Fall favorites for your weekend
Spooky books, Halloween movies, and fall activities
Happy almost Halloween!
Fall is my favorite time of year. The crunchy leaves. The crisp air. Everything is dying. What’s not to love?
In honor of the season, I stuffed my LUNCHBOX full of October. If you’re like, “What the heck is she talking about?” LUNCHBOX is a newsletter thing I will now occasionally do as an excuse to create lists. I love making lists. I love reading other people’s lists. If that also describes you, I think you’ll like this.
So…let’s crack open that lunchbox and see what’s inside!
20 of my favorite spooky picture books
If you like ghosts and innovative book design, read There’s a Ghost in this House by Oliver Jeffers.
If you like funny creepy with a twilight zone vibe, read Creepy Carrots, Creepy Pair of Underwear, and Creepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
If you like slapstick comedy, read A Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall and Vera Brosgol.
If you like love stories, read Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi and Gris Grimly.
If you like friendship stories, read Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson.
If you want to scare a monster right off the page, read Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley.
If you like beautiful language and atmosphere, read Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and Yuyi Morales.
If you like rooting for the underdog, read The Hallo-Weiner by Dav Pilkey.
If you’d like witnessing a house’s journey to self-acceptance, read Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima.
If you like fairytale retellings, read Moldilocks and the Three Scares by Lynne Marie and David Rodriguez Lorenzo.
If you like nonfiction, read She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton and Felicita Sala.
If you like suspense, read The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin
If you need something cute and funny for the youngest readers, try Eek! Halloween! or Spooky Pookie by Sandra Boynton.
If you like kids with a good business sense, read Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott
If you like meta books, read I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor and Jean Jullien.
If you like characters that change a community, read Peanut Butter and Brains by Joe McGee and Charles Santoso.
If you like fearless females, read Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson and Michael Robertson.
If you like mischievous characters, read Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson.
If you love unlikely friendships, read What Was I Scared of? A Glow in the Dark Encounter by Dr. Seuss.
If you like clever tricksters and folktales, read The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.
A bit of fall from me to you
10 of my favorite October movies to watch
You might notice a lack of horror and scary stuff here…it isn’t that I don’t watch it. I just haven’t watched it. So please recommend all the stuff I’ve missed out on!
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Ghostbusters
Hocus Pocus
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
The Addams Family
Gremlins
Young Frankenstein
The Witches
Coco
Halloweentown and Twitches (for nostalgic purposes)
10 of my favorite October activities
Drive or hike through the leaves.
Pick out a special pumpkin from a real pumpkin patch.
Carve a pumpkin.
Bake the pumpkin seeds.
Frolic through a corn maze.
Try not to scream in an embarrassing way in a haunted house.
Cover your bedhead with a beanie.
Jump in a puddle or pile of leaves.
Roast s’mores over a fire. (My best tip is to use Fudge Stripe cookies for graham crackers and chocolate all in one! Did I just blow your mind?)
Slurp up that soup! (Butternut squash soup is my favorite.)
Well, that’s my lunchbox list! The only thing my lunchbox is missing is a juicebox—an absolute necessity at every kid table. This is why I encourage all subscribers to…
B.Y. O. J. B.
Bring your own juice box is your invitation to share something (in the comments) with everyone else at the kid table. It’s basically that special moment when you trade your dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies for your favorite fruit snacks.
What will you add to the list?
Thanks for being here with me AT THE KID TABLE.
See you next time! I’ll save you a seat ;)
Your currently-cozy-in-a-blanket friend,
Rachel
Looooved hearing your voice! It's like you were right in the room with me :)