Halloween Treats

Looking for a good book?

Then welcome once again to Lindenhurst Patch’s . Twice a month the Lindenhurst Memorial Library (LML) will search its extensive collection, consult the bestseller lists and provide a list of good reads designed to pique your interest.

This week Director offers a sampling of some of the best Halloween reads for kids as the spooky holiday approaches.

Missed his list of books about the, in time for football season to gear up? Visit the .

Halloween season is here, and a pumpkin patch full of new Halloween books have arrived. Scary stories, jokes and other bewitching titles abound. Here are just a few:

• The Black Heart Crypt by Chris Grabenstein, grades five to eight: Gruesome, hilarious and truly scary, the latest entry in the prize-winning Haunted Mysteries series about Zack, 11, is a great read-aloud for Halloween. In fact, that’s when it is set, on the night when ghosts get special powers, and the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest.
• The Death Catchers by Jennifer Ann Kogler, grades seven to 10: In the small town of Crabapple, CA, something bizarre happens to 14-year-old Lizzy Mortimer on Halloween. Scanning the newspaper while eating breakfast, she reads about her best friend Jodi’s death. Only Jodi is alive and well, and the text quickly disappears.
• Halloween Howlers: Frightfully Funny Knock-Knock Jokes by Michael Teitelbaum, illustrations by Jannie Ho, pre-school to grade two: Want to hear more than 25 knock-knock jokes? No? Then don’t buy this book. Those willing to have a giggle, however, will find this title adorable. Some of the jokes are predictable, and several are just retreaded for Halloween, but the majority is amusing, at least by knock-knock standards.
• Halloween Surprise by Corinne Demas, illustrations by R. W. Alley, pre-school to grade one: Determined to make her own Halloween costume, Lily tries out many ideas, but nothing seems right. Ghost? Too scary. Pumpkin? Too clumsy. Princess? Too glittery. Robot? Too bulky. But as evening falls, inspiration strikes.
• The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories by David LaRochelle, illustrations by Paul Meisel, pre-school to grade two: Father Ghost recounts three scary bedtime stories for his insomniac offspring. Spectral Uncle Ned becomes frightened when he’s mistaken for the diaper of The Scary Baby. Boastful ghoul Cousin Nell is outwitted by a mute Haunted Hamburger. And a much-younger (and wide-awake) Father Ghost endures hugging, tickling and kissing from The Big Bad Granny.
• Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree by Mary Ann Fraser, illustrations by the author, pre-school to grade two: It’s Halloween, and young Sam and Daphne, dressed as a ghost and a witch, are trick-or-treating in their suburban neighborhood. When tickets to the Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree at the local cemetery float into their hands, they join in the fun.
• Night of the Pumpkinheads by Michael J. Rosen, illustrations by Hugh McMahon, kindergarten to grade three: With Halloween just around the corner, a patch of “Jacks” (soon-to-be jack-o-lantern pumpkins) decides to hold a contest to see who could scare the most kids and be crowned head of the Jacks’ own holiday, Jack-o-Ween.
• Pumpkin Cat by Jan Thomas, pre-school to kindergarten: In a picture book that spans the seasons from Spring planting to Fall harvest, Mouse shows his friend Cat how to plant a pumpkin seed and tend the plant, then surprises her by carving a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween.
• Pumpkin Trouble by David Mackintosh, illustrations by the author, pre-school to grade two: This is a typical Thomas tale, and fortunately so. With a shiny, chartreuse and azure color palette; thickly outlined, simple shapes; and quick, word-bubble dialogue, she tells the spare, silly story of the crazy confusion that commences when Duck creates a jack-o’-lantern to surprise his friends, Pig and Mouse.

You can search for and reserve these books online at the LML website, and check them out at the library at One Lee Avenue.

Editor's Note: Please also check out how . Patch has teamed with Heidi Klum for a costume contest where your kids are center stage.

Entering is easy. Just upload a photo of your child, 12 years of age or younger, in his/her costume to Patch . Entries must be made by the parent or legal guardian of the child photographed. Full rules are .

Click for more details and to upload photos of your child in his/her costume today! Submissions must be received before 9 p.m. on Halloween night.