Reviews

The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink

samilly's review

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

librarymouse's review

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed reading this. It reminded me of a combination of the Scary Godmother movies and The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, with some added flair of a heist novel. There's a quirk to middle grade that goes away in YA and adult fiction, where there are fun and interesting work arounds to avoid killing off characters. I liked having a reprieve from character death. This book also does a good job addressing bullying and anger issues without becoming a PSA. Esther is a fun character, and I was very much like her as a Halloween-obsessed youth (minus the scary movies. I do not like visual gore). Fink weaves a really fun and pleasantly spooky narrative about growing up and learning to face your fears, and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a middle grade fantasy novel for a middle grader or otherwise! My only critique is that thirteen is most definitely not too old to be trick or treating.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, and Bullying

Minor: Antisemitism

If you deal with existential anxiety in any way, heads up about that.

ka99's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It's pretty obvious that this  is a middle grade book. I think i would've enjoyed it more of I was the same age as the main character 

jodimat's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense

4.5

upstartcrow9803's review

3.0

Great little read for the middle schooler in you who grew up with “goosebumps” and “are you afraid of the dark ? “

bsadgarlicb's review

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

schnooglefaceduthie's review

lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

pizzamyheart's review

2.0

DNF at 1/2 way mark

I wanted a nice little spooky children's book to set the mood for Halloween. This wasn't it. The first half was an absolute chore and I found myself more interested in reading my credit card privacy statement than continuing this story. The store is full of cliches and the moments that should have been scary were written in such a way that it took all the spook out of the moment.

I think I'll go search for a random goosebumps instead.

j__tram's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As a fan of Night Vale, I had a blast reading this. Joseph Fink’s prose style is unmatched. Though categorized as a middle grade novel, I found a lot in it to love as an adult, especially around grappling with the passage of time and moving into the unknown territory of the future. The spooky imagery added to the experience. A sweet, weird (in a good way), funny tale.

rachel_cannot's review

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0