TRICK-OR-TREAT ON MILTON STREET

Charley can’t believe his bad luck: not only does he have to go trick-or-treating in his new and boring neighborhood, but because his mom is sick, he has to go with Dave, his new stepfather who is always doing goofy things to embarrass him. After visiting houses populated with vampires, cowgirls, and witches, Charley and Dave return home to find that Charley’s mother is not sick at all and that everyone they met along the way has turned up at his house for a surprise party. He’s learned that things are not always as they seem and that maybe Dave isn’t so bad after all. Behind the Halloween tale is an important lesson about giving new things and new people a chance, even if they seem hopeless at first. The colorful illustrations of the neighbors, especially the rather large man in the pink tutu, will make children laugh, but readers looking for a typical Halloween story will end up wondering who took the fun out of Halloween. Though it seems to have its heart in the right place, somehow the moral comes out forced. (Picture book. 5-7)