Jessica Wakefield is in big trouble! She told all her friends at school that the Wakefield's house was haunted. Now everyone wants to see Jessica's ghost. Jessica's twin sister, Elizabeth, comes up with the perfect plan they'll have a party with a special appearance by a make-believe ghost. But the Halloween party is even scarier than the twins expected. Have Jessica and Elizabeth been outsmarted? Or is the Wakefield house really haunted?

Halloween is the most popular holiday of the year in small-town Hallowsville. While most are looking forward to the festivities, costumes, and treats, frenemies Joy and Ava are focused solely on winning the annual spookiest yard décor competition. Joy has won the contest five years in a row, so she’s convinced her Zombieland graveyard theme will undoubtedly earn her first place yet again. Then word spreads that Ava—determined to ditch her never-ending second place status—has a spectacular plan up her sleeve that’s bound to secure the big trophy. This news throws Joy into a tizzy, and she creates a new outrageously gory concept that’s bound to turn heads and stomachs. Tensions amongst the competing neighbors intensify when Kevin, a handsome divorcé, moves to town and joins the competition’s panel of judges. The stress to impress runs high between Joy and Ava as they do whatever it takes to win both the contest and Kevin’s heart.

This Halloween, hell comes to Laurel City. Laurel City doesn't celebrate Halloween and Mike Dawson wants to change that. New in town, he's going to throw the biggest Halloween party the town has ever seen. But Reverend David Laurel stands in his way. Laurel is a direct descendant of the founder of the town, and Halloween is more than just a celebration of sin. It is a direct attack on control of his city, and he won't surrender it without a fight. Mike and his children are drawn into a feud over the holiday, and Mike won't back down despite pressure from Laurel. And then the killings start. The town is thrown into chaos by brutal murders, and Laurel blames them on the sinful holiday. But Laurel has a secret. Deep in his church lies an ancient book, bound in red leather. It contains terrible power, written in an inhuman language. Reverend Laurel will do anything to stop Halloween. Including summoning demons. The question isn't if Laurel City will have a Halloween. The question is if the town will survive it.

"A vivid, moving and sometimes funny account of the reality of life during Russia's invasion," Marc Bennetts, The Times "Uplifting and utterly defiant," Matt Nixson, Daily Express "No-one with the slightest interest in this war, or the nation on which it is being waged, should fail to read Andrey Kurkov," Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail "For centuries, attempts have been made to force Ukrainians to forget their native language, to stop singing Ukrainian songs and to abandon their history. For almost 400 years, Russia has been fighting against Ukrainian identity." Ten years on from the annexation of Crimea, two years on from Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people continue to fight back. In the second volume of his war diaries, Andrey Kurkov gives a fresh perspective on a people for whom resistance and solidarity have become a matter of survival. Our Daily War is a chronological record of the heterogeneous mix that comprises Ukrainian life and thought in the teeth of Russian aggression, from the constant stress of air raids, the deportation of citizens from the occupied regions and the whispers of governmental corruption to Christmas celebrations, crowdfunding and the recipe for a "trench candle". Kurkov's human's-eye view on the war in Ukraine is by turns bitingly satirical, tragic, humorous and heartfelt. It is also, in the manner of Pepys, an invaluable insight into the history, politics and culture of Ukraine. Our Daily War is the ideal primer for anyone who would like to know what life is like in that country today. "Andrey Kurkov [is] one of the most articulate ambassadors to the West for the situation in his homeland," Sam Leith, Spectator "Immediate and important ... From the grim incredulity at Russians massing on the border to the displacement of millions of people, this is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary. It is also about survival, hope and humanity," Helen Davies, The Times "Ukraine's greatest novelist is fighting for his country," Giles Harvey, New York Times "The author's on-the-ground account is packed with surprising details about the human effects of the Russian assault ... His voice is genial but also impassioned, never more so than when deploring Putin's efforts to erase Ukrainian culture and history. Ukraine, he says, "will either be free, independent and European, or it will not exist at all". That's why the war has to be fought, with no concession of territory. And he remains quietly hopeful that it will be won," Blake Morrison, Guardian

"Lesley Bannatyne's fascinating book . . . will be widely appealing to anyone who ever wondered where witches, trick-or-treating, and jack-o-lanterns really came from. It is by far the best book on the history of Halloween available today."--Alison Guss, senior producer,"The Haunted History of Halloween," The History Channel"An excellent resource for research into the history of holidays...in the United States...Highly Recommended."--The Book Report"Deserves attention as a recommended library acquisition with years of 'life' to its information."--The Midwest Book Review"Overflows with rich and provocative details of ritual, feasts, superstition, and devilment." --North Carolina Historical ReviewHalloween has evolved from the Celtic celebrations of 2,000 years ago to become today the fastest-growing holiday in the country. This, the only book to completely cover All Hallow's Eve, from its beginnings to the present, examines the ancient origins as well as its traditions and celebrations, from costuming to bobbing for apples. Jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches are explained. Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins lurk behind every page.The book traces the contributions of America's immigrants to the holiday, documenting the beliefs each ethnic group has added to the mix. Related recipes, poems, songs, and photos perfectly complement the meticulously documented text. The result is the most educational and entertaining examination of Halloween, its myths, and its truths.

"A sophisticated yet playful celebration of all things macabre, morbid and marvelous . . . Bannatyne makes a great case for celebrating Halloween everyday, all year long. . . . It's an energetic, thorough and breathless salute to everyone's favorite horror holiday." -Chris Alexander, editor in chief, Fangoria magazine "No one else has delved so deeply-and lovingly-into the mysteries of Halloween." -Dr. Jeanne Keyes Youngson, president and founder, the Vampire Empire It took two years of investigative work for Halloween authority Lesley Pratt Bannatyne to add a fifth book to her collection. Traveling across the country, she visited and talked with fanatics and fang makers, professional haunters, registered mediums, psychologists, and Halloween enthusiasts ranging from NPR's Garrison Keillor to Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" writer Mike Reiss to find out what the increasingly popular holiday means to people and how they celebrate it. Through the course of her research, Bannatyne attended a seance for Houdini, a Samhain ritual gathering, a World Zombie Day event, and the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention (HAuNTcon). Diving right into the heart of how fear turned into a form of entertainment, she asks hard-hitting questions: What kind of community does twenty-first-century Halloween create? Why are we so afraid of dead bodies? In the battle between Christmas and Halloween fought by Zombie Clauses, who deserves to win?

Eddie Bereskin wants to change the world and stop the war, instead his life unravels after he is arrested on a Halloween protest in 2002. An incredible story about loss and hope set in London, Eddie the Kid takes us to the anti-war movement and two generations of activists, where, amid rioting and arrests, the destinies of Eddie and his sister Esther have been shaped. ,

Collects Thor (2018) #7-11. The stage is set for the War of the Realms! Thor has battled through Hel, but now finds himself a prisoner of the fearsome warriors of Heven! Can even the intervention of Valkyrie and Thor’s deadly sister, Angela, help the Thunder God escape the inescapable prison of angels? Meanwhile, with S.H.I.E.L.D. gone, Roz Solomon has been left adrift — but she’s about to take on a surprising new role and make a million new enemies. For war is coming — and the invasion of Earth may have already begun! As Malekith targets all there is, will Odin be left as the All-Father of Nothing? Plus: Centuries ago, Odin was determined to keep a young Thor away from Midgard for good — and Loki knew just the way to do it!

A Washington Post Best Children's Book This book for young readers explores in riveting detail the false panic created by the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938—as well as the repercussions of "fake news" today. On the night of October 30, 1938, thousands of Americans panicked when they believed that Martians had invaded Earth. What appeared to be breaking news about an alien invasion was in fact a radio drama based on H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players. Some listeners became angry once they realized they had been tricked, and the reaction to the broadcast sparked a national discussion about fake news, propaganda, and the role of radio. In this compelling nonfiction chapter book, Gail Jarrow explores the production of the broadcast, the aftermath, and the concept of "fake news" in the media.