6 Movies to Watch This Fall For Classic Autumn and Halloween Vibes

Happy first day of autumn!

Autumn is my favourite time of year. Fairy lights and fireplaces and Halloween, oh my! I love the cooler days, the cozy feeling of wrapping up in a blanket or wearing a favourite sweater, pumpkin- and apple-flavoured everything, that crisp scent of fallen leaves and fresh air. Included in my love of all things fall are movies set in the season. I've compiled a list of my six favourites, some of which are Halloween-y and others that bring the cozy autumn vibes. The list is short, but there should be something here for everyone!

All the fall romcom feels:

 

Runaway Bride

Released in July 1999

 

For many people, when they think of classic romcom pairings, they think of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. For me, it’s Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Pretty Woman is a classic for many reasons, but my favourite movie of theirs - and one of my all-time favourite movies, period - is Runaway Bride. I watch it every autumn (and multiple times throughout the year too) because of the gorgeous shots of fall foliage in the adorable fictional small town of Hale, Maryland (which is actually Berlin, Maryland). I love the chemistry and banter between Roberts and Gere’s characters, plus there are some wonderfully quotable lines, great side characters (Hector Elizondo, Rita Wilson, Joan Cusack, Christopher Meloni, and Paul Dooley, just to name a few), and the soundtrack is one of my favourites.  It was directed by Garry Marshall, so you know it has a lot of heart and humour.

 

 

You’ve Got Mail

Released in December 1998

 

Going back to what I said about classic pairings a minute ago: the reason Tom and Meg don’t immediately come to mind for me is because I only finally saw You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle over the summer. I know, I know, I call myself a romcom lover and I hadn’t seen two of the most classic movies ever? Well, I finally fixed that and I absolutely loved You’ve Got Mail. I love that the movie opens on fall in New York, and this great line from Meg’s character, Kathleen: “Don't you love New York in the fall? Makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address”. There’s just something so cozy about this movie - the fairy lights, Kathleen’s bookshop, the shots on the streets of New York. I still can’t believe I waited 22 years to watch this movie, but I’ll definitely be watching it again very soon.

 

Witchy Goodness:

Practical Magic

Released in October 1998

 

Midnight margaritas, anyone? I’ll admit I’ve never read Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, but I love the movie. It’s this sort of odd mixture of light and fluffy with darker elements that shouldn’t work and yet somehow it does. It’s funny because if you watch the trailer, you’d think it was your average lighthearted, sexy romcom with some magical elements, but there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments and some pretty disturbing ones too. I love movies (and books) that bring the emotion along with the giggles and swoons (swoons courtesy of Aidan Quinn in this case), and this movie definitely does that.

 

 

Hocus Pocus

Released in July 1993

 

Unlike many people who grew up in the late 80s/early 90s, I didn’t see this movie until just a few years ago (are you seeing the pattern here? I’m perpetually behind with movies). I immediately understood why it was a favourite for people of all ages - it’s hilarious, has a touch of romance, lots of action, and some great quotable lines. It’s basically the ultimate Halloween movie. 

 

 

Classic Nostalgia:

Okay, so to be fair, the other movies are nostalgic too, considering they’re all from the 90s, but these two were top favourites when I was younger, and remain favourites today.

 

Casper

Released in May 1995

I was obsessed with this movie. I remember seeing it in the theatre and being completely enchanted. There was something about Christina Ricci’s portrayal of Kat that really intrigued me. I think in a way, I could see myself in her; we were close in age, I’d lost a parent less than a year before this movie came out. I loved her and I loved everything else about the movie - that amazing house, Casper himself (I still can’t hear the words “Can I keep you?” without choking up), the dynamics between Kat and her dad, Casper’s completely obnoxious uncles - just everything. This movie is funny, has so much heart, and it’s wonderfully creepy in a kid-friendly/PG way. My niece and nephew (six and ten) love this one too, which makes me happy beyond words.

 

 

Labyrinth

Released in June 1986

 

This one isn’t fall or Halloween themed, but the magical elements, various creatures, Goblin City, and other things make it perfect for this time of year in my opinion. I was only two when this movie came out, so I haven’t been watching it my whole life, but pretty close. It was one of my first favourites, and I made my parents rent the VHS endless times (anyone else remember the days of renting movies because it was basically unheard of to buy them yourself?). 

 

There’s just so much to love about this movie: the music (I’m actually listening to “Magic Dance” as I type this, and “As The World Falls Down” is one of my all-time favourite songs), the costumes, the characters. Jim Henson’s creations mixed perfectly with the real people - David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly were so perfectly cast as the Goblin King and Sarah.

 

Bonus: On my must-watch list this year:

Remember how I said I’m perpetually behind on movies? Two of the movies on my must-watch list this year are classic fan-favourites that I have no good reason for not watching before now. Thanks to Disney+ I’ll have no excuses this year, and I’m determined to finally watch The Nightmare Before Christmas (released October 1993) and Halloweentown (released October 1998).

See any favourites on this list? What movies do you associate with fall or love to watch in the autumn or around Halloween?

{Bookstagram || Instagram || Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest}

*Please note I'm an Amazon affiliate, and some of the links in this post are affiliate links. All income made through affiliate sales goes directly back into maintaining Ramblings of a Daydreamer. Thank you for your support!

The Daydreamer's Ramblings: Books We Once Loved

The Daydreamer’s Ramblings is a semi-regular feature here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. It ranges from discussion posts to rants to raves.

 

I think many of us have reread books we loved as children, whether they’re actual children’s books, middle grade or teen books, or maybe even classics. There’s a curiosity there - maybe you don’t remember certain details of the story, or perhaps you simply remember loving it as a child or teen and now as an adult you want to remember what it was you loved so much.

Last year I reread Anne of Green Gables for the first time since I was in my early teens. I loved the book then, I still love the movies, and I was certain I would love reading Anne as an adult, and I did. In fact, I think I loved it even more as an adult.

But there are other books I’ve been wanting to reread that I’m a bit wary of trying. For whatever reason, they meant a lot to me when I originally read them, but what if I hate them now? Blogging has made me a more critical reader, as has being a writer and editor. What if the things that drew me to a book when I was fifteen repel me now? What if the characters are silly or the plot is lacking and I end up wondering what on earth 15-year-old me had been thinking?

As part of the Spring of Sarah Dessen Reading Challenge (have you signed up yet, by the way? It runs until June!), I’m reading (or rereading in some cases) all of Sarah’s books, and I’m doing it in the order of publication. I’ve already read That Summer, and now it’s time to read Someone Like You.

When I was 15 or 16, I read Someone Like You and it spoke to me like very few books had before. The main character was me - her thoughts, her actions, everything - her best friend was my best friend and her boyfriend was my boyfriend. It was uncanny. It was one of those books that you’re sure somehow the author wrote just for you, and at a time when you needed it desperately. To this day, when someone asks me what my favourite books are, Someone Like You is on my short list.

But I’m scared to reread it. I read it twice, maybe even three times when I was a teen, and I even had my best friend read it because it was ‘our’ story. But it’s been about thirteen years since I read it, and I worry how I’ll feel about it now - this story that I sort of put on a pedestal for the last decade plus. I keep looking at it sitting on my shelf (my original 1998 copy, by the way) and I can’t bring myself to pick it up. I need to get moving if I’m going to read all of Sarah’s books before June, but I can’t seem to make myself do it.

There are at least half a dozen books from my teens I plan to reread this year and while I feel slight trepidation, none of them are hitting me on an emotional level the way this one is. I know it’s probably silly, and I’m sure I’ll love it as much as I did back then, but I can’t help but think ‘What if I don’t?’

Has this ever happened to you? Have you reread a book you once loved and ended up hating it or feeling indifferent toward it?

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog} {Subscribe to my author newsletter}

The Making History Project

Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch (read my review here) and The Archived (which comes out in January) is doing this thing called the Making History Project, where she's sharing a memory every week until the release of The Archived. She's asked people to join in and share their memories - either by making a video or a blog post. I think this is a really cool idea - sharing bits of our histories - so I made a video.

{GoodReads || Pre-order on Amazon || Pre-order on The Book Depository}

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

What's one of your favourite memories?

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog}

Book Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Series: Standalone

Published: July 31st, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen/Mira Ink

393 pages (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: Won from Mira Ink Facebook page

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Book Depository || Amazon}

Synopsis: So wrong for each other...and yet so right.
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

 

Pushing the Limits was another in a long line of books that has been getting absolute rave reviews. Every time I see a book like this and it piques my curiosity, I wonder ‘can it really be that good?’ Yes. Yes, it can. ‘Good’ doesn’t even begin to describe this book.

This novel is a story about love - and not just romantic love, but all the different kinds of love we experience in life. This book made me cry, made me laugh, broke my heart, pieced it back together, made me angry, and made me fall in love.

Echo is scarred, physically and emotionally. Just months after losing her brother, she was brutally attacked, leaving her arms scarred and her memory of that entire day blank. Her whole world has been turned upside down - her family is a mess, she lost most of her friends when she became an outsider, and she has more emotional issues than she knows what to do with. But then there’s Noah. Badass, sexy as hell Noah who’s all wrong for her, but who she quickly learns has emotional scars, too.

I connected with Echo instantly. She had such a genuine voice, and right from the beginning it was obvious she was lost, broken, and haunted. I cried for her, I cheered for her, I wanted so badly for her to be whole again and to have the life she deserved. She was such a strong character, and I felt like I was right there with her as she evolved.

Noah is so much more than he appears. Smart, funny, and loving, he’s just as broken as Echo in so many ways. He’s full of anger and bitterness because of the way his life turned out, and when someone gets too close or too personal he knows exactly the right buttons to push to make them back off, even if it means making them hurt the way he hurts. All he cares about in life are his two little brothers - they were split up from Noah after their parents died, and while Noah went through foster care hell, his brothers were put in another home. Noah's entire life is about them, and his devotion and love for them touched my heart deeply and made me cry more than once. Then when he opens his heart to Echo and shows her that same love and devotion, there was no turning back: I was completely in love with Noah. He wanted so badly to be the man his brothers and Echo needed and deserved, and the things he thought and said and did alternately broke my heart and melted it.

The dual perspective of this book was the perfect choice. We got to see deep inside both Echo’s and Noah’s hearts and minds, and while most of us are probably used to books from female perspectives, I’m a fan of books from a male POV, and I think it’s quite possible that Noah had the most authentic voice of any male character I’ve read to date. I felt every emotion - every moment of anger, hurt, triumph, and love from both of them. Echo and Noah needed each other. They balanced each other out, helped each other, healed each other. 

Noah and Echo weren’t the only amazing characters. Every single character in this book had their moment to shine or fail. We got a chance to really know each character, their habits, their fears, their personalities. Every character in this book was memorable.

Powerful, raw, emotional, and sexy, Pushing the Limits is full of ups and downs. There’s no sugarcoating, and no avoiding the hard and painful lessons that life often throws at us. Echo and Noah don’t only find each other, they find themselves, and in the process you’re given a story that is so beautiful, so heartbreaking, and yet so inspiring, you’re not likely to ever forget it. This book makes you believe that love - true, unconditional love, whether it’s for family, friends, or lovers - can overcome just about anything. It also cemented one thing I’ve known my entire life - family is not just about blood. Sometimes you create your own family from the people who love you and are there for you no matter what.

*If I could give this book more than five stars, I would! I'm thinking of coming up with a special rating for favourite books - maybe something like 'The Daydreamer's Award of Excellence' - this book would definitely receive that award!*

Have you read Pushing the Limits? What did you think? How do you feel about really raw, emotional YA? Do you have any similar books you'd recommend?

Reading Inspiration

Today is the one-year anniversary of my Grama's death. I won't go into it too much, because I wrote this post on my other blog, but I wanted to acknowledge it here on my book blog as well because she's a big part of the reason I do what I do.

I come from a family of readers. My mum loves to read, and my dad and grandparents loved to read. I had tons of books as a kid, and often got books as presents. I loved it when my parents or Grama read to me. Before my dad died, we had this weekly routine where we went to the post office, which was in the back of a drug store that had a kids' book display. Every week I was allowed to choose a new Berenstein Bear book. I collected all the ones written up to 1994 and a few afterward, and I still have them. They're well-worn and well-loved, and they're my go-to book when I have kids around.

My love of reading fuelled my love of writing. I don't think I would have become a writer if I hadn't been such an avid reader, so I have my parents and grandparents - my mum and Grama in particular - to thank for that. Reading has always been a natural part of life. When my Grama was in the nursing home, the library had a program where they sent large print books to seniors every three weeks. She could read eight library books in those three weeks, and often had to have us bring her more, or the nurses would bring books in for her, or she'd go down the library in the nursing home and pick something (this was as well as knitting, painting, and participating in all the activities in the nursing home). 

She read right up until the time she died. In fact, two nights before she died, while she was in the hospital confined to bed and couldn't see well enough to read or hold up a book, she said to my mum and me 'I'm so annoyed, wasting all this time lying here when I could be reading or painting or knitting.' We cracked up, and still talk about that to this day. She loved to be busy, and she loved to lose herself in a good book. Oh, did I mention that she was almost 100 when she died?

I feel really blessed to have grown up in a home that encouraged reading. It makes me sad to see kids today that are hooked on video games, computers, TVs, and other gadgets. My ten-year-old nephew is one of those kids and whenever he's away from his electronics, he complains constantly about being bored. My response: "READ A BOOK!" He just shrugs; he's not growing up in a house that encourages reading, so it's foreign to him and that breaks my heart. I've always said that when I have kids, I'll be reading to them while they're in the womb! I want them to experience the pleasure reading has brought me - it's been an escape, it's kept me sane, and it's helped me travel the world when I'm stuck in my little city.

Who or what inspired you to read? A family member? A teacher? A friend? Something/someone else? I'd love hear from you!

 

Canadian Spotlight Month: Book Review + Giveaway - Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables, Book #1

Published: August 1st, 1983 (originally published in 1908)

Publisher: Seal Books

308 pages (paperback)

Genre: Classic, young adult, coming-of-age

Acquired this book: As a gift

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Purchase this book: Book Depository || Amazon}

Synopsis: As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected--a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special--a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

I don’t know if I can call this a review so much as a tribute to the awesomeness that is Anne of Green Gables. As a Canadian, this book is practically required reading. I’m not sure how old I was when I originally read it, but I remember loving it, and I loved the movies, as well as the TV spin-off, Road to Avonlea.

For those of you who haven’t read this book (what are you waiting for?!), it follows Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl who comes to Avonlea, a village on Prince Edward Island, to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at Green Gables. The Cuthbert siblings thought they were getting a boy to help on the farm, but instead what they got was Anne. They originally wanted to send her back, but quickly realized she needed a good home, so they kept her. The story follows Anne’s adventures (or misadventures) from the time she’s 11 to the time she’s just over 16. 

Anne…oh, Anne, where do I begin? Anne has an imagination like no other, and it runs away with her more often than not. She lives in a dream world of her own making, which often gets her into trouble because it makes her forgetful and ‘featherbrained’ as Marilla says. It was hilarious how much she talked, and how many times her train of thought derailed during one speech. There were times when she would talk for two pages straight, and no matter what she was on about, it always made me laugh.

She was so innocent, and even though she thought she was often wretched or bad or unable to be the good little girl Matthew and Marilla deserved, she tugged at my heart stings like no other character has ever done. Unbelievably smart, unintentionally funny, eager to please, and a loyal friend, Anne is an unforgettable character. As a child (and still as an adult), I desperately wished I’d had Anne in my life to be my kindred spirit and bosom friend.

My Anne of Green Gables collection

This book is so beautifully written. I could picture everything so clearly, and when I went to Prince Edward Island as a child, I fell in love with it the way Anne did. I felt like I was seeing it through her eyes - everything so lovely and wonderful and alive. The descriptions, the dialogue, just everything about this book make it such a pleasure to read.

Anne isn’t the only character who makes this book come alive. Matthew and Marilla are brilliant. Matthew made my heart melt with his shyness, and then his intense love and devotion to Anne. Marilla made me laugh with her sarcasm and how exasperated she would get over the foolish, careless things Anne did, but it was obvious she loved Anne, despite herself. Diana - well, everyone needs a friend like Diana. Loyal and true like Anne, Diana would have done - and did do - anything for Anne. Rachel Lynde, the girls at school, Mrs. Allan, Miss Stacy - every character had a purpose and made this story that much richer.

Then there’s Gilbert. This book was written over a hundred years ago, but Ms Montgomery knew how to write a swoonworthy boy. We didn’t actually get to see that much of him, but what we did see made it impossible not to fall in love with him. His initial teasing of Anne led to her hating him for years and refusing to forgive him. That was the one thing about Anne that drove me crazy - I kept thinking ‘forgive him already!’ Her pride tended to get the better of her, but despite that, it was always comical to see how she’d deal with things.

Despite Anne acting like he didn’t exist, Gilbert still tried, and he clearly cared about her more than even Anne’s active imagination could comprehend. Even though I’ve seen the movies and know what happens, I can’t wait to read Anne of Avonlea and see where things go with Anne and Gilbert. You just know their love story will be one of epic proportions.

This book made me laugh (and laugh and laugh), cry, cheer, and wish for the simpler times in life. To me, nothing will ever compare to Anne of Green Gables.

Have you read Anne of Green Gables?
This question is one of the extra entries in the giveaway, but if you're not entering the giveaway, I'd still love to hear from you: have you ever had a bosom friend or found a kindred spirit like Anne did with Diana?
 

For a long time now, I’ve wished I had tons of money so that every time I loved a book I could share it with at least one other person through a giveaway. Well, because I love Anne of Green Gables so much, and because it has such a special place in my heart, I decided to share the love and give away a copy.

Giveaway details:

*To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The only mandatory entry is that you follow Ramblings of a Daydreamer - the others are for those who like extra chances to win.

*This giveaway will remain open until July 31st at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random, contacted, and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

*Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

This post has been part of the Canadian Spotlight Month. Click the graphic below to check out the schedule and all things Canadian here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. 

Books That Made Me Love Reading - Outside Over There

This post is part of the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge.

I had hoped to read a novel for the challenge this month, but I haven't gotten as much reading done in February as usual, so I ended up reading another childhood favorite: Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak.

Most people probably know Maurice Sendak best as the author of Where The Wild Things Are. I know I read that book as a child, but I don’t really remember much about it, and I never owned it. The Maurice Sendak book I loved was Outside Over There.

This story is about Ida, who sets off into ‘Outside Over There’ to rescue her baby sister after she's kidnapped by goblins, who leave a changeling made of ice in her place. 

I was obsessed with this book as a child, but to be perfectly honest, as an adult I’m not really sure why I enjoyed this book so much back then. Granted, I liked some pretty weird things. My mum was always saying how my taste in books and movies ran to the creepy and disturbing, and this book is definitely those things.

I guess maybe my love of this book had to do with Ida’s independent spirit and her bravery. To set out alone after her baby sister, into an unknown world, and to use her creativity and imagination to get her sister back was an intriguing concept. Reading it now, I find myself thinking ‘huh?’ The rhythm of the words is strange; it doesn’t really flow like most children’s books, but perhaps that’s part of the appeal. The illustrations are both beautiful and creepy, and as a visual person, I’m sure that was part of why I loved it as a child. Also, I've always had a vivid imagination, so I guess I liked the idea of a fantasy world, and a quest. 

Book details:

Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak

Published: February 28th, 1989 (It's kind of freaky that I'm reading this book on the 23rd anniversary of its publication!)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Buy this book: Amazon || Book Depository

 

Have you read this book? What did you think? Have you read Maurice Sendak's other books?

Books That Made Me Love Reading - The Berenstain Bears

When I signed up for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge, I knew the first book I'd read would be a Berenstain Bears book by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Those were the books I loved best as a kid - I remember my mum, dad, and Grama reading them to me, and then when I learned to read, I would read the books to them. I'm sure part of the fond memories of these books tie into the fact that my dad bought most of my collection, and he died when I was ten. I used to choose one every time we went to the post office, which was situated in the back of a small department-type store. 

I loved the Berenstain Bear books because they were relateable for me. Their family was my family - mother, father, older brother, and little sister. Any important life lesson or value you needed to learn as a child was found in these books - friendship, honesty, trust, responsibility, you name it. 

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat was always my favorite of the series, probably because I've been obsessed with Halloween for as long as I can remember. The book was first published in 1989, and that's likely the year I got it. I've read it so many times over the years, it's falling apart. I loved the story itself, the illustrations, everything.

So, re-reading this book as an adult, did it live up to my memory of it? Absolutely. I had the book pretty much memorized as a kid, and as I began to read it the words came back to me. These are the first few lines:

"The sights and sounds of autumn were all around as Mama Bear pushed her shopping cart along the path that led to the Bear family's tree house. The trees and shrubs were ablaze with colour. Farmer Ben's pumpkins stood bright orange in the October sun. The crows cawed noisily as they searched the stubble for bits of corn. Wild geese in great V-formations honked high in the sky as they flew south."

~The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstein~

Doesn't that evoke such great, vivid imagery? I love that it's not over-simplified or 'dumbed down' like so many children's books.

In the story, this will be the first year that Brother and Sister get to go trick-or-treating with just their friends, and no adults along. Mama and Papa set down rules like staying in the neighbourhood and not eating any candy until they return home. The main lesson of the book is that appearances can be deceiving - a scary costume hides a normal person, and some people who appear to be something (like the 'witch' who lives down the road in a 'gnarled, twisted old tree house') aren't always what they appear to be. I think that's a very important lesson for kids (and possibly some adults I know, haha). 

I still love this book now as much as I did when I was a kid. I haven't decided on next month's childhood favorite yet; it's a toss-up between On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt and Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.

Book details:

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Published: August 12th, 1989

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Buy this book: Amazon || Book Depository