Charlie Bumpers vs. the Squeaking Skull

July 15, 2014
Award-winning storyteller Harley serves up hilarious high jinks squirming with Halloween trouble.Charlie Bumpers is back on the scene, scaring himself into another life lesson with his fourth-grade friends. Tommy and Charlie always take their pesky little sisters trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. This year, though, the boys make big plans to wangle an invitation to their friend Alex's party. Every kid dreams of snatching up full-sized candy bars in those upscale neighborhoods. But when Charlie discovers that the scariest movie ever will be shown at the sleepover, panic ensues. In an effort to prepare Charlie for the movie, older brother Matt gleefully shares the story of Simon Purslip, the long-fingered man who snatched people off the streets. The emotions shown in Gustavson's ink-and-wash illustrations propel the storytelling further. Harley deftly covers the territory of unintended consequences, as a boy with good intentions ends up with a stolen costume idea, scary stories every day of the week and even less candy than before. Readers will empathize with the fear of being the most frightened kid in the room. Charlie's thoughts and feelings are universal, making his realistic situation a learning experience for more than just the main character.Life is the best teacher, and if Charlie can survive all the troubles that come his way, maybe others can too. (Fiction. 7-10)

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October 1, 2014
Grades 2-4 In this third Charlie Bumpers book, Charlie is torn in a few directions as Halloween approaches. Part of him wants to trick-or-treat with his friends instead of his younger sister, Mabel. Another part, though, actually enjoys his sister's company. He is also busy making his own costume, a bat with wings fashioned from a broken umbrella. And finally, he is wondering if he can make it through a friend's Halloween-night screening of a reputedly terrifying movie, The Shrieking Skull. Harley develops all of Charlie's concerns with a nice sense of balance and levity, and Gustavson's uncommonly good spot illustrations are frequent, adding notes of creepiness or humor at all the right places in the narrative.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
Charlie has high expectations for Halloween: he has a creative homemade bat costume and plans to trick-or-treat with friends during a sleepover party. When both the party and the costume fall flat, Charlie weathers his disappointment well, and he's pleasantly surprised by the emotional support of friends and family. Occasional ink and watercolor illustrations highlight the installment's funniest moments.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)