg. For This Coven Won’t Break, jacket design by Dana Li and Lyssa Park, photography by Travis Commeau, and art by Amy Blackwell
–Drum Roll, Please: cover design by Michelle Cunningham and cover art by Natalie Andrewson
–All the Birds in the Sky: cover artist Will Staehle
-Green Creek: cover art for Wolfsong, Ravensong, Heartsong, and Brothersong by Reese Dante
–Cirque du Freak: could not find any information about cover art. Published by Little, Brown and Company, and copyright to athor, Darren Shan
–How to Be a Normal Person: cover art by Reese Dante
–If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince?: cover design by Elizabeth H. Clark, cover photograph by Xavier Bonghi/Getty Images
-Signs of Love: cover designs for Leo Loves Aries, Scorpio Hates Virgo, Gemini Keeps Capricorn, Pisces Hooks Taurus, and Cancer Ships Aquarius by Natasha Snow, atrological backgrounds for all books done by Maria Gandolfo
–How to Be a Movie Star: cover art by Reese Dante
–Cemetery Boys: cover art by Mars Lauderbaugh