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Book Review: It’s Hall-Lore-Ween Again! by Josh Spero, illustrated by TT Hernandez and Aldo Avilar

It’s Hall-Lore-Ween Again! by Josh Spero, illustrated by TT Hernandez and Aldo Avilar

Castle Bridge Media, 2025

ISBN: 9798991785570

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

Josh Spero has taken the winning formula from Hall-Lore-Ween, his first collection of spooky stories for kids, and improved it for the sequel.  Like the first, this one features short tales, poems, and illustrations.  This time there are fewer tales, they are longer, and they are oriented towards a slightly older audience.  The first one worked well for roughly grades 1-3, but this one feels like it would be a better fit for grades 3-6.  Most important, it has all the charm and whimsy of the first one.

 

The book consists of three tales and six poems, slotted into 171 pages.  The story length is significantly increased this time, which allows for greater character development.  Similar to the first book, the stories are spook stories for a young audience, and they again rely on universal themes, such as love, loyalty, righting a wrong, and so on, to provide tales with a bit of creep, usually with an uplifting ending.  Let’s take a look at what’s under the hood.

 

“The Kings of Halloween”:  The story establishes the tone right away. This is more for the pre-teen set, as part of the tale revolves around the classic nerdy misfits getting bullied at school by the “cool” kids.  As for revenge, the downtrodden will get it– but in a fun, monster-filled fashion, with no real harm done to anyone in the end, except for maybe a few shattered egos.  This one illustrates the style of the stories well: all the elements of Halloween are present, but in a fun, non-threatening fashion.

 

“The Jamboree”:  A ghostly romance of sorts between the living and the dead, it’s a charming, romantic, and melancholy tale all rolled into one, with a hint of tragedy tossed in for good measure.  It’s an extremely engrossing story that covers all the bases, and should be a guaranteed hit with pre-teen girls.  It’s the longest, and probably the best yarn in the book.

 

“In the Dead of Night”: This one is just fun, loose silliness with zombies, and an ironic explanation for the undead. It’s guaranteed to make the reader chuckle at the end, and it ends the book on a happy, uplifting note.

 

My only complaint with this book is the same as the last one: more illustrations please!  There is still only one illustration per story, I would really like to see two or three.  It’s a book for younger readers (and overgrown kids like me), and a few more illustrations would really appeal to the likely reader base.  There are some good sketches in between each story showing Jacko, who is kind of the book mascot/narrator. but more of them based around the story should be included.

 

My bottom line: I liked this even more than the first one, which I was quite fond of.  Even if readers don’t find it to be better than the first, there is no way they will find it to be a downgrade from the prior book.  Definitely recommended for good, safe, family-friendly Halloween fun.  If Disney had decided to do Halloween films back in their heyday, this is probably the style they would have gone with.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on June 26, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Hall-Lore-Ween by Josh Spero, illustrated by TT Hernandez

Cover art for Hall-Lore_Ween by Josh Spero

Hall-Lore-Ween, by Josh Spero, illustrations by TT Hernandez

Castle Bridge Media, 2024

ISBN: 9788989593477

Available: Paperback, ebook

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

 

A quick 98 page read with a few short stories, a few poems, and some really cool illustrations, Hall-Lore-Ween is the author’s attempt to create Halloween stories for little kids (as well as adults that never grew up, like me) and on that, he succeeds admirably. The stories are short with a bit of spook factor and a lot of charm, and they have (GASP!) happy endings! These would be great to read to your first through third graders, and the adults will get a kick out of them as well. Let’s break it down!

 

The stories: there are three of them, the first involving a possible heritage witch, the second a town with a Halloween tradition/curse, and the last with kids and werewolves. I definitely liked the second one best, and the ending was a real feel-good surprise. It kept me guessing the most. The first story was the closest to a traditional ‘scary’ Halloween story, and the ending wasn’t quite as happy as the others. The last story works with the idea of a new kid trying to find his place, and werewolves are involved. Adult readers will probably guess where the story is going, but remember, the target audience is kids, and they won’t see it coming. And again, a nice, cheerful ending. All the stories are well-done and utterly enjoyable. For me, especially, this is a nice change of pace from the material I am usually asked to review.

 

The poems: hey, I’m no poet, and I know it. Get it? That’s fellow reviewer Nova Hadley’s department. To me, good poems rhyme. These poems rhyme. I enjoyed Shel Silverstein’s poetry, and I enjoyed the Hall-Lore-Ween poems, especially the “Mr. Wolford” poem. OK, no more… I can’t pretend I know beans about poetry.

 

The illustrations: Oh boy, pictures! I like pictures! And these are really cool pictures! Again, I have no art knowledge, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Jackson Pollock and a finger painting, but I did like the black and white illustrations. The one of the kid with an evil-looking pumpkin head on page 48 was my favorite, and the one of the witch in the first story is a close second. I would have liked two or three illustrations per story instead of only one: they really added to the stories.

 

Bottom line: you will like these, and your kids will probably love them. Purchase this one now, and save it till next October! Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on January 17, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Samhain Screams edited by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost

cover art for Samhain Screams edited by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost

Samhain Screams edited by Greg Chapman and Cameron Trost

Black Beacon Books, 2025

ISBN: 978-0-9756118-2-1

Available: Kindle edition (pre-order release October 17, 2025)

Buy: Amazon.com

 

Samhain Screams is an anthology of Halloween and Samhain-inspired stories, focusing on the creepy and terrifying rather than the superficial aspects of this spooky time of year. Editor Greg Chapman, an Australian, brings a perspective distinct from the typical American experience of the season. It’s a strong collection, with plenty of hits and very few misses. Many of the authors have created atmosphere and suspense that will hook the reader and keep them on the line.

 

Favorite stories include Mia Dalia’s “The Last Pumpkin”, in which a horror writer encounters his biggest fan; DJ Tyrer’s “The Knock”, in which a mystery knocking in the narrator’s apartment building leads to disappearances; Matthew R. Davis’ “Hauntology”, which reveals the secrets of a shopping mall; Hannah Baxter’s outstanding ” The October Shadows”, in which a film studies student is taken over by an obsession with a 1922 horror movie that caused a disturbing riot at its only showing; Kevin M. Folliard’s “Vengeance of Halloween”, an entertaining nightmare about monsters going corporate and planning to take over the world in an ‘eternal October’;  Brian Moreland’s “Sweet Tooth”, in which Helen’s obsession with candy saves her from a serial killer; and C.E. O’ Conaing’s “The Hollows”, where three kids trick-or-treating in a newly-built development have a terrifying experience. The point of view character in this story was in a wheelchair, and her character development was great. The last story in the collection, S.B. Watson’s “The Day You Die’, won me over. I was glad I hadn’t skipped through to the end– it was a perfect “last bite”. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on October 8, 2025 by , Reply
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