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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
This was two books in one. The first was a novelization of the 1993 film Hocus Pocus. The second is a bit longer, taking place 25 years after the first film was set and following Max and Allison's 17 year old daughter, Poppy.
The novelization of the film is exactly what it says on the tin - there are minor additions in it to set up the sequel, but you're still getting the exact same plot, the exact same characters, the exact same dialogue, the exact same ending. My childhood. I loved it.
Realistically, the sequel was bound not to stand up to the first part of the book and that's fine. I didn't really have any lofty expectations about what I was going to get with the new material and I think that's the reason why I rate this entire book so highly.
FIRST THING THAT'S KINDA COOL - Poppy, Max and Allison's 17-year-old daughter, is not heterosexual. Nope. She has a crush on one of her best friends, Isabella. Isabella is black. So the inclusion of LGBTQIA characters and POC characters is pretty cool.
So anyway, Poppy is pretty fed up with her parents being anti-Halloween as well as living with the belief she thinks they're kind of nuts because of their wild story about what happened with the Sanderson sisters so many years prior. Randomly, they decide to throw a Halloween party. Turns out it's because Halloween falls on a blood moon, when magic is supposed to be at its peak, and Max and Allison feel like Poppy will be safer at home.
So, naturally, Poppy skips the party with her friends to try out a Ouija board at the old Sanderson house to prove her family's story wrong. What she doesn't know is that Isabella's ancestor is Elizabeth Sanderson, sister to Winifred, Mary, and Sarah. When the original witch trio disintegrated, their spellbook did not and found its way into Isabella's hands. The book is inherently evil - a fun twist I thought was smart - and through the Ouija board fed Poppy and her friends a soul trade spell. The spell brought the sisters back from Hell and banished her parents and aunt Dani (yes, she makes a cameo) to Hell in their place. The clincher is, unlike the original film, the spell isn't over at midnight, the spell becomes permanent at midnight. So Poppy and her friends (including crush Isabella, who gets turned into a Boston terrier) have to go on a wild hunt for a missing magical bloodstone that they must destroy before it's too late.
One of the fun things about this was seeing how the witches handled modern technology. Mary gets a whole of a cellphone and dubs it a "memory box" and it was funny seeing her trying to figure out, then Sarah figures out a way to sing her song hypnotizing children to her via phone calls. One thing about Mary - there was a weird part where she sang about independence from Winifred, but not much was done with that in the story. It felt like a missed opportunity to add depth.
Also, the sequel was full of Sarah running around screaming words over and over i.e. the way she did with AMOK AMOK AMOK in the film. It was a nod to the original movie, I realized, but it was a touch much at times.
Whatever, I loved this.
The novelization of the film is exactly what it says on the tin - there are minor additions in it to set up the sequel, but you're still getting the exact same plot, the exact same characters, the exact same dialogue, the exact same ending. My childhood. I loved it.
Realistically, the sequel was bound not to stand up to the first part of the book and that's fine. I didn't really have any lofty expectations about what I was going to get with the new material and I think that's the reason why I rate this entire book so highly.
FIRST THING THAT'S KINDA COOL - Poppy, Max and Allison's 17-year-old daughter, is not heterosexual. Nope. She has a crush on one of her best friends, Isabella. Isabella is black. So the inclusion of LGBTQIA characters and POC characters is pretty cool.
So anyway, Poppy is pretty fed up with her parents being anti-Halloween as well as living with the belief she thinks they're kind of nuts because of their wild story about what happened with the Sanderson sisters so many years prior. Randomly, they decide to throw a Halloween party. Turns out it's because Halloween falls on a blood moon, when magic is supposed to be at its peak, and Max and Allison feel like Poppy will be safer at home.
So, naturally, Poppy skips the party with her friends to try out a Ouija board at the old Sanderson house to prove her family's story wrong. What she doesn't know is that Isabella's ancestor is Elizabeth Sanderson, sister to Winifred, Mary, and Sarah. When the original witch trio disintegrated, their spellbook did not and found its way into Isabella's hands. The book is inherently evil - a fun twist I thought was smart - and through the Ouija board fed Poppy and her friends a soul trade spell. The spell brought the sisters back from Hell and banished her parents and aunt Dani (yes, she makes a cameo) to Hell in their place. The clincher is, unlike the original film, the spell isn't over at midnight, the spell becomes permanent at midnight. So Poppy and her friends (including crush Isabella, who gets turned into a Boston terrier) have to go on a wild hunt for a missing magical bloodstone that they must destroy before it's too late.
One of the fun things about this was seeing how the witches handled modern technology. Mary gets a whole of a cellphone and dubs it a "memory box" and it was funny seeing her trying to figure out, then Sarah figures out a way to sing her song hypnotizing children to her via phone calls. One thing about Mary - there was a weird part where she sang about independence from Winifred, but not much was done with that in the story. It felt like a missed opportunity to add depth.
Also, the sequel was full of Sarah running around screaming words over and over i.e. the way she did with AMOK AMOK AMOK in the film. It was a nod to the original movie, I realized, but it was a touch much at times.
Whatever, I loved this.
Another cute, Halloween type read for my October list.
The first half was a bit boring since it was almost word for word the first Hocus Pocus movie. The second half was a bit better and also vastly different from the sequel. I can definitely see why people said it made up for what the sequel movie was lacking.
The only I didn't care for was the ending. Maybe I'm a softy but I preferred how the sequel ended in the movie versus the book.
The first half was a bit boring since it was almost word for word the first Hocus Pocus movie. The second half was a bit better and also vastly different from the sequel. I can definitely see why people said it made up for what the sequel movie was lacking.
The only I didn't care for was the ending. Maybe I'm a softy but I preferred how the sequel ended in the movie versus the book.
Good sequel. I wouldn't mind if they made it into a movie.
So, part one of this bootastic book began with the novelization of the movie. It was pretty exact, except for a few added pieces to further develop the characters, and to lead up to the sequel. It was worth a read, even though I felt like it missed some of the beloved humor from the movie.
Part two began 25 years later, in 2018. This is where the real magic began to happen for this book. Allison and Max ended up together after that fearful night dealing with the Sanderson sisters, and they had a child name Poppy.
The Dennisons raised Poppy with the rule that they were never to discuss the history of Salem or the Sanderson sisters, and that she was never to go to the Sanderson house. But, being hit with a bit of teenage rebellion on All Hallow’s Eve, during a blood moon no less, Poppy decided to show off to her crush, Isabella, and broke in to the Sanderson house with a Ouija board. Needless to say all hell broke loose, literally.
It was pretty fun getting back in to the world of Hocus Pocus. I loved finding out what happened to Max and Allison, and I loved seeing a few of the original characters back in action fighting the sisters. Even though I felt that the novelization of the movie lacked the humor we all grew up loving, I felt that it was here in the sequel.
The sequel kept up with the times of 2018 by adding in cell phones and up to date lingo. It also added more humor and adventure to the beloved story most of us grew up loving each Halloween, and it added new friendships and lessons. I adored the lgbt characters added in to the mix, and really loved the enemies to friends trope that was thrown in. It was a fast, festive read that put me in the mood to greet my trick or treaters later! 3.5 stars.
Part two began 25 years later, in 2018. This is where the real magic began to happen for this book. Allison and Max ended up together after that fearful night dealing with the Sanderson sisters, and they had a child name Poppy.
The Dennisons raised Poppy with the rule that they were never to discuss the history of Salem or the Sanderson sisters, and that she was never to go to the Sanderson house. But, being hit with a bit of teenage rebellion on All Hallow’s Eve, during a blood moon no less, Poppy decided to show off to her crush, Isabella, and broke in to the Sanderson house with a Ouija board. Needless to say all hell broke loose, literally.
It was pretty fun getting back in to the world of Hocus Pocus. I loved finding out what happened to Max and Allison, and I loved seeing a few of the original characters back in action fighting the sisters. Even though I felt that the novelization of the movie lacked the humor we all grew up loving, I felt that it was here in the sequel.
The sequel kept up with the times of 2018 by adding in cell phones and up to date lingo. It also added more humor and adventure to the beloved story most of us grew up loving each Halloween, and it added new friendships and lessons. I adored the lgbt characters added in to the mix, and really loved the enemies to friends trope that was thrown in. It was a fast, festive read that put me in the mood to greet my trick or treaters later! 3.5 stars.
Ehhhh … it was okay for the most part. I loved having the old characters involved in the book but also why are we left with a cliff hanger…? Isn’t billy good? I have so much questions.
3.5 stars
Read with Sara for our book club. The first half (the first movie) was SPOT ON with the movie, like word for word. Since it was written 25 years after I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing but it was nostalgic af. The second story I read right after watching the second (new) movie, so maybe that colored my opinion. It wasn’t bad, a little campy at times, but overall a cute story.
Read with Sara for our book club. The first half (the first movie) was SPOT ON with the movie, like word for word. Since it was written 25 years after I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing but it was nostalgic af. The second story I read right after watching the second (new) movie, so maybe that colored my opinion. It wasn’t bad, a little campy at times, but overall a cute story.
Part one is the story we all know and love! Part two is a dive back into a town where we should expect the unexpected. The main character Poppy shares all the best qualities with her mom and dad, Allison and Max. So we also get the closure to the question of did they end up together, and they sure did. You need to read this for yourself, it's such a beautiful story where the past meets the modern world in such a wonderful way.
I’m angry this book was ever written. It was just bad.
The first part is an exact retelling of the movie - minus the brilliant actors that brought it to life. I love the movie, and this book not only didn’t live up to it, it was a slap in the face to anyone who grew up with the film. As far as I can tell the only reason for even putting the movie in book form was so the author could interject a few new scenes that were meant to tie it to the sequel. Adding a new character, mainly. And a reference to dark chocolate chip cookies.
The second part, the sequel, was worse than the retelling. Overrun with references meant to show how modern it is compared to the 1993 version. Interjecting popular slang, or at least the author’s idea of what teenagers use as slang in 2018. Throwing out the names of social media and technology platforms. The attempt to make it inclusive by including a diverse cast and even a (gasp) lesbian main character was just wasted on this bad, bad book. Instead of making it better, it just turned it into an after school special. It’s disappointing that more books aren’t so diverse, but even more disappointing when you finally get one and the rest of the story is just crap. It isn’t helpful.
Then there’s the frigging MUSICAL NUMBER. I understood including them in the retelling of the original movie, but to include one sung by Mary in a sequel novel that has never been (and hopefully never will be) a movie was just ridiculous. It was like the author was trying too hard to say to Disney, “Please use this novel as the basis for the new Hocus Pocus movie coming out!!!”
All I can say is, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS AS THE BASIS OF THE NEW HOCUS POCUS MOVIE COMING OUT. It’s bad enough Disney is even considering doing a reboot or a sequel. Do NOT use this piece of amateur fan fiction as reference!
Thanks for stomping all over my precious memories of the original film. I’m going to have to go watch it now just to cleanse my palate of this insulting, presumptuous attempt to impose into the Hocus Pocus canon.
The first part is an exact retelling of the movie - minus the brilliant actors that brought it to life. I love the movie, and this book not only didn’t live up to it, it was a slap in the face to anyone who grew up with the film. As far as I can tell the only reason for even putting the movie in book form was so the author could interject a few new scenes that were meant to tie it to the sequel. Adding a new character, mainly. And a reference to dark chocolate chip cookies.
The second part, the sequel, was worse than the retelling. Overrun with references meant to show how modern it is compared to the 1993 version. Interjecting popular slang, or at least the author’s idea of what teenagers use as slang in 2018. Throwing out the names of social media and technology platforms. The attempt to make it inclusive by including a diverse cast and even a (gasp) lesbian main character was just wasted on this bad, bad book. Instead of making it better, it just turned it into an after school special. It’s disappointing that more books aren’t so diverse, but even more disappointing when you finally get one and the rest of the story is just crap. It isn’t helpful.
Then there’s the frigging MUSICAL NUMBER. I understood including them in the retelling of the original movie, but to include one sung by Mary in a sequel novel that has never been (and hopefully never will be) a movie was just ridiculous. It was like the author was trying too hard to say to Disney, “Please use this novel as the basis for the new Hocus Pocus movie coming out!!!”
All I can say is, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS AS THE BASIS OF THE NEW HOCUS POCUS MOVIE COMING OUT. It’s bad enough Disney is even considering doing a reboot or a sequel. Do NOT use this piece of amateur fan fiction as reference!
Thanks for stomping all over my precious memories of the original film. I’m going to have to go watch it now just to cleanse my palate of this insulting, presumptuous attempt to impose into the Hocus Pocus canon.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really wished this book would have a better grasp on where the franchise was headed. It's like reading a recipe of ingredients that Disney told a ghost writer to include to "sell books to the kids," even though kids probably don't care about Hocus Pocus as much as older millennials and Xers.