TT Hernandez | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: Hall-Lore-Ween: Thrice the Fright by Josh Spero, illustrations by TT Hernandez

Hall-Lore-Ween: Thrice the Fright, by Josh Spero, illustrations by TT Hernandez

Castle Bridge Media, October 2026

ISBN: 9798994041062

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

In what’s become a happy Halloween tradition, author Josh Spero returns with his third collection of spooky tales, poems, and illustrations, just in time for Halloween. It’s good, clean Halloween fun for younger readers.

As always, the stories are introduced by Jacko, the creepy looking, pumpkin-headed mascot of the series. There are three stories, ranging in length from 40 to 80 pages. The theme is still spooky good, Halloween fun that tends to have somewhat happy endings. Keep in mind, this is oriented to younger readers, so the cheerful finishes (well, relatively cheerful) are good for the intended audience.

The first story, “The Collector”, deals with a spate of missing kids in a small town, and the Halloween angle is, goblins of some sort keep showing up. It’s a fun tale, and thankfully, never veers into the ugly side of abduction, a la The Black Phone. This is written for kids, so there is some magic and monsters involved with the disappearances. This one was a good tale.

“What Answers Back” didn’t work as well for me. This is a story of a young schoolgirl being picked to join an actual witches’ coven. I think I may just have seen that plot one too many times, and am worn out on it, but other readers will probably like it. The last story, “Three Lantern Pumpkins Farm”, is the best of the bunch, as it contains a good dose of that Halloween ‘”magic” that the series sprinkles throughout its spook-themed, but also very uplifting, stories. This one has a very thoughtful ending that leaves you feeling happy all over.

The author did very well with the “cemetery ghost jamboree” in the previous volume of the series, and he does it again with the “Pumpkin Farm” story. This is a story of two kids who go to a fantastical Halloween-themed farm festival every year with their uncle. The fair keeps getting bigger and better, and the ghostly angle works into the story towards the end. It’s a great ending, and the author does a good job keeping the surprise under wraps until the last few pages. This story alone is enough to justify the price of the book.

One happy addition to the series: more illustrations! I know I groused about the fact that the last two books usually only had one illustration per story, this time there are two to three per story. Hooray!

Bottom line is, it’s as much fun as the last two books. Please keep the tradition going, I’ve grown to look forward to it each year. Recommended.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

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