The Halloween Moon audiobook

I received a copy from HarperCollins Children's Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Esther Gold’s favorite holiday is Halloween. She lives for it and spends a lot of her free time planning and perfecting the perfect Halloween costume every year. When Esther’s parents tell her that she’s too old to go trick-or-treating, she is devastated. Of course, Esther wouldn’t be Esther without Halloween, so she plans to go trick-or-treating one last time. Armed with her secret costume and her best friend who hates the holiday, they sneak out together only to discover that the entire neighborhood has been put into a supernatural sleep.I picked up this book because it sounded right up my alley since Halloween is my favorite holiday. We follow Esther Gold as she prepares to sneakily go trick-or-treating one last time. Unfortunately for her, things don’t go as planned because her neighborhood is under a sleeping spell. The only people awake are Esther, her best friend, her longtime school bully, and her dentist neighbor. Together, they try to take on the Queen of Halloween and rescue the neighborhood from sleeping their way through the rest of their lives.One of the things that I liked about this book is that the characters are surprisingly complex. Esther is worried about growing up and holding onto trick-or-treating as the last piece of being a kid as enters her teenage years. Her best friend, Agustín, is battling with some abandonment issues as his mom spends long hours working with very little time to spend with him. Sasha, Esther’s bully, gets bullied herself and has been taking it out on Esther for years. Mr. Gabler is a former thief turned dentist trying to do good.I thought the supernatural aspect of it was interesting as well. We’ve got the Queen of Halloween using a rare orange moon to pause time and turn an innocent neighborhood into Halloween forever. There are her cronies driving around town and the kids she collects and their fate with her. Plus, there’s the black cats that are the Queen of Halloween’s sworn enemies. I wish there was more information on the supernatural aspects of the story, but I’m not surprised that this isn’t something that’s further explored since it’s a book written for middle schoolers.All in all, I enjoyed this story and I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot if this is something that was published when I was in middle school myself.

This was such a fun little spooky read! Perfect for young middle graders or adults who are young at heart like myself. I also just can’t help but love any kind of book that takes place on Halloween, those are always my favourite kind of stories. This one was a different idea than I’ve seen or read before and I always appreciate an original and unique idea! My only complaint is that none of the characters really resonated with me, I enjoyed them but I didn’t fully connect with them. It is possible it was because of the age difference but I did still thoroughly enjoy the story so that’s a very minor complaint.

[4.5] This was a fun Halloween book. It reminds me of one of the good goosebumps episodes with two parts.

I listened to the audiobook of this with my kids in the car on the way to work/school and after school activities. Both of my kids really enjoyed it and I liked it too. It's a fun, not overly creepy story for kids that like Halloween.

"Esther Gold loved Halloween. Maybe you love Halloween. Maybe you dress up every year and put a lot of time and care into your costume. Maybe you watch scary movies and then can't sleep but also can't resist watching more. Maybe candy corn tastes better to you than other candy not because it tastes better (it doesn't) but because it tastes like a moment in time, like a season. But you don't love Halloween the way Esther did..."When the twisted mind behind the podcasts Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead decides to write a middle grade horror story set during Halloween, you just know it is going to be good. This coming of age story follows Esther Gold, a young girl who is (rightly) obsessed with Halloween and all things spooky. Esther is gearing up for her favorite night of the year when her parents drop a bomb on her. They think thirteen year old Esther is too old to go trick or treating. Undeterred, Esther hatches a plan to go trick or treating with her reluctant and Halloween-adverse friend, Agustín. But this Halloween is different, because in Esther's sleepy California suburb, a sinister presence is lurking. Days before Halloween, Esther begins to notice children in her neighborhood running around wearing dirty and old Halloween costumes, their faces seemingly blurred and always out of focus. Creepy delivery men in ice cream trucks taunt her and her family when they park in her neighborhood. And when Esther and Agustín return to the Gold house, only to find Esther's parents unconscious and her little sister missing, they begin to suspect something is very wrong. Unable to find any adults besides the terrifying delivery men, unable to contact 911 for help, and left to their own devices, Esther must rely on her encyclopedic knowledge of Halloween to set things right. 'The Halloween Moon' is the perfect new Halloween tale for kids and adults alike. I'm already confident in calling it a new classic and one of those books that you will see annually on seasonal title lists. Those familiar with Fink's writing might think this story will be too scary for kiddos, but it walks a fine line of being just creepy enough for young readers and still engaging for grown-ups. Highly recommend. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

well i LOVED this book — super cute coming of age story set in the best time of the year. Esther is in the toughest period of life, shes transitioning from middle school to high school, and she’s asking the most important question of that age - “to trick or treat.....or to not”. I think this book teaches some really important lessons about the necessity of change, along with a really great empathy lesson. I loved all the side characters, i even loved the little herero kid romance, and i thought this was spooky. This one is a win for me and for halloween for sure.

This audiobook helped make my weekend of adulting chores absolutely delightful, especially during a year when I can't celebrate the holiday as I'd like to. Kevin R. Free makes anything he reads good, but also the story was weird and creepy and strangely heartwarming and definitely hit the spot for someone who enjoys reliving the magic Halloween to a 13 year old.

“The darkness of it held no fear for her anymore. She knew what was in that darkness. It was the passage of time. It was herself changing. What was in the darkness was only the rest of the world, and she could handle the world.”JOSEPH FINK YOU CAN NEVER DISAPPOINT ME!!!! Just what I needed. A wonder

i cried bro

This spooky and quick little read made me excited for Halloween. Definitely a YA novel but still fun and definitely easy to get through.

A creepy, fun and quick read for anyone who loves Halloween.