Welcome to the Character Costume Party!
Hurray! Time to swap scary stories. Fairday and her friends invite you to explore the shadowy halls and cobb-webby corners of the infamous Begonia House. You'll find spooky tales and hidden secrets within its crumbling walls. Keep your wits and remember...
Fear not the unexpected.
 |
| FAIRDAY, MARCUS (AKA Brocket the Rocket), and LIZZY! |
Want to devour CANDY and STORIES this HALLOWEEN?
Grab some goodies at TRICK-OR-REATERS! After all, there's more to Halloween than sweets! The stories bring the magic. So, hop on your broomstick and fly over. Download the flyer and invite your friends!
Ready for a story? To your right, you'll find the parlor. A room that was once filled with roses, until a gypsy's curse soured its sweetness...
My little sister, Margo, has invited Little Blue Bus to tell us a story that's scary and sweet! Follow the path of roses into the parlor and enjoy!
Ready for a story? To your right, you'll find the parlor. A room that was once filled with roses, until a gypsy's curse soured its sweetness...
My little sister, Margo, has invited Little Blue Bus to tell us a story that's scary and sweet! Follow the path of roses into the parlor and enjoy!
LITTLE BLUE
BUS VS. MUMMY TRUCK
A bonus tale of vroom and
doom by Anika Denise, author of MONSTER TRUCKS (HarperCollins /ISBN: 9780062345226)
This is the tale
of a bus, brave and true.
She's zippy! And peppy!
of a bus, brave and true.
She's zippy! And peppy!
(And a cute shade of
blue.)
By day, she totes kids
to the park and the zoo.
By night, she fights
MONSTER TRUCKS
covered in goo!
By day, she totes kids
to the park and the zoo.
By night, she fights
MONSTER TRUCKS
covered in goo!
Well... can you guess
WHO?
It's the LITTLE BLUE
BUS!
She's revved up and
ready!
So fasten your seat
belts,
and hold the wheel
steady.
On a dark stormy night,
a lightning bolt flashes,
as a new Monster Truck
rises up from the ashes.
It's MUMMY TRUCK,
moaning.
His tires are tattered.
His mirrors are broken.
His ball bearings battered.
Down a lonesome roadway,
Mummy Truck RIDES.
Mummy Truck WAITS.
Mummy Truck HIDES.
He lurks in a tunnel,
a diesel of DOOM!
Awaiting fresh metal
to haul to his tomb.
With a flash of his headlights
and a sinister grin,
he lets his hook fly...
and reels her back in.
That mean MUMMY TRUCK!
He's zapped all her zoom!
Punctured her pep!
Vanquished her VROOM!
Can anyone save her?
Yes!
How 'bout YOU?
Can you give her a boost?
A jolt and a JUMP?
Help our LITTLE BLUE BUS...
to get over the hump?
Okay!
Just say...
Vroom, vroom!
Louder!
VROOM, VROOM!!
One more time!
VROOM, VROOM, VROOM!!!
Pedal to medal.
Rubber to burn.
Hugging the side rail
in a dangerous turn—
our LITTLE BLUE BUS
is huffing and chugging.
Her tires are smokin'!
She's pulling and tugging!
VROOM, VROOM, VROOM!
You did it!
She's free!
The tow rope has snapped.
You buried that mummy.
His evil's been zapped!
Now clap, clap, clap!
And take a victory lap.
Drawing Activity Prompt!
After the read aloud,
ask children to draw MUMMY TRUCK, using details they heard in the story, and
their imaginations, to create an all-new, original Monster Trucks character!
Visit the Little Crooked Cottage for some more treats today!
Visit the Little Crooked Cottage for some more treats today!
Up the staircase, turn left down the hall. Pass the crooked portraits hung on the wall. You'll find Thurston's study open for show. The velvet drapes closed, the light low. Joshua's here with a new tale to spin. Hold on to your pants and let's begin!
JOSHUA AND THE STORM MASTER:
A HALLOWEEN LIGHTNING ROAD ADVENTURE
A HALLOWEEN LIGHTNING ROAD ADVENTURE
The
wind whipped up and shot cold air right through my thin costumed cloak. No way
would I wear a bulky coat over my cool archer outfit. At least my feet were
warm in my boots. I adjusted the bow Leandro gave me when I’d escaped as a
slave from the world of Nostos. Fashioned for his lost son, my half-brother, Leandro
had passed it on to me. Except here on Earth, plastic arrows filled my quiver.
This was trick-or-treating not life-or-death.
And
dang, it wasn’t supposed to be this cold on Halloween! But I was in
Massachusetts now, living with Charlie’s family since they moved here from
France–and since my grandfather disappeared. But tonight was for fun stuff not sad
stuff and sleep was far away. Nighttime was the worst when my old life crept
inside my head … and thoughts of Bo Chez.
I
shivered and walked faster to keep up with Charlie. Not fair he had super long
legs. Also unlike me, he was all warm in a heavy, white robe over sweatpants and
a sweater. He adjusted his gold crown and shook his wooden lightning bolt. “No
one dare mess with Zeus, king of the gods!
“Or
Charlie, king of the goobers.” I jabbed his shoulder.
“Non! That’s you, Joshua, freezing in
that outfit.” He jabbed me back with a laugh, adjusting his white wig and fake beard.
“Yeah,
yeah, yeah,” I said, dragging him toward our next neighborhood. Blustery wind
swirled leaves around us and the clouds blocked out the moon, casting us in
shadows, our flashlights pitiful twin spots of light. The cemetery rose up
fast, between houses. I suddenly realized all the other kids had moved on. We
were alone.
Lightning
flashed, freezing us both in place. Charlie looked down at me, his mouth a wide
‘O’ in his thin face. Twice lightning had stolen us to another world. Not
again. Not tonight. Not after losing so much.
“Come
on,” I said, sprinting toward the next block where the safety of streetlights glowed
and kids ran about.
He
took off with me but then lightning flashed so bright, I ran right into a tree.
Thunder boomed. Wind shrieked, sucking me up in a tunnel of mad gusts. Dead
leaves slapped me. I stumbled, dizzy, when lightning bolt struck a tombstone.
With an ear-splitting wail it cracked in two. Marble smashed down. Smoke filled
the air. The bitter smell of burnt stone and decayed leaves invaded my nose.
Through
the smoke a figure appeared. Then another.
“Mon dieu!” Charlie grabbed my arm, his
hair and eyes wild. We ran toward the Halloween crowd. Lightning flashed twice
more, forcing our feet to fly. Soon we pushed through a throng of monsters,
skeletons, pirates, and witches. Kids from school called out but we kept
moving, my heart hammering in my chest unable to explain who–or what–just
appeared.
Charlie
and I’d had enough adventures down the Lightning Road to last a lifetime. And
we both knew who could be after us. As the Oracle who could give powers back to
the powerless–and very real–Greek
Olympians of Nostos, I was wanted by many–especially Zeus.
“The
lightning’s gone,” I said, not answering him and moving on, but Charlie yanked
me back. His eyebrows arched inward with a nervous twitch and he tugged on his
wig, tilting his crown askew. The streetlight shot dark shadows under his wide
eyes.
“If
it was a real storm it would still be lightning out,” he said, peering up at
the clear starry sky. “You did see them.”
I
couldn’t deny it. My brain scrambled with what to do and hoping so badly that a
Child Collector was not here to steal us again.
A
group of princesses screamed with fun as a mummy pretended to stalk them. Just
past the kids a hulking shape moved by the edge of the woods. Something with
red eyes. They glowed like coals. I blinked and they disappeared. A cadmean
beast? Those giant fire-breathing foxes couldn’t be here!
Charlie
let go of me. “Where do we go?”
“To
get my lightning orb!”
We
took off again. This time to Charlie’s house to grab the one weapon Bo Chez had
left behind. As a great Storm Master from Nostos, he’d earned the lightning orb
in training as an elite soldier of Zeus before he deserted to Earth.
Ghosts
and wizards and fiery pumpkins whizzed in a blur all around us. A glance over
my shoulder revealed a towering figure lumbering along. A tail flicked. Horns rose
from a lion’s face. A cretan beast! How many other beasts were after us? No one
would even notice them on Halloween!
“Charlie,”
I gripped his robe. “They’re after us!
We
dropped our bags and raced through the trick-or-treaters. The houses ended.
We’d made a circle right back to the cemetery. No choice but to go through. It
was the shortest route to Charlie’s house.
A
dark shadow crossed the moon, this time growing larger. It was coming for us!
Caw. Caw.
A
korax from Nostos!
The
giant raven dove for us. On its back sat a boy, his white hair like fire in the
moonlight. He threw his hand in the air. Hail fell, pounding us.
Charlie
tripped over a fallen tombstone. I dragged him into a
stone archway when the boy threw out his other hand whipping up a tornado. It spun
to life imprisoning us in its vortex. I bashed up against the wind walls but
couldn’t bust through. Charlie and I shuddered together as the monster bird
headed right for us.
The
korax dropped fast but its wing tilted in landing. The boy slid to one side. He
held on by fistfuls of feathers as he zoomed toward us trying to pull himself
up. He almost made it when the bird flapped its wings.
“By
the gods!” the boy cried out then fell. He crashed on an angel statue, bounced
off and landed hard beside us. The tornado whirled away. Charlie and I took off
but not before the boy swept the air with his hands.
Flash! Flash!
Lightning
whizzed by, striking stone. Bits of rock bit us as we dashed back and forth
between tombstones. The boy stood, screamed in agony, and fell on his side. Freedom! But then the cadmean beast
leapt over our heads and landed before us, blasting its fiery breath in the air.
Its red eyes burned into mine. From behind the trees the cretan beast raced up,
shaking its mighty mane with a roar.
Nowhere
to run now.
The
cadmean beast panted faster, its snout quivering. The cretan beast chimed in
with snorting bellows while the korax snapped its beak, fixing its beady
electric green eyes on me.
“Call
off your beasts and we’ll help you,” I said to the boy.
Charlie
looked at me like I was crazy. “We will?”
The
boy threw a shaky hand up. It crackled with lightning, but I stood my ground.
He dropped his hand and inhaled sharply as if in great pain and nodded, his leg
twisted beneath him. “Stand down.” The beasts sat back on their haunches while
the korax preened its black feathers.
Charlie
and I knelt beside the boy. He was older than me by a couple of years, fifteen
or so. “You need a brace,” I said.
He
tried to speak but his face crinkled in pain and he lay back on the ground, his
gray cloak popping open to reveal a Lightning Road transport belt. No way was I
going back to his world with that again. The cold ground seeped through my
pants, adding to my chill.
“Get
a long flat piece of wood to make a brace and some vines from those trees,” I said
to Charlie, pointing to the woods. He shuffled backwards, shaking his head.
There was no Grand Tree from Nostos to help us here. We had to help
ourselves–and this kid.
“Trust
me,” I said.
He
looked from me to the boy then nodded and ran to the woods.
“Who
are you and why are you here?” I said, gently straightening out the boy’s leg.
He moaned, and tossed his white hair back across his shoulders, his thin,
angled face pinched with agony. The beasts pawed the ground but he waved a hand
at them and they relaxed.
“A
Storm Master in training. This was my first travel mission using my powers.”
“To
bring me back?”
He froze
and held my gaze. “To kill you.”
Charlie
returned with all we needed and I busied myself tying the board snug to the
boy’s leg. He bit his lip, gasping, but when I was through he muttered a thank
you. “How do you know how to do all this?”
“The
Wild Childs taught me survival when I lived in the Wilds Lands.”
He
grasped my arm, his face full of questions. “You lived with the Wild Childs?
What was it like to be free amongst them in the trees?”
“Like
having a family I’d never had.”
He
smiled softly. If he weren’t here to kill me, I might like this kid. “Family is
everything.”
Charlie
helped me lean the kid against a tombstone, his face protesting every bit of
it.
“Zeus
sent you to get rid of me, I mean …the Oracle, because he doesn’t want the
other Olympians to get back their powers, right?”
“Zeus
rules all and always will!” The boy’s nostrils flared and he clenched his
fists. In the shaft of moonlight, his green-blue eyes glowered at me.
“Mon dieu! Joshua just helped you,”
Charlie burst out. “Be cool, storm-boy.”
“My
name is Galen,” he said in a tired voice, letting the anger go. “Who are you, in that ridiculous outfit?”
“Zeus,
of course.” Charlie drew out the fake lightning bolt from his robe’s pocket.
The
boy frowned, rising up on his elbows. “That’s not Zeus. He’s a giant with black
hair and wears a gray cloak. His hands could crush your head. Everyone fears
him!”
The
beasts inched forward with their master’s renewed anger and I held Charlie
back. We could make our own graves here tonight. I didn’t want to.
“Why
do you care so much, Galen?” I asked, changing the subject, eager to save
ourselves from being munched on … or breathed on wrong.
He
collapsed. “Because Zeus is my father.”
Charlie
dragged off his wig and crown at this news and we darted looks at each other.
Zeus’s kid!
“He
sent his own son?”
“Oui! To do his dirty work.” Charlie
huffed.
“I
would do it gladly!” Galen said, stabbing a finger at Charlie. “Zeus adopted me
when I was young. Saved me from wild beasts and certain death! If I complete
this mission I earn my lightning orb and serve in my father’s service. Get it?”
He
closed his eyes, the effort of his words too much. The cretan beast moaned and
the cadmean beast grunted as if they understood.
I
got it. I’d grown up without a father. Mine was somewhere on Nostos. I may
never find him or my lost brother I’d never met, but I could help this kid get
back to his family–even if he was my enemy.
I
urged Charlie to help Galen up. “Go home. Tell your father you killed me in
battle. Tell him … that’s how you broke your leg. And you made your own brace.”
He
considered that, looking at us and his beast army then sighed. “I cannot lie to
my father but I will say I found you and put you in your place for now, so to
speak.” His mouth twisted up in a resigned smile. “But I need a token.” The
korax shook its feathers and squawked as if this plot was a bad idea. The
beasts paced around us in agreement, snorting and chuffing, their breaths
exploding in the autumn air.
I
drew the bow from my shoulder. “Take this.”
Charlie
gasped. “Non, mon ami! Leandro gave
you that.”
“It’s
the only thing I have from Nostos to give.”
Except the lightning orb. It had been Bo Chez’s. I
touched the pendant under my shirt. Or
the picture of my mother and brother. No one would get either of them from
me except over my dead body.
I
placed the bow in Galen’s hand. He rubbed a finger over the name engraved in
its arc. “Evander. Who is this?”
“Leandro’s
son. He’s been lost to him for years. Leandro gave it to me. He’s a good
friend. I’ve used it to fight on Nostos. Your father will know it’s mine.”
Galen
slung it over his shoulder then waved to the beasts. They lined up beside him.
He
hobbled to the korax. “Help me up, Joshua?” His words came in gasps of pain. It
was the first time he’d said my name. His whole world knew my name and with
that thought, I understood they’d never stop seeking me–even in death. I could
kill Zeus’s son now, but I knew what it was like to lose family. Besides, the
beasts would most likely kill me and Charlie if I did.
Charlie
and I helped Galen up onto the massive bird, careful of his leg. The raven
ruffled its black gleaming feathers, a familiar rotten stench rising from it. “Hold
on tight now,” I said. “There’s not much space on the Lightning Road.”
“And
there’s nowhere to go but the Great Beyond if you fall off,” Galen said, with a
grim smile. “My bird will carry me home, and the other beasts will run ahead of
me.”
The
wind whistled through the bare trees. Fog crept through the graveyard, slinking
cold over our feet. Galen looked down at us. The korax clicked its beak urging
him on his way as Charlie tugged on my cloak doing the same.
“Thank
you,” Galen said with a bow. “Twice tonight I’ve said that and twice tonight
I’ve tried to kill you, and am now in your debt. I must honor that.” He patted
the bow.
“I will return this to you. In another time. After that, we shall be enemies again.”
“I will return this to you. In another time. After that, we shall be enemies again.”
“No,”
I said.
He
raised an eyebrow at me.
“Forget
me, Galen. And don’t come back. I will forget you–and Nostos.”
He
peered down at me, snowy white hair shimmering in the moonlight. “You belong
there. You can never forget family.”
He
raised his fist in the air, the moonlight shining bright on it. In that moment
his cloak and sleeve slipped down his arm. A dark birthmark blazed sharp on his
fair skin. An arrow! He pressed a finger to his belt. “May the gods be with you
until we meet again!”
“Wait!”
I lunged for him but he and his beasts flashed away in the sky on the Lightning
Road. Daggers of light struck the air and the wind roared, flattening us on the
ground. Then all was quiet.
“Come
back, Galen,” I whispered into wet leaves and twigs.
Charlie
hauled me up in the rolling fog. “You okay?”
The
moon glowed soft. The wind fell to a gentle breeze. Laughter from far away
trick-or-treaters floated on the air. It was as if this night had never
happened.
I
shivered. I would never be okay. Not until I found Galen again. His arrow, that
white hair, those blue-green eyes. And most of all–his honor. There was only
one person who could have all of these things. Leandro’s son.
“He’s
my brother.”
A half-brother
who’d come to kill me. By the gods!
And
now my half-brother had his father’s bow, meant for him all along.
Evander.
Charlie
clutched my arm with wonder and we stared at the sky. Nostos was up there
waiting for me. My brother was right. I could never forget family. I would find
him again no matter what–or who–I had to face.
Visit Joshua's blog for more treats!
Find more books by Donna Galanti
Visit Joshua's blog for more treats!
Find more books by Donna Galanti
Climb the spiral staircase up to the top. The room to the right is your next stop. There's covered furniture and a wardrobe with surprises. Reach in and grab your disguises! Pete and Weasel have a story to share, it's a bit scary, so do beware!
 |
Halloween in Hadleyville
|
Halloween in Hadleyville isn’t like Halloween
anyplace else. It’s all about the cemetery and an old swamp curse that keeps
most kids in on this night. Me and Weasel wouldn’t be out, but the Whisper
Circle has it that Paula Teener, the town baker, is frying up fresh doughnuts
and the Wartgob sisters are giving out pumpkin shakes. It’s a most excellent
sugar-high night, and we aren’t missing it for nothing. So I grab one of Aunt
Lizzie’s flashlights and bike to Weasel’s.
When I get there, he comes down the front steps
wearing a long while coat, the sleeves rolled up and the bottom dragging in the
dirt.
“What’s that?” I point at the weird thing he has
on.
“My dad’s lab coat. What’s wrong with it?”
“Kind of dorky. What are you supposed to be?”
He pushes his glasses higher on his nose and
rolls his eyes. “Try scientist.” He looks me up and down. “What are you?”
“I’m a king.” I touch my crown and hold up my
sword and shield.
“Right,” he says and starts down the street.
I catch up. “I hate it when you give me that
look.”
He doesn’t answer me. I know he’s bent on
snagging those doughnuts and shakes, then making it back to his house. The sun’s
sliding lower by the second. There’s still light to see, but the shadows are
getting long and the kids we pass are walking fast. They glance over their
shoulders and stay clumped together, clutching their Trick- or-Treat bags.
Nobody wants to be out when everything goes really dark.
We get to the corner and cross Cemetery Lane to
be on the other side as far away from the iron fenced graveyard as we can get.
At the curb, Weasel trips on the lab coat and sprawls on the sidewalk, his
glasses skittering right down the gutter and into the drain.
“No!” He lunges after them. Without his glasses,
Weasel can’t see more than an inch in front of him.
I switch on the flashlight and peer into the
drain. I can see the glasses, but I can’t fish them out--even with a stick.
“Look,” I get to my feet, “let’s go to Paula’s
and ask her for a long-handled fork. That way we can snag us some doughnuts
anyway.” I glance up as the last sunlight flickers across the sidewalk and the
October night turns icy and black. Hadlyville has three street lights, but none
of them are on Cemetery Lane.
With Weasel holding onto my sleeve, I walk as
fast as I can, the beam from my flashlight showing me the way. Weasel stumbles,
but keeps up.
And then we hear it--a brittle noise.
“Clack. Clackety.”
We freeze and Weasel squeezes my arm so tight my
hand goes numb.
“We should make a run for it,” Weasel whispers.
“No way. You can’t see a thing. Hold on, just
ease up on the grip, okay?” I speed up as much as I can with Weasel stumbling
beside me.
“Clack. Clack. Clackety.” More rattling sounds
come from behind us and closer than before.
Aunt Lizzie told me about the curse, about how
three Hadleyville witches got into a terrible fight over who was the head witch
in town. They hurled spells until the swamp water came to a boil. That’s when the
alligators got riled and worked a few spells of their own. They turned the
witches into headstones and set them in the old graveyard. The only time they’re
free to roam is All Hallows Eve after sunset. Their bones rise up out of the
stones and they clack their way around Hadleyville, making sure nobody enjoys
Trick or Treating. Even the alligators stay deep in the swamp.
The clacking sound is getting closer. I’m out of
breath. Weasel’s gasping for air and we haven’t reached the end of Cemetery
Lane yet.
Those doughnuts and pumpkin shakes are not worth
this.
I have to do something. What? Magic? I let that
idea go because every time I work a spell I screw up and cause more trouble. I’m
really trying to be a better wizard, but under this kind of pressure that’s not
happening.
I whirl to face whatever’s behind us and . . .
I’m leaving Pete and Weasel in a predicament.
What’s creeping up behind Pete and Weasel? If it’s the skeletal remains of
those nasty witches, will Pete work a spell? If he does, is he going to cause
another major disaster?
The best guess as to what’s following these two
and what happens next, wins a digital copy of Alligators Overhead.
Leave your comment on Lee's blog to enter the giveaway!
Find more books by C.Lee Mckenzie
*Enter the rafflecopter giveaway below for a chance to win a digital copy of The Great Time Lock Disaster!
We hope you had fun at our party! Here's a spinetingler from my mom to send you off... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Hello
everyone! Fairday asked me to tell you my story about the Ouija board
incident that I experienced with my older sister, Isabel. When we were
young, we decided to have a secret party one cold afternoon in October,
right around Halloween time. We turned out the lights, pulled down the
shades to set the scene, and she dressed up in an old cloak that we
found in the attic. We pulled out the Ouija board and set it up next to
this fascinating crystal ball that was held by a rusty claw. Isabel is
four years older than I am, and I always believed every word she ever
said. So, given that, I was convinced that it really was a crystal ball, and that she actually did find
it in the graveyard near our house. We lit a candle and began to play.
We asked the board all sorts of gossipy things, nonsensical and
mystical, and then the phone rang. Isabel went out to answer it, leaving
me alone in the room. I sat there for a few minutes in silence,
watching the glass ball glimmer in the candlelight. It was very still
for a moment, and then suddenly the shades flew up, and a breeze blew
back my hair. At that same moment, a piece of the crystal ball
splintered and cracked off, then flew across the room. It's one of the
craziest moments I can remember. To this day, Isabel still thinks I'm
making it all up. I'm not sure who we were communicating with, but what I
experienced that day happened just the way I told you! ~ Pru
Bobbing for books!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Enter the rafflecopter giveaway to win all 6 prizes:
Signed hardcover of THE SECRET FILES OF FAIRDAY MORROW & A Mystery Book Box from the DMS
Signed edition of MONSTER TRUCKS & (6) MONSTER TRUCK Trading Cards
Paperback edition of JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD
Digital copy of THE GREAT TIME LOCK DISASTER
