There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Ī grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. While some parts of the ending are unsatisfactory, witnessing Sally uncover her true self and come into her own takes readers on a satisfying journey.Ī delight for both existing fans and newcomers. The perspective through which Sally sees the world keeps the narrative grounded in Halloween Town even while she explores other areas. Sally’s adventure gives some much-needed expansion to the other holiday worlds and her backstory with Dr. With the Sandman on the loose, the citizens of Halloween Town fall under his sleeping spell, and it’s up to Sally to save the day. Loyal ghost dog Zero stops her from passing through it, but on returning home, Sally discovers she may have let a terrible monster out of its prison. Upset, she flees to the grove of portal trees, where she is drawn to one with a mysterious hidden door. With Halloween only two weeks away and Jack focused on making the holiday a success, Sally despairs. These doubts only grow upon their return to Halloween Town, as the residents begin pressuring Sally into fulfilling their ideas of a good queen. But after a chance meeting with elegant Ruby Valentino, Queen of Valentine’s Town, Sally begins having doubts about her newfound status as Pumpkin Queen. Nothing could be more perfect as they depart for a one-day honeymoon to Valentine’s Town. Sally is at last married to Pumpkin King Jack Skellington. Sally must save her town from a sleeping curse before Halloween comes.

Long live the pumpkin queen book