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The Halloween Moon

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From New York Times bestselling adult author Joseph Fink comes a wickedly fun middle grade novel about a Halloween-obsessed girl named Esther Gold, who goes out trick-or-treating for one last year, only to find her town under the thrall of a mysterious presence.

Esther Gold loves Halloween more than anything in the world. So she is determined to go trick-or-treating again this year despite the fact that her parents think she is officially too old. Esther has it all planned out, from her costume to her candy-collecting strategy. But when the night rolls around, something feels . . . off.

No one is answering their door. The moon is an unnatural shade of orange. Strange children wander the streets, wearing creepy costumes that might not be costumes at all. And it seems like the only people besides Esther who are awake to see it all are her best friend, her school bully, and her grown-up next-door neighbor.

Together, this unlikely crew must find a way to lift the curse that has been placed upon their small town before it's too late. Because someone is out to make sure Halloween never comes to an end. And even Esther doesn't want to be trapped in this night forever.

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  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      June 15, 2021
      Sometimes the scariest thing is growing up. Halloween-loving Esther, who is implied Ashkenazi Jewish and White, has had her bat mitzvah, which makes her an adult in religious terms, but she's not ready to let go of trick-or-treating, even when her parents say otherwise. She's also not ready to move on to high school or to do anything about her feelings for her best friend, Agust�n, whose name may cue him as Latinx. But when the Queen of Halloween freezes their neighborhood in permanent Halloween, Esther finds herself reconsidering the value of forward momentum. Fink, of Welcome to Night Vale podcast fame, tries to do a lot with his creepy premise, but heavy-handed, meaning-laden passages--for example, digressions about neighbors as Esther and friends flee through yards chased by a villain flinging razor-bristling apples--slow the pace to a crawl and leave little for the reader to discover. Esther is joined in her fight against the Halloween Queen (who has sent the adults into a magical Dream and stolen the children) by Agust�n; Korean American Christian bully Sasha; and seemingly boring, default White dentist Mr. Gabler, all of whom serve as foils for Esther's emotional growth as she learns to see past the surface. This reads like two books uneasily combined: one about growing up and discovering people's value and the other a horror story with a fantastic sense of place and some wonderfully shivery (and not entirely resolved) details. Disappointingly fails to coalesce. (Horror. 11-14)

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      July 1, 2021
      Grades 5-8 You're never too old to go trick-or-treating. That's a core belief for 13-year-old Esther Gold, the main character of this middle-grade debut from Fink, creator of the popular podcast Welcome to Nightvale. Esther's practically obsessed with Halloween--it was the theme of her bat mitzvah, after all--but her parents think she is too old for trick-or-treating. And when she sneaks out with her best friend, August�n, anyway, things do not go as planned. They encounter an eerie Halloween moon and a queen who can put everyone in their neighborhood to sleep, except for a dentist and the school bully. Fink folds in Esther's fear of change for some nice emotional grounding, but being trapped in a dream forever with no possibility of ever growing up is even scarier. There's plenty of humor to complement the creepy atmosphere, with monsters wearing monster costumes, scary ice cream truck drivers, and a dentist who wasn't always a dentist. Kids captivated by Katherine Arden's Small Spaces (2018) will find a similar blend of chilling tales, hair-raising adventures, and deeper themes here.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      September 3, 2021

      Gr 5 Up-Thirteen-year-old Esther Gold, who is Jewish, is into Halloween like other kids are into Christmas. When her parents tell her she's too old for trick-or-treating, she sneaks out with her best friend Augustin. But this is no ordinary night of trick-or-treating-the pair discover the whole town has been put under a sleeping spell except for her boring adult white male dentist neighbor and a Korean girl from her school who bullies her. The quartet is pursued by horror-style food truck drivers throwing razor blade-studded apples and robot trick-or-treaters breaking into the house, eventually discovering the Queen of Halloween has frozen the town in a permanent state of the holiday. It's up to the four of them to figure out how to fix it. Unfortunately, this title seems to be confused about its own theme. It opens with a girl who loves Halloween because Halloween is a story and she loves stories. This is conveyed by cerebral passages that seem overly sophisticated and not quite comprehensible. Then it's about a girl who's not ready to grow up: she wants to keep trick-or-treating and isn't ready for a budding romance with her best friend. The themes never really come together, and what might have been a rollicking thriller plods along at a painfully tedious pace. Additionally, the character's identities feel tacked on and are referred to mostly as needed for plot points. VERDICT A title whose themes don't quite come together in the end, yielding more trick than treat. Not recommended.-Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles P.L.

      Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Kevin R. Free's spirited characterizations and enthusiastic pacing heighten this endearing spooky adventure. Esther Gold can't wait for this year's festivities, but she's not the only being who wants Halloween to last forever. The Queen of Halloween and her henchpeople have trapped Esther's hometown in their curse, and they will kill, enchant, and kidnap as many villagers as it takes to keep the night from ending. Free's delivery and range are commendable. He chills listeners with his cruel villains, then cheers audiences with courageous Esther, kindhearted best friend Agust�n, brash enemy-turned-ally Sasha, and not-as-mundane-as-he-seems dentist, Mr. Gabler. Free blends otherworldly danger and real-life issues to stirring effect. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      October 1, 2021

      Gr 3-7-Esther may be 13 years old, but she knows in her heart that she is not too old to trick or treat. But this year everything is weird. No one is there to pass out candy, and even the moon looks different, more like a pumpkin. The few people Esther finds are asleep, except her best friend, her nemesis from school, and the local dentist. These four people may be all that separates their neighborhood from an infinite curse. Listeners will discover that these characters are more than what they seem, and as they bond during the hardship, they learn more about themselves and one another. Kevin R. Free's narration makes it fun to relax and just experience the story. VERDICT A great stand-alone read that you don't need to wait for the fall holiday to enjoy. It will make a good addition to middle school or public library collections.-Elizabeth Kenyon, Merrillville H.S., IN

      Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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