I am kicking off my Halloween reading season with a blast from my past. "Long Live the Pumpkin Queen" by Shea Ernshaw is the long awaited sequel to Tim Burton's Gothic Halloween classic, "The Nightmare Before Christmas".
I LOVED "The Nightmare Before Christmas" when I was kid. I loved the spooky, creepy vibes of Halloween Town, the disgustingly delightful residents, the skeleton who longed for something more than just screams and scares, and the unrequited love a rag doll had for the King of Halloween.
"Long Live the Pumpkin Queen" picks up where "The Nightmare Before Christmas" left off. Sally and Jack are newly married and are settling into their new roles, Jack as a husband and Sally as the Queen of Halloween. Sally, who has always watched everything from the shadows, suddenly finds herself thrust into the light, and she struggles with the expectations the residents of Halloween Town have for her as their new Queen. New dresses, crowns, parties to plan. It is overwhelming for someone like Sally who has spent most of her life being overlooked or ignored.
Despite Sally's desperate love for Jack, and his love for her in return, Sally finds herself wishing she can once again fade into the shadows, just for a bit, just to have some quite and be alone without all the expectations being thrust upon her.
And Sally gets her wish.
After a night away from the noise and chaos of Halloween Town, Sally returns to find all the residents of Halloween Town, including Jack, trapped within a deep sleep from which they cannot awaken. Halloween Town is finally quiet, but Sally realizes that she in not alone.
There is a monster in Halloween town. A monster that doesn't belong there.
This monster is responsible for the forced slumber of the residents of Halloween Town and it won't let them wake. And it wants Sally next.
Sally must put aside her fear and set off to new worlds to find someone who can help her save her beloved Jack and the residents of Halloween Town before it's too late.
New revelations come to light about the holiday worlds and about Sally herself as Sally desperately tries to find a way to defeat the monster that has taken over Halloween Town and free its inhabitants from their never ending nightmares.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it is targeted towards a middle grade/young adult audience, I believe it is going to be a favorite for readers of any age who enjoyed "The Nightmare Before Christmas". I loved Sally's character growth in this story. Although she played her part in saving Christmas in the original film, she definitely deserved her own story. This novel helped Sally grow from the shy, awkward rag doll who thought the Pumpkin King would never notice her, to a strong confident Queen who would go to great lengths to protect those she loves.
The romance between Sally and Jack was innocent and sweet, adding a heartwarming feeling to this otherwise dark and twisty tale.
If you are in the mood for a light, spooky, Halloween read, then look no farther that "Long Live the Pumpkin Queen".
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