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The
Halloween Book (Hardcover) - by Jane Bull
Review:
The
Halloween Book is a veritable gold mine of creepy
crafts to make Halloween the most spine-tingling
night of the year. Unearthly decorations ("Silhouette
Windows," "Flickering Faces," "Jeering Jars"),
exquisitely eerie dress-up ideas ("Fearsome Features,"
"Creepy Costumes,"), and delectably ghastly goodies
("Buckets of Treats," "Beastly Buffet," "Hanging
Horrors," "Cauldron Cocktails," "Spooky Potions")
will provide days of creative fun leading up to
the haunted holiday. The perfect resource for
a Halloween party, with DK's superb photos and
clever activities, games, and recipes, this volume
is a steep step above the standard craft book.
So pour yourself a mug o' vampire broth or hot
chocolate bones, dig into some sausage fingers,
and get started on your screaming streamers and
menacing masks. (Ages 6 to 11) --Emilie Coulter
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5-This is the "Martha Stewart" book of
craft, costume, food, and party ideas for the
ultimate Halloween experience. It shows how to
carve a pumpkin, make hanging glass-jar lights,
spooky window cutouts, and decorated flashlights.
There are descriptions and photos of additions
to fairy, pirate, witch, vampire, and ghost costumes,
with elaborate face painting and perfectly cut-out,
acrylic-painted, paper-plate masks. There are
directions for a paper-m ch pumpkin and a cr pe-paper-decorated
sand bucket for holding treats. Refreshments include
sausage fingers, "bread roll monsters," gorgeous-looking
creepy cupcakes, and "cauldron cocktails." Finally,
there are instructions for a shadow theatre and
other traditional party games. The photographs
are stunning, but all of the projects look like
they were made by adults or particularly handy,
older children. One hopes that youngsters will
not be disappointed when their creations don't
look quite so perfect.
Cathie Reed, The Montessori School, Lutherville,
MD
This is a fun book aimed at the younger set filled
with a nice sprinkling of Halloween costumes,
recipes, crafts, and party ideas. The ideas are
by no means original, but as a mom and Halloween-freak
, I found this book to be a good inspiration to
cooking up your own ideas. (The monster sandwiches
are priceless! )The photos are lovely, the printed
varnished pages crisp and bright -- I can practically
smell the pumpkin pie when I crack it open.
So you'd like to... prepare for Halloween
First, you need to reacquaint yourself with the
three classic monsters of horror: vampires, werewolves,
and Frankenstein. For vampires, read the classic
novel 'Dracula
(Signet Classics (Paperback))'. For Frankenstein,
go to the source with the original novel, 'Frankenstein'.
Werewolves are a bit more difficult, because there
is no single classic novel. If you want a broad,
multicultural overview, nothing beats the folklore
contained in 'Half
Human, Half Animal: Tales of Werewolves and Related
Creatures'. It contains legends of both European
and American werewolves, from ancient mythology
to modern urban legends. However, you might also
want to consult the novels 'Wolf's
Hour' (a kind of werewolf-meets-James-Bond
plot) or 'Murcheston'
(a successful imitation of the style found in
a Victorian-era gothic novel). Both of these are
masterpieces of the werewolf genre.
The next step in preparing for Halloween is to
adopt the attitude and fashion sense you'll need.
Picture yourself in a floor-length black cape,
languidly draped over a brocade-velvet embroidered
couch, a crystal chandelier scattering the flicking
rays of candlelight. Obviously, what you want
is to become a temporary goth for Halloween. Learn
all about the fashions, music and attitudes of
true gothness by reading 'Goth
Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture',
'21st
Century Goth' and 'Goth
: Identity, Style and Subculture (Dress, Body,
Culture)'. Halloween is the one time of year
when everyone (everyone cool, that is) becomes
goth.
Next, invite a bunch of friends over to your house
for a movie marathon. Get the stylish classics,
both old and new, such as 'The
Hunger', 'Ginger
Snaps', 'The
Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)',
'The
Ring (Widescreen Edition)', 'Blade
(New Line Platinum Series)', 'The
Phantom of the Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925
Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)'
and 'The
Blair Witch Project'. Don't forget costumes,
decorations, and eatables. 'Halloween
: A Grown-Up's Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish
Decor & Fabulous Festivities' is a great
guide to parties, costumes, and decorations that
is aimed at adults, not kids. Another good all-purpose
guide to Halloween is 'A
Halloween How-To: Costumes, Parties, Decorations,
and Destinations'. Try 'Halloween
Costumes (Singer Sewing Reference Library)'
if you have actual sewing skills, or read 'Instant
Period Costume: How to Make Classic Costumes from
Cast-Off Clothing' and 'Elegantly
Frugal Costumes: The Poor Man's Do-It-Yourself
Costume Maker's Guide' if you do not sew.
For crafts, decor, and that perfect arrangement
of pumpkins, try 'Halloween
Crafts: Eerily Elegant Decor'. To keep those
pesky rugrats scared stiff whenever they enter
your yard, follow the instructions in 'Give
Them a Real Scare This Halloween'. Or, if
you dare, try 'Halloween:
Customs, Recipes & Spells' or 'The
Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the
Dark Half of the Year', both of which tell
you some of the history and witchcraft behind
this holiday. If you have a weakness for pumpkins,
consult 'Halloween
Pumpkins & Parties : 101 Spooktacular Ideas'
for recipes and craft ideas. If your guests want
to eat something other than pumpkins, whip up
some of the recipes in 'Halloween
Treats: Recipes and Crafts for the Whole Family
(Holiday Celebrations)'.
After your guests have gone home, wind down and
try to stave off thoughts of Christmas with a
stockpile of good horror novels. Good selections
include 'Cabal',
'Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Signet Classics)', 'The
Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of
Horror and the Macabre', 'Ghost
and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce', 'Best
Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood', 'Darkness'
and 'Everything's
Eventual : 14 Dark Tales'.
Halloween
Holiday News - Looking for Halloween Parties or
Halloween Festivals?
Share
your Halloween haunts (Seattle Times)
Tricked-out house? If you decorate your home for
Halloween, send a photo from last year (and information
about how you created the look... Tue, 19 Sep
2006 07:19:51 GMT
Disney
promises grins over gore (Orange County Register)
ANAHEIM – The Disneyland Resort on Thursday
unveiled specifics of its "HalloweenTime"
seasonal event, billed as the "biggest and
best Halloween event ever celebrated" at the
resort in its 51 years. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:13:26
GMT
Parks
grasp the Halloween spirit (Amusement Business)
Ghostly pirates, a couple of ghouls, even a harmless
hayride can scare up plenty of revenue for theme
parks as they segue into the profitable Christmas
season. More parks are spooking it up for Halloween
than ever before. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:17:38 GMT
A
wet Halloween? (San Francisco Bay Guardian)
With just a month and a half to go before Halloween,
it's still not entirely clear what's going to
happen with the annual party in the Castro this
year — but it could be an early, wet night
for revelers. Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:06:52 GMT
Halloween
play tells a sweet story for children (Everett
Herald)
Other upcoming productions include a story full
of eccentric characters and a gem of a tale by
George Bernard Shaw. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:12:47
GMT
THE
10TH ANNUAL COUNT'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR (Philadelphia
City Paper)
Put on your spookiest costume and co
Halloween
activities at Pierce College (The Acorn)
The family-friendly Halloween Harvest Festival
begins Fri., Sept. 29 and continues through Oct.
31 at Pierce College, 6498 De Soto Ave., Woodland
Hills. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:13:17 GMT
Parks
grasp the Halloween spirit (Amusement Business)
Ghostly pirates, a couple of ghouls, even a harmless
hayride can scare up plenty of revenue for theme
parks as they segue into the profitable Christmas
season. More parks are spooking it up for Halloween
than ever before. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:17:38 GMT
St.
Gabriel festival scheduled on Sunday (Connersville
News-Examiner)
There is one last chance for that famous St. Gabriel
fried chicken before the snow flies, and that
is during Sunday’s annual St. Gabriel Parish
Fall Festival at Expo Hall. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:17:28
GMT
THE
10TH ANNUAL COUNT'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR (Philadelphia
City Paper)
Put on your spookiest costume and come trick or
treating at Sesame Place! Every weekend until
Halloween, the park will host pumpkin decorating,
haymazes, hayrides and countless shows and rides.
Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:35:37 GMT
E-mail
Newsletters (Washington Post)
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Spirits of the Season Washington
Walks' "Most Haunted Houses" tour makes
the biggest impression in October, when its creepy
vibe plays off the cooler weather and thoughts
of Halloween. The tour will take walkers to, among
other places, the Octagon House, the oddly shaped...
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 06:36:28 GMT
Madison
Finalizes Halloween Plans (Channel 3000)
The city of Madison's Halloween plan has been
finalized after a year of planning and many meetings
in the past few months between city leaders, police
and fire departments, business owners and students.
Wed, 20 Sep 2006 03:14:19 GMT
LET'S
GO: Mount Gilead Autumn Fest is Saturday (The
Marion Star)
Send us your go, do and see event: Are you, your
group, community or village planning a fun activity
the public can attend? We’d like to let
our readers know about your plans. Thu, 21 Sep
2006 15:52:44 GMT
Group
mulls ways to make Halloween crowd less scary
(Athens News)
Love it or loathe it, Halloween is coming soon
to Athens in the form of another Court Street
takeover by tens of thousands of revelers. About
25 local residents and officials met Thursday
at the Athens Public Library to plan for the influx.
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:35:00 GMT
By
Phil Melnychuk Staff Reporter (Maple Ridge News)
Shock and awe should shake up the skies over the
Maple Ridge fairgrounds again this Halloween.
"Bigger, better and more organized," says
Lions club volunteer Peter Brockbank about this
year's fireworks, planned for Sunday, Oct. 28.
Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:12:57 GMT
Local
Beat - 09/21/06 (Corsicana Daily Sun)
This column is designed to give our local readers
a place to put news and events that are important
to them and others in the community. Local news
such as public meetings, luncheons, events and
other non-club local items for not-for-profit
associations are listed in this column. Thu, 21
Sep 2006 17:01:29 GMT
All about the Halloween Holiday:
Halloween
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Halloween is a holiday
celebrated on the night of October 31, usually
by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door
collecting candy. It is celebrated in much of
the Western world, though most commonly in the
United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic
of Ireland, Canada and sometimes in Australia
and New Zealand. Irish, Scots and other immigrants
brought older versions of the tradition to North
America in the 19th century. Most other Western
countries have embraced Halloween as a part of
American pop culture in the late 20th century.
The form "Halloween" derives
from Hallowe'en, an old contraction, still retained
in Scotland, of "All Hallow's Eve,"
so called as it is the day before the Catholic
All Saints holy day, which used to be called "All
Hallows," derived from All Hallowed Souls.
In Ireland, the name was Hallow Eve and this name
is still used by some older people. Halloween
was formerly also sometimes called All Saints'
Eve. The holiday was a day of religious festivities
in various northern European pagan traditions,
until it was appropriated by Christian missionaries
(along with Christmas and Easter, two other traditional
northern European pagan holidays) and given a
Christian reinterpretation. Halloween is also
known as the Day of the Dead, and it is a day
of celebration for Wiccans and other modern pagan
traditions, though the holiday has lost its religious
connotations among the populace at large.
Halloween is also called Pooky Night
in some parts of Ireland, presumably named after
the pookah, a mischievous spirit.
In the United Kingdom in particular,
the pagan Celts celebrated the Day of the Dead
on Halloween. The spirits supposedly rose from
the dead and, in order to attract them, food was
left on the doors. To scare off the evil spirits,
the Celts wore masks. When the Romans invaded
Britain, they embellished the tradition with their
own, which is the celebration of the harvest and
honoring the dead. These traditions were then
passed on to the United States.
Halloween is sometimes associated
with the occult. Many European cultural traditions
hold that Halloween is one of the "liminal"
times of the year when the spirit world can make
contact with the natural world and when magic
is most potent (see, for example, Catalan mythology
about witches).
Anoka, Minnesota, USA, the self-proclaimed
"Halloween Capital of the World," celebrates
with a large civic parade.
Contents [hide]
1 Symbols
2 Trick-or-treating
3 Games
4 Foods
5 Cultural history
5.1 Celtic observation of Samhain
5.2 Norse Elven Blót
5.3 Halloween customs
5.4 "Punkie Night"
5.5 "Mischief Night"
6 Religious viewpoints
7 See also
8 External links
9 Further reading
Symbols
Jack-o'-lanterns may be carved with a funny face.Halloween's
theme is spooky or scary things particularly involving
death, black magic, or mythical monsters. Commonly-associated
Halloween characters include ghosts, witches,
bats, black cats, owls, goblins, zombies and demons,
as well as certain fictional figures like Dracula
and Frankenstein's monster. Homes are often decorated
with these symbols around Halloween.
Black and orange are the traditional
colors of Halloween. There are also elements of
the autumn season, such as pumpkins and scarecrows,
reflected in symbols of Halloween.
The jack-o'-lantern, a carved vegetable
lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's
most prominent symbols. In Britain and Ireland,
a turnip was and sometimes still is used, but
immigrants to America quickly adopted the pumpkin
because it is much larger and easier to carve.
Many families that celebrate Halloween will carve
a pumpkin into a scary or comical face and place
it on the home's doorstep on Halloween night for
fun. Traditionally, something like this was done
in order to scare evil spirits away.
Trick-or-treating
The main event of Halloween is trick-or-treating,
also known as guising in Scotland, in which children
dress up in costume disguises and go door-to-door
in their neighborhood, ringing the bell and yelling
"trick or treat!" The occupants of the
house (who might themselves dress in a scary costume)
will then hand out small candies, miniature chocolate
bars or other treats. Homes sometimes use sound
effects and fog machines to help set a spooky
mood. Other house decoration themes (that are
less scary) are used to entertain younger visitors.
Children can often accumulate many treats on Halloween
night, filling up entire pillow cases or shopping
bags.
In Scotland, children or guisers
are likely to recite "The sky is blue, the
grass is green, may we have our Halloween"
instead of "trick or treat!", they will
then have to impress the members of the houses
they visit with a song, trick, joke or dance in
order to earn their treats.
Tricks play less of a role in modern
Halloween, though the night before Halloween is
often marked by pranks such as soaping windows,
egging houses or stringing toilet paper through
trees. Before indoor plumbing was so widespread,
tipping over or displacing outhouses was a popular
form of trick.
Typical Halloween costumes have
traditionally been monsters such as vampires,
ghosts, witches, and devils. The stereotypical
Halloween costume is a sheet with eyeholes cut
in it as a ghost costume. In 19th-century Scotland
and Ireland the reason for wearing such fearsome
(and non-fearsome) costumes was the belief that
since the spirits that were abroad that night
were essentially intent on doing harm, the best
way to avoid this was to fool the spirits into
believing that you were one of them. In recent
years, it has become common for costumes to be
based on themes other than traditional horror,
such as dressing up as a character from a TV show
or movie. In 2001, after the September 11 attacks,
for example, costumes of firefighters, police
officers, and United States military personnel
became popular among children. In 2004, an estimated
2.15 million children in the United States were
expected to dress up as Spider Man, the year's
most popular costume. [1]
A program started by UNICEF involves
the distribution of small boxes by schools to
trick-or-treaters, in which they can collect small
change from the houses they visit for donation
to the charity.
A child usually "grows out
of" trick-or-treating by his or her teenage
years. Teenagers and adults instead often celebrate
Halloween with costume parties or other social
get-togethers.
Games
There are several games traditionally associated
with Halloween parties. The most common is bobbing
for apples, in which apples float in a tub or
a large basin of water; the participants must
use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin.
Another common game involves hanging up treacle
or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must
be eaten without using hands while they remain
attached to the string, an activity which inevitably
leads to a very sticky face.
Some games traditionally played
at Halloween are forms of divination. In Púicíní
(pronounced "pook-eeny"), a game played
in Ireland, a blindfolded person is seated in
front of a table on which are placed several saucers.
The saucers are shuffled and the seated person
then chooses one by touch. The contents of the
saucer determine the person's life for the following
year. A saucer containing earth means someone
known to the player will die during the next year,
a saucer containing water foretells travel, a
coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, etc.
In 19th-century Ireland, young women placed slugs
in saucers sprinkled with flour. The wriggling
of the slugs and the patterns subsequently left
behind on the saucers were believed to portray
the faces of the women's future spouses.
In North America, unmarried women
were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened
room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night,
the face of their future husband would appear
in the mirror. However, if they were destined
to die before they married, a skull would appear.
The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated
on greeting cards from the late nineteenth century.
Foods
Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual
apple harvest, candy apples (also known as toffee
apples) are a common treat at Halloween. They
are made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar
syrup, and sometimes then rolling them in nuts.
At one time candy apples were a common treat given
to children, but this practice rapidly waned after
widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding
items like pins and razor blades in the apples
that they would pass out to children. The vast
majority of the reported cases turned out to be
hoaxes, and the few that were real caused only
minor injuries, but many parents were under the
assumption that the practice was common. At the
peak of this hysteria, some hospitals were offering
to x-ray children's Halloween haul at no cost
in order to look for such items.
A Halloween custom which has survived
unchanged to this day in Ireland is the baking
(or more often nowadays the purchase) of a barmbrack
(Irish "báirín breac").
This is a light fruit cake into which a plain
ring is placed before baking. It is said that
whoever finds this ring will find his or her true
love during the following year.
Other foods associated with
the holiday:
candy corn
hot apple cider
roasted pumpkin seeds
Cultural history
Celtic observation of Samhain
In the Druidic religion of the ancient Celts,
the new year began with the winter season of Samhain
on November 1. Just as shorter days signified
the start of the new year, sundown also meant
the start of a new day; therefore the harvest
festival began every year on the night of October
31. Druids in the British Isles would light fires
and offer sacrifices of crops, animals and sometimes
humans, and as they danced around the fires, the
season of the sun would pass and the season of
darkness would begin.
When the morning of November 1 arrived,
the Druids would give an ember from their fires
to each family who would then take it home to
start a new cooking fire. These fires were intended
to keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits
such as "Sidhe" (pronounced "shee,"
most notable of which are the beán sidhe
or banshees), because at this time of year it
was believed that the invisible "gates"
between this world and the spirit world were opened
and free movement between both worlds was possible.
Bonfires played a large part in
the festivities. Villagers cast the bones of the
slaughtered cattle upon the flames; the word "bonfire"
is thought to derive from these "bone fires."
With the bonfire ablaze, the villagers extinguished
all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit
their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding
the families of the village together. Hundreds
of fires are still lit each year in Ireland on
Halloween night.
Neopagans still celebrate the sabbat
of Samhain on Halloween, as well as also taking
part in secular Halloween activities.
Norse Elven Blót
In the old Norse religion and its modern revival,
Ásatrú, the day now known as Halloween
was a blót which involved sacrifices to
the elves and the blessing of food.
A poem from around 1020, the Austrfaravísur
('Eastern-journey verses') of Sigvatr Þorðarson,
mentions that, as a Christian, he was refused
board in a heathen household, in Sweden, because
an álfablót ("elves' sacrifice")
being conducted there. However, we have no further
reliable information as to what an álfablót
involved, but like other blóts it probably
included the offering of foods, and later Scandinavian
folklore retained a tradition of sacrificing treats
to the elves. From the time of year (close to
the autumnal equinox) and the elves' association
with fertility and the ancestors, we might assume
that it had to do with the ancestor cult and the
life force of the family.
Halloween customs
Observance of Halloween faded in the South of
England from the 17th century onwards, being replaced
by the commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot on
November 5. However it remained popular in Scotland,
Ireland and the North of England. It is only in
the last decade that it has become popular in
the South of England again, although in an entirely
Americanized version.
The custom survives most accurately
in Ireland, where the last Monday of October is
a public holiday. All schools close for the following
week for mid-term, commonly called the Halloween
Break. As a result Ireland is the only country
where children never have school on Halloween
and are therefore free to celebrate it in the
ancient and time-honored fashion.
The custom of trick-or-treating
is thought to have evolved from the European custom
called souling, similar to the wassailing customs
associated with Yule. On November 2, All Souls'
Day, beggars would walk from village to village
begging for "soul cakes" - square pieces
of bread with currants. Christians would promise
to say prayers on behalf of dead relatives helping
the soul's passage to heaven. The distribution
of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as
a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving
food and wine for roaming spirits at the Samhain.
See Puck (mythology).
In Celtic parts of western Brittany.
Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou.
Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape of antlers
to commemorate the god of winter shedding his
"cuckold" horns as he returns to his
kingdom in the Otherworld.
"Punkie Night"
"Punkie Night" is observed on the last
Thursday in October in the village of Hinton St.
George in the county of Somerset in England. On
this night, children carry lanterns made from
hollowed-out mangel-wurzels (a kind of beet; in
modern days, pumpkins are used) with faces carved
into them. They bring these around the village,
collecting money and singing the punkie song.
Punkie is derived from pumpkin or punk, meaning
tinder.
Though the custom is only attested
over the last century, and the mangel-wurzel itself
was introduced into English agriculture in the
late 18th century, "Punkie Night" appears
to be much older even than the fable that now
accounts for it. The story goes that the wives
of Hinton St. George went looking for their wayward
husbands at the fair held nearby at Chiselborough,
the last Thursday in October, but first hollowed
out mangel wurzels in order to make lanterns to
light their way. The drunken husbands saw the
eerie lights, thought they were "goolies"
(the restless spirits of children who had died
before they were baptized), and fled in terror.
Children carry the punkies now. The event has
spread since about 1960 to the neighboring village
of Chiselborough.
Sources: on-line report from the
Western Gazette and a National Geographic radio
segment. Chiselborough Fair is memorialized by
Fair Place in the village. The National Gazetteer
of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) reported that
there was "a fair for horses and cattle on
the last Thursday in October."
"Mischief Night"
The night before Halloween, known in some areas
as "Mischief Night" or "Devil's
Night," is often associated with destructive
activities performed by adolescents. Some of the
acts range from minor vandalism to theft, or even
violence. Many youths involved in mischief night
would be considered too old for traditional trick-or-treating.
The most common wrong-doing is trashing people's
houses, lawns, and trees within property with
tons of toilet paper.
A dialect survey begun in 1999 by
Harvard University indicates that there are a
number of terms for this particular day of the
year, but that the vast majority (70.38%) have
no special word for it.
Religious viewpoints
The majority of Christians ascribe no doctrinal
significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely
secular entity devoted to celebrating imaginary
spooks and handing out candy. The secular celebration
of Halloween may loom larger in contemporary imagination
than does All Saints' Day.
The mingling of Christian and pagan
traditions in the early centuries following the
founding of the Christian Church have left many
modern Christians uncertain of how they should
react towards this holiday. Some fundamentalist
Christian groups consider Halloween a Pagan holiday
and may refer to it as "the most evil day
of the year," refusing to allow their children
to participate. Among these groups it is believed
to have developed Satanic influences. In some
areas, complaints from these fundamentalist Christians
that the schools were endorsing a Pagan religion
have led the schools to stop distributing UNICEF
boxes.
Other Christians, however, continue
to connect this holiday with All Saints Day. Some
modern Christian churches commonly offer a "fall
festival" or harvest-themed alternative to
Halloween celebrations. Still other Christians
hold the view that the holiday is not Satanic
in origin or practice and that it holds no threat
to the spiritual lives of children - being taught
about death and mortality actually being a valuable
life lesson.
Halloween
Decorating Ideas & Haunted House Decorating
Here are some super idea books that can help you
decorate your home or party
perfectly this year for Halloween! If you are looking
to scare the beejebeez out of the neighborhood trick
or treaters, here's a great place to start. Create
your own super haunted house effect or just create
a more halloween festive look for your home. These
idea starters will sure to be helpful! I'll bet
you didn't know Martha Stewart wrote a book on Halloween
decorating!

Hocus
Pocus: Halloween Crafts for a Spooktacular Holiday
If you're looking for
something really different, check out this great
book. I've made a few of the cards, the pumpkin
placemats and the party crackers. There are so many
great ideas in here, you won't know where to start!
I collect Halloween books and it's always a treat
to find a good one. Several came out this year,
but this one really takes the cake! Directions are
clear, projects are just terrific. Enjoy!

Haunted
House Halloween Handbook
This book seems targeted at someone that is planning
to help build a medium scale haunted house for
a charity event. It does this very well, describing
the essence of what is scary and why, as well
as all the steps required to create a safe and
profitable haunted house on schedule. The author
focuses on how to do first rate effects on a third
rate budget though the use of innovation and imagination
(and most importantly, his experience, which he
shares with you). Most haunted houses are just
stupid, because the designers build something
that sounds like it would be scary, but does not
really scare people. This author understands that
people going to a haunted house want to be scared
and he describes the essence of the subtle differences
that transform an effect from eliciting a yawn
to invoking a scream.
I have been building haunted scenes in my home
for (gulp) thirty years and have produced medium
scale haunted houses for charities, but I still
learned a number of things from this book. The
books includes plans, instructions, parts, and
suppliers. The author (I learned after reading
the book) builds �low� cost scary effects
where are superior in scare and lowest in cost,
of any I have seen. The book does not quite give
enough specific information to build these for
yourself, but it does cover a lot of other stuff.
If you spend more then $150/year of scary stuff
then you qualify as a Halloween nut and you should
buy this book.
This book isn't for everyone.
This is for true Halloween enthusiasts willing
to spend tens of hours, days, or even months preparing
for a scary event. If you want tips for making
your home a hallmark Halloween showcase, this
is not the book for you.
Very basic book that MAY be helpful to a home
haunter, but if you serious about producing a
haunted attraction, this book will be of little
help to you. The book's drawings are simplistic
and the description of props is somewhat vague,
however, there are some basic technics that can
utilized to create certain effects. The book's
discussion of the finances of a haunted attraction
is very limited and unimaginative. The use of
actors to replace mechanical activation of effects
is prominent in this book which leads me to believe
that the authors financial skills are lacking(
Labor cost & insurance are monumental hurdles
in any haunted attraction). In general I would
recommend that you save your money on this one,
the internet provides most of information in the
book "free for the asking".
E very year my friends and i do a haunted house
in our friend's garage. We needed some new fresh
ideas and this book helped greatly!! This book
is easy to understand but makes it easy to have
great professional looking haunted house ... even
in your friend's garage :)
This book provides excellent information about
operating a haunted attraction. It covers more
than just effects. Planning, location, safety,
advertising, and other important subjects are
covered. The production value of the book is lower
than I expected; that's why I only give it 4 out
of 5 stars. The artwork is simple but adequate.
However, the quality and amount of information
makes this book well worth the price.
This book provides all necessary information for
people interested in starting their own haunted
house or their own haunted house party. The author
has suceeded in offering a truly informative reference
guide.

Give
Them A Real Scare This Halloween
Book Description
This book is hysterical! This author is so talented...not
only does he write the book (and the ideas are
tremendous), but he also illustrated the whole
thing (and the pictures are little black and white
cartoons that make you laugh out loud!). I would
recommend this book to not only Halloween fans
like myself (and such great ideas inside this
book if you love to have fun with scaring the
wits out of the older kids...no small ones, could
be a father waiting in the wings), but to people
who want a good laugh and some great ideas.
Wonderful book - A+!
I was looking for ideas for scary decorations,
which is not really what this book is about, although
it is well written and the cartoon drawings are
great.
If you're looking for scary tricks to perform,
this book has Halloween gags which would be good
for a family or group to do together, to scare
Trick Or Treaters or haunted house guests.
But if you're planning a Halloween party, and
you want to socialize and actually be part of
the party, this is probably not the book for you.
Most of the ideas in this book must be repeated
every time someone new arrives. They require you
to play an active role in the scare, either in
costume or behind the scenes, and many require
two people.
This book is fun to read and the illustrations
are amazing! For practical purposes though, this
is not the book you want if you need step-by-step
instructions to decorate. This book merely gives
examples and ideas and lets you use your imagination
to do the rest. Also, some of the ideas are so
crazy and involved that you would have to start
the day after Halloween to get them done by next
Halloween! This book is great for a laugh and
is meant to be taken lightly. I recommend for
anyone who loves Halloween and a good laugh; but,
not to anyone who is looking for detailed instructions
on decorating for Halloween.
what an awesome little book for halloween lovers
everywhere.The illustrations are great and the
book is very funny.I found an enourmous amount
of great halloween ideas and useful information
for everything halloween.the halloween supplier
index in the back of the book is great.If you
are really into halloween and need some great
halloween ideas,you need to buy this book.You
will never be sorry for the money spent.I have
tons of new ideas now and am ready to put them
into use this halloween season.This is a must
have book for any halloween lovers!!
This book is ideal for home haunters or those
producing a haunted fund raiser to collect ideas
for developing the haunt. Written for the armature
there are dozens of creative ideas to perform
scares, decorate a room, party or front yard and
ways to create special effects. The hundreds of
humorous illustrations walk you through each idea.
This book is an inexpensive way for any Halloween
enthusiast to get started. It's worth the price
of the book just to read for laughs.
This book is ideal for home haunters or those
producing a haunted fund raiser to collect ideas
for developing the haunt. Written for the armature
there are dozens of creative ideas to perform
scares, decorate a room, party or front yard and
ways to create special effects. The hundreds of
humorous illustrations walk you through each idea.
This book is an inexpensive way for any Halloween
enthusiast to get started. It's worth the price
of the book just to read for laughs.
Like anything else in life, you often get what
you pay for, and for the small amount of money
you will have to shell out for this book, it is
well worth the price. No, it will not provide
hands-on diagrams on how to professionally and
elaborately design your entire yard or house but
that was obviously not the intent of this book.
Pfeiffer's book is aimed at those who are into
Hallowe'en decorating for the fun and enjoyment
of it. There are some great suggestions here that
can make Hallowe'en time, quality family time.
The reader will find some very catchy ideas to
stir up the spirits of all the little ghosts and
goblins on Hallow'en.
The book contains everything from magic tricks
and costumes to building a Halloween attraction
and suggestions for your spooky party. The illustrations
are quite good considering the cost of the book
and there all kinds of tips and techniques among
the pages to make your Hallowe'en a night to remember.
Most children do not care how if your home or
party is professionally designed; children are
in it for the sheer fun (as Hallow'en was intended)
and you are bound to find something here to please
all your little creepy critters and fairy princesses
(and Moms and Dads, too!)
This Halloween guide had plenty of neat projects
for making your house scary for Halloween. I found
that the instructions were pretty thorough, but
it wasn't quite what I was looking for.
I'm a busy working mom. There's no way that I
would be able to invest the time or the money
in many of these projects. If you are a person
who's really into Halloween, this book is for
you. However, if you're like me, a very busy person
who needs to put together a party for her kids
but only has limited time, I'd recommend something
like "101 Spooktacular Party Ideas" by Linda Sadler
I looked at several books on this subject and
found this to be the one. Great price! It has
everything that expensive books have. The book
contains all the great Haunted House Tricks(Pepper's
Ghost). Great illustrations! It explains how it
is done and shows you how to do it. I found the
book very easy to follow. In a land, where everyone
from Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, The
Queen Mary, Non-Profit Organizations, back and
front yard amateurs that have some kind of haunted
house attraction; this is the book to help you
compete.

Haunt Your House For Halloween: Decorating Tricks
& Party Treats
Review
Being a Halloween aficionado, I find this book
cute, and full of good for ideas for a mild Halloween,
but "haunted" is not what I would call the decorations.
I still can't understand why some of the pumpkins
have jester hats. Personally, I would call this
more fall country decor than anything, but very
cute and good ideas all around.
I'm a serious Halloweenie. When I heard the title
"Haunt Your House For Halloween: Decorating Tricks
& Party Treats" the last thing I expected
were cutsie country painted wood cutouts of pumkpin
men (stacked 3 hight like snowmen), pigeon-looking
blue crows, and BUNNIES with harlequin diamond
painted ears. There were even oversided EGGS painted
in yellow, orange, and white as if to be candy
corn.
If you're a serious country crafter who wants
to spend a lot of time cutting shapes out of pine
with your jigsaw and then painting them, this
book has great ideas for you. Personally, I found
that a lot of the instructions were quite lengthy
and involved, and required a lot of money spent
on materials and tools.
I bought two Halloween books online
this year in preparation for my 2nd annual haunted
costume party. This one was a big disapointment
for me. If you're looking for some really fantastic,
easy, original and genuinely SPOOKY decorating
and party ideas, try "Scary Scenes For Halloween"
by Jill Williams Grover. I've left rave reviews
for the wealth of amazing ideas I've gathered
from her book.
This book has a lot of ideas for decorating your
house. The majority of the items are "country"
style wood cutouts. They are cute but not what
I thought would be in a book that is called "Haunt
you house for Halloween"! The directions are thorough
and easy to follow. The book has a lot of photographs
of the actual finishes projects as well. The ideas
are probably good for houses with little children
who may scare easy or for people who like the
painted wood decorations.
Halloween Decorating (Arts & Crafts for Home
Decorating Series)
Best book I have seen to make halloween decorations
for your home and garden.The pictures will bring
you right in the mood and you just can?t wait
to get started on your crafts. This book is a
"must have" on your bookshelf.

Halloween
: The Best of Martha Stewart Living
Halloween books abound, but none is as elegantly
spooky or as eerily opulent as this gorgeous guide
from Martha Stewart Living. Set the scene for
the ultimate Halloween party with a magical yard
full of pumpkins glowing with vibrant geometrics
and sparkling with Christmas lights. Welcome guests
with shadow lanterns flickering with bats and
haunted windows. Strew the house with chiffon
ghosts and fill the air with haunting sounds.
Then host a pumpkin-carving feast, a crafty party,
or a ghoulish supper, and whip up eyeball highballs,
croaked messieurs, and spider-web sundaes. And
don't forget the creepy makeup: follow along as
willing victims transform into a skeleton, mummy,
and several other creatures (Martha herself becomes
an astonishing black widow). Excellent directions,
full recipes, beautiful photographs, and an extremely
detailed source list should inspire anyone to
celebrate All Hallows' Eve with style. --Amy Handy
Book Description
Halloween is rivaled only by Christmas when it
comes to the holidays that generate the most interest
for Martha Stewart Living’s readers. Halloween
is a compendium of the best Halloween ideas published
in the magazine over the last decade.
To help celebrate this ghoulish
holiday, the editors of Martha Stewart Living
bring us Halloween, a compilation of all the best
tricks and treats of the spooky season.
Organized in two sections,
Halloween makes this holiday so much fun it’s
scary. In “Tricking,” pranksters will find all
manner of pumpkin carving, eerie lighting, and
makeup and decorating ideas. “Treating” provides
the recipes for having a Halloween feast or a
hanted-house party and ideas for making mischief
with kids.
Reviews
Being a HUGE Halloween fan,
I would have never thought that Martha could have
any good ideas for Halloween decorating. Her decorating
ideas are always so cute and cheerful, right?
How wrong I was! This book has wonderfully dark
and gothic decorations that really capture the
essence and magic of Halloween. Even the ideas
for the kids are tasteful, without being overly
cutesy.
Add to this great ideas for seasonal
food (who knew you could use pumpkin in so many
different ways), excellent costume ideas, and
party ideas, and you have a great 'grown-up' Halloween
decorating guide!
And for those reviewers here who
complained that the book was only a collection
of Martha's previous magazine articles: The title
is "Halloween: The Best of Martha Stewart Living".
The "Best of" title should have clued you in that
this was not brand new material. I'm sure the
audience for the book was people like me, who
have never picked up Martha's magazine before.
I know I buy every Halloween issue now, as well
as other seasonal issues.
Here it is, the best of Martha Stewart Living
Hallowe'en content through 2001! Everything is
here, packaged so efficiently and beautifully
that even die-hard Martha Mag collectors will
want it. There are great crafts, recipes, and
costume projects, but the real fun of this book
is in simply looking through the pictures and
informational bits.
Everything is so clever, and presented so creatively!
Put it on your coffee table!
HALLOWEEN from The Best of Martha Stewart Living
is a dazzling book filled with terrific ideas
for Alls Hallow Eve.
First of all, the photography is
beautiful. Just a leisurely look through the book
and without reading anything, you can get plenty
of decorating ideas. The various ways of carving
pumpkins into traditional jack o' lanterns, celestial
pumpkins, or even a chandelier is enlightening.
No pun intended! The instructions are given for
all of the decorative ways to carve the scrumptious
gourds.
The chapter called Trading Faces
has several different makeup applications; including
those for a witch, a skeleton, a mummy, a cat
and a vampire. The chapter on Haunting a House
has lots of ways to make the house scary. A unique
idea was to make the silhouette of someone standing
on the stairs. Very effective! The Crafty Party
chapter has ways to decorate everything in the
house. There are ideas for table decorations,
masks, and party favors.
Wickedly Good Menus is, of course,
the chapter on food. There are about 20 recipes
included. The following recipes sound especially
bewitching: White Bean & Sausage Stew in Pumpkin
Shells, The Devil's Salsa. and The Great Pumpkin
Cake. For years, Susan, my sister, has been using
the recipe to make the Ladies' Fingers. They are
simply to die for! Happy Halloween!
Halloween is a great time of year. I just discovered
this book and I was really surprised. It was by
Martha Stewart no less! This is not your run of
the mill book! The ideas are fantastic and go
beyond anything I ever imagined. This is not ordinary
stuff here. There are ideas for the house and
yard, food and candy and way out ways to make
yourself up for the evening. This is a quality
publication. There is still time to order!

A Halloween How-To: Costumes, Parties, Decorations,
and Destinations
by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne
Review:
Last fall, I checked
this book out of the library looking for ideas
for our annual Halloween bash and to decorate
our yard. The book not only has a great wealth
of ideas and tips, but also historical and sociological
information on the holiday. This is one of the
few books that I have found more geared towards
adults wishing to celebrate the holiday. Most
of what is out there leans towards the juvenile
side of Halloween festivites.
I agree with past reviewers' main gripes about
lack of graphics. The book doesn't need to have
glossy coffee table book-type spreads, but it
is seriously lacking in useful illustrations
This is a great book with many decorating ideas
and references. This is the best book I found
on the market. I applied a few of the ideas to
my decorations last year and had a few children
afraid to approach the door (though that was not
my intent, nothing truly gory last year). Highly
recommended!
If you are looking for a Halloween how to book
for grownups, this is it. It is full of magnificent
ideas for everything from parties to yard haunting.
I love Halloween and I have many Halloween books.
This one is the one I use the most. I especially
loved the life-sized Grim Reaper. I made it for
my yard haunt last year and received more compliments
on it than anything else. I highly recommend this
book.
Since so many other reviewers give a good overview
of the book, let me tell you what I found unique
and helpful about this book. The best section
of this book tells you how to hold a themed adult
Halloween party. It covers everything from the
invitations (really cool invitations, with relevant
literary quotes), to the decorations, music, and
costumes. There are many themes listed. I have
never seen this in any of the Halloween books
I have bought. This chapter alone makes it worth
the price.Full-disclosure: My tombstone-making
instructions are featured in the book. But I don't
get a cut of the profits, just the recognition
(Thanks for the mention Lesley!)

The Halloween Book (Hardcover) - by Jane Bull
Review:
The Halloween Book is a veritable gold mine of creepy
crafts to make Halloween the most spine-tingling
night of the year. Unearthly decorations ("Silhouette
Windows," "Flickering Faces," "Jeering Jars"), exquisitely
eerie dress-up ideas ("Fearsome Features," "Creepy
Costumes,"), and delectably ghastly goodies ("Buckets
of Treats," "Beastly Buffet," "Hanging Horrors,"
"Cauldron Cocktails," "Spooky Potions") will provide
days of creative fun leading up to the haunted holiday.
The perfect resource for a Halloween party, with
DK's superb photos and clever activities, games,
and recipes, this volume is a steep step above the
standard craft book. So pour yourself a mug o' vampire
broth or hot chocolate bones, dig into some sausage
fingers, and get started on your screaming streamers
and menacing masks. (Ages 6 to 11) --Emilie Coulter
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5-This is the "Martha Stewart" book of craft,
costume, food, and party ideas for the ultimate
Halloween experience. It shows how to carve a pumpkin,
make hanging glass-jar lights, spooky window cutouts,
and decorated flashlights. There are descriptions
and photos of additions to fairy, pirate, witch,
vampire, and ghost costumes, with elaborate face
painting and perfectly cut-out, acrylic-painted,
paper-plate masks. There are directions for a paper-m
ch pumpkin and a cr pe-paper-decorated sand bucket
for holding treats. Refreshments include sausage
fingers, "bread roll monsters," gorgeous-looking
creepy cupcakes, and "cauldron cocktails." Finally,
there are instructions for a shadow theatre and
other traditional party games. The photographs are
stunning, but all of the projects look like they
were made by adults or particularly handy, older
children. One hopes that youngsters will not be
disappointed when their creations don't look quite
so perfect.
Cathie Reed, The Montessori School, Lutherville,
MD
This is a fun book aimed at the younger set filled
with a nice sprinkling of Halloween costumes, recipes,
crafts, and party ideas. The ideas are by no means
original, but as a mom and Halloween-freak , I found
this book to be a good inspiration to cooking up
your own ideas. (The monster sandwiches are priceless!
)The photos are lovely, the printed varnished pages
crisp and bright -- I can practically smell the
pumpkin pie when I crack it open.

Halloween Parties
Book Description
A boring Halloween party? The horror! Millions
of Americans live to be scared silly, and for
them October 31 marks the beginning of the holiday
season: a reason to dress and act outrageously.
This hip, photograph-filled paperback, packed
with recipes and crafts, makes entertaining on
Allhallows' Eve terrifyingly easy. From a frightful
dinner for four to a full-out, monster-mashing
Haunted Mansion, Lori Hellander concocts six parties
guaranteed to make guests scream in delight. The
Hocus Pocus Potion Party highlights eerie elegance,
while Tricks and Treats taps into Halloween nostalgia.
Like a skilled carver attacking
a pumpkin, Hellander chops up each themed party
into manageable chunks: invitations; shopping
and scheduling; decor and costumes; food and drink;
games for all ages. But aspiring fete-ishists
need not have tons of time or an armory of glue
guns to get the parties going: there are plenty
of quick and simple-to-execute ideas, plus useful
tips for impromptu entertaining. AUTHOR BIO: LORI
HELLANDER lives in New York City, but her work
as a photo stylist takes her to many places on
the map. She is a regular contributor to Country
Living, Bon Appétit, and Mary Engelbreit's Home
Companion, among other national publications,
and has made several guest appearances on HGTV's
Country Style and the Discovery Channel's Surprise
by Design.
Photo stylist Hellander’s book of Halloween-themed
entertainment ideas shares recipes, decorating
tips and invitation ideas for six different spooky
parties. The Tricks & Treats party is pretty
run of the mill, with its jack-o’-lantern goody
bags, suggestions for pumpkin carving and plenty
more Halloween ideas.
BILL MILNE is a photographer and
image-maker who has contributed to Gourmet, Wine
Spectator, Time, People, and many other publications.

Halloween Pumpkins & Parties : 101
Spooktacular Ideas (Paperback)
Half of this book features Halloween celebrations
and entertaining, while the rest highlights creativity
with pumpkins.
Review: All-new ideas for
both crafters and noncrafters.
One-of-a-kind Halloween how-to with detailed instructions,
patterns, and recipes.
Third in a series of highly
successful Halloween books

Halloween Fun : 101 Ideas to get in the
spirit (Better Homes & Gardens
Master everything from festive
decorations and costumes to yummy recipes for
little goblins with 101 ideas to get in the spirit
with Halloween Fun, published by Better Homes
and Gardens.
Family Fun Tricks and
Treats
Halloween is a time of transformation and not
for just humans who don the face paint and masks!
Reviews
There are a number of Halloween books out on the
market for decorating, baking and costume making,
but this is one of the few that actually has something
new in it!
The crafts are clever, but actually
look doable wtih things you might already have
on hand. The costumes ideas are fun and innovative,
the food ideas are also really cute, but not overly-complicated.
While some classic ideas never die, this book
puts a nice twist on things like "body parts"
games.
Of course, the ideas come
from the monthly magazine that Disney produces,
Family Fun, and if you get the magazine, you'll
have already seen alot of these things in print
or on their website. Still, the book is nicely
layed-out, easy to flip through and a good resource
of party and costume ideas for both kids and their
grown-ups.
Review: This
book is an awesome resource for make-at-home costumes
and decorations. The ideas are so cute, easy to
follow, and where else can you find a recipe for
slime?
Review: This was great!
My daughter & I love Halloween and when we
saw this we bought it right away. There are so
many wonderful ideas. A must have! There were
a lot of spooky things to do with foods and great
little ideas for those little helpers to decorate
your home with lots of memories! You have to get
this one!
Halloween School Parties:
What Do I Do?
Midwest Book Review
Wilhelmina Ripple's Halloween School Parties:
What Do I Do? (charmingly illustrated throughout
by Heather Anderson) is a parent or teacher "how-to"
manual for putting on safe and fun Halloween parties
for children of all ages. Halloween School Parties
features eight themes, sixty games, fifty-five
crafts/favors; forty-nine treats, eight drinks,
eight parent costumes, twenty-two educational
facts, more than fifty helpful hints, fifty-two
interviews from children and adults, two hundred
twenty-five illustrations, a chapter on "what,
why and how"; and an index for ease of use. Halloween
School Parties is, quite simply stated, the best
Halloween party book ever published and a must
for school and community libraries everywhere.
Review
Another Mom in my son's classroom lent me this
book as I was giving my 6-year old a Halloween
themed birthday party. I made the popcorn hands
treat which was a HUGE hit. It's a good thing
I made extra as I saw parents munching away. Not
one was left after the party. We also played the
Wrap the Mummy game and the parents loved it as
much as the kids. I'm a Room Mom for two classrooms
this year. We'll be having a classroom Halloween
party and again, I'll be making the popcorn hands
and this time I'll put black and orange M&M's
in the fingers to try. One Mom loved the Mummy
Wrap game so much she will be hosting it at our
classroom party. This was such a useful and resourceful
book that I have ordered all her books to help
me out this year!
Review
A wonderful book and many ideas to use for Halloween
Paries, not just at school. The craft ideas are
so cute and adaptable for any age. We have used
these ideas at church parties. The What, Why,
and How of Room Parenting chapert is useful for
any entertaining event. Suggestion: Purchase a
complete set.
Review
This Book it exactly what I have been looking
for. A complete party how to book, from Bat Volleyball
to Witch's Bubbling Brew.
I run a Day Care and to find activities for each
age group is "pricless".
Review
This is a wonderful series of party books-perfect
for classroom-size groups of all elementary ages.
A couple of years ago I had 2 weeks to pull my
3rd grader's class party together after the room
parent had moved. I planned the entire party out
of this book. The kids had a great time! It was
such a great help that our PTO bought multiple
sets of the series as references for our Party
Parents!
Review
This is a fabulous book! Every page is packed
with great ideas on games or snacks or crafts
or costumes! It is very detailed in all aspects.
I can honestly say that each page has something
I will use in the future for my Brownie Troop
(I'm going to have to make these parties very
long because I want to use every single idea).
Wilhelmina Ripple has provided a very useful and
fun book!
Review
I bought this book to get ideas for the large
Halloween party we throw every year. This book
is strictly sighted at school parties, including
classroom crafts and games designed for a school
setting. Since so many schools don't even allow
"Halloween" to be mentioned (my kids have attended
two schools that dictate "Harvest" themes) this
book is of little use to me.

101 Spooktacular Party Ideas
Planning a Halloween party has never been easier!
Whether you are having a few neighborhood children
over, or are throwing a huge Halloween bash, 101
Spooktacular Party Ideas will help you plan an
unforgettable Halloween party.
It is filled with ideas that will help you haunt
your house with boo-tiful decorations, serve sinisterly
delectable treats, play bone chilling games and
make fiendishly fun crafts and party favors.
101 Spooktacular Party Ideas features
9 outdoor decorations, 10 indoor decorations,
10 quick and easy treats, 15 make ahead treats,
10 beverage ideas, 22 relay and active games,
11 quiet games, 14 craft and party favors, and
more!
For easy reference, each food and
craft idea includes a picture. Most of the decoration
ideas also have pictures. Each idea has a supply
list that tells the reader what materials are
needed to complete the activity. Most of the materials
are inexpensive and easy to find. Each party idea
includes easy to follow instructions that will
guide the reader step-by-step through each activity.
Now it is easy to put on an unforgettable Halloween
party.
About the Author
Linda Sadler has always enjoyed throwing Halloween
parties and sharing her ideas with other people.
As the mother of two boys, ages 12 and 15, she
has over 10 years of experience planning school
parties. She has also thrown Halloween parties
at her home for over 15 years. The idea to write
this book came from her constant struggles to
find new decoration, craft, game and treat ideas
for her parties. Her goal is to make planning
a Halloween party easy, so she has written this
book with easy to follow step-by-step instruction.
Anyone, even those who are not crafty or creative,
can follow the directions and make fun decorations,
treats and party favors.
Halloween
Recipes
Here are some ideas that can help you cook up
some delicious Halloween food and treats for this
year's Halloween celebrations!
Creepy Cuisine - Revolting Halloween Recipes
that look Disgusting but Taste Divine
Review
From School Library Journal
-An artful arrangement of ingredients aided by
imaginative titles transforms ordinary food into
disgusting treats such as, "Pus Pockets"
(pita stuffed with cheese, baked, slit, and squeezed)
and "Worms au Gratin" (spaghetti and
noodles). While some children will only browse
through the book to exclaim at the yucky fare,
those who try the recipes will find that they
contain sensible advice, beginning with safety
tips, cooking terms, measurements, and clean-up
hints. Instructions are clearly written and list
needed tools. The advice, "with an adult's
help" is given whenever cooking, baking,
or the use of a sharp knife is required. Burke's
pen-and-ink cartoons are essential for their humorous
portrayal of monsters and ugly characters and
because arrangement of food is so critical for
gruesome effect. Even so, some imagination may
be needed to see the werewolf in the Waldorf Salad
or Brussels sprouts as gorilla tonsils. The food
itself is mostly healthful, with fruits and vegetables
featured as prominent ingredients. Food coloring
is used in some recipes and stuffed olives (eyeballs)
appear more than once. Some titles may be over
readers' heads, but the serving suggestions (e.g.,
crumpled facial tissues with the "Phlegm
Brulee) will help them understand. Filled with
clever ideas, this is an excellent choice for
those who are looking for something creepy but
fun.
"Filled with clever ideas, this is an excellent
choice for those who are lookin for something
creepy but fun."--School Library Journal.
was disappointed with this book.Its a wonderful
idea to make a book like this but most of the
recipes are not something that my family &
i would use.The titles of the recipes are great,gnarled
witch fingers,tongues on toast,brains on the half
skull,etc.This book just needs some better recipes.
I used this book for an adult business
halloween party. they all acted like kids grossing
out at each item (yet eating them ALL and asking
for more). I only made a few items last year to
see their reaction and couldn't believe how they
devoured them and started searching my refrigerator
for more! this year i'll be adding many more of
these recipes to my menu.
If you can get past the names of the dishes (and
your imagination doesn't go into overdrive), you
will love this book! The instructions are simple,
and there are plenty of opportunities to teach
kids about good kitchen technique. This book belongs
in every parent's collection.

Halloween
Recipes and Crafts
When I was a kid...and
I'm NOT saying when that was...decorating for Halloween
consisted of mainly taping those old cardboard decorations
of skeletons, witches, or bats, etc, on your windows,
carving a jack-o-lantern, and maybe stuffing a dummy.
Today, decorating for Halloween is second only to
Christmas and is growing every year. No longer just
sprouting up a week before the holiday, today people
seem to begin decorating for Halloween as soon as
October rolls around. And with the elaborate displays
many people now have, it probably takes that long
to finish. But as Halloween stores pop up each September
selling expensive, Hollywood quality props and decorations,
people have lost sight of the fact that you needn't
break the bank to have a great Halloween display
at your house. "Halloween Recipes & Crafts"
presents 160 pages of fantastic ideas for decorating
both inside and outside, along with great recipes
and other tips for a memorable Halloween. The book
opens with a short but interesting history of Halloween
and then provides tips on party planning and safety.
From there we get into the meat of the book and
the fabulous projects you can make at home for little
cost. Outdoor Décor
is the first section and provides a number of
projects that were new to me. One of the most
interesting was the freshly dug graves project
where you turn everyday plastic garbage bags and
a little bit of dirt or soil, to create the look
of a freshly dug grave on for your front lawn.
Accent it with a Styrofoam tombstone (which you
can also make very inexpensively) some leaves,
maybe a fake hand rising out of the dirt, for
a truly terrifying display.
Another outdoor project utilizes
old tin cans, such as soup or even coffee cans.
Painted pumpkin orange, simply punch a series
of holes in the can with an awl or screwdriver
to make a face. Place a candle inside the can
and hang outside for a brilliant Halloween lantern.
There's also dangling skeletons that can be made
with old gallon milk jugs and a scary Halloween
ghost flag that can be made for a few dollars.
Moving inside, there are more great
projects. Utilize those, unused Halloween masks
by simply stuffing them and hanging them inside...or
outside...as recently severed heads. One of my
favorite projects is the shrunken heads made out
of apples. Simply peel an apple and apply a solution
of lemon juice and salt to prevent browning. Carve
out the apple in the shape of a face and let dry
for a couple of weeks. You can even use marker
or paint to further accent these ghastly little
decorations. The highlight for me was a miniature
graveyard scene made with a simple sheet of Styrofoam,
some Spanish moss, twigs, little stones, and smaller
pieces of Styrofoam to make tiny tombstones.
The recipes section has all sorts
of Halloween themed ideas like deviled egg eye
balls or lady fingers made from a half of a hot
dog with a red pepper finger nail applied with
a bit of cream cheese. Add raisins to ice cubes
for drinks or punch to give the appearance of
bugs. A great idea for adults is to take the traditional
bread bowl spinach dip and cut the bread bowl
into a jack-o-lantern face. It would make a great
centerpiece for an office party.
If you're hosting a party for your
children and their friends there's a great chapter
featuring a wide display of games like "Pin
the Mouth on the Pumpkin", "Encase the
Mummy", "Apple Grab" and more that
will keep the kids busy and having fun. The book
closes with some tips on costume selection and
makeup.
The projects in this book are great
looking yet very simple and inexpensive to make.
The projects all have a supply list and are described
in step-by-step fashion. Chances are you'll find
that you have a lot of the items you need already
in your home. The book is printed on glossy paper
and is lavishly illustrated with dozens of photographs
throughout. A real ghoul's treat of fun and great
looking projects.
Reviewed by Tim Janson
More yummy Halloween recipe books....

Halloween
Treats
Book Description
Amazon.com
Cocoa Cobweb Cupcakes, Black Cat Cookies, and
Stained-Glass Spooks are just a few of the spirited
tastes you'll encounter in Donata Maggipinto's
delightful Halloween Treats. But it's not just
recipes--you and your favorite little goblin will
love creating spooky craft projects such as Candy
Cauldrons, Leaf Lanterns, and Paper Bag Pumpkins
together in anticipation of All Hallows' Eve.
Maggipinto includes craft ideas for "Pixies"
(children 4-8 years old) as well as older children,
and nearly every recipe includes a safe task for
younger helpers. (For example, while mom or dad
should heat the milk for hot cocoa, kids can roll
and stamp out marshmallow ghosts as accompaniment.)
A few of the craft ideas will require a trip to
the art supply store (such as lampshade paper
for the very nifty flashlight lanterns), but Maggipinto
leaves plenty of room for the magical combination
of imagination and found objects. Her great "fanciful
masks" are dime-store masks decorated with
autumn leaves, candy wrappers, feathers, or anything
else you might have at hand.
Maggipinto believes that Halloween festivities
should last for at least a week; you'll find enough
project instructions and recipes here for a month
of Halloween fun. Grownups will love her Halloween
dinner party menu (with Pumpkin Crackle Custard
for dessert!) and kids can help by making corn
kernel napkin rings and three-tiered pumpkin centerpieces.
If you're looking for costume ideas, you won't
find them here--the book is focused firmly on
kitchen and decoration fun--but the beautifully
illustrated Halloween Treats is a wonderful treasure
trove of tricks and treats that every family will
enjoy working on together. --Rebecca A. Staffel
Ghost Witches Join Party Menu "Don't reserve
your Halloween cookie cutters just for cookies.
Consider these boo-tiful ideas from 'Halloween
Treats', by Donata Maggipinto:
Flatten large marshmallows with
a rolling pin, then use mini cutters to make a
ghoulish garnish for hot cocoa.
Make 'ghost-wiches' by cutting sandwich
bread or lunch meats (or both) with the cookie
cutters; a pastry tip to poke eyes and mouth into
the bread.
And here's a tip from Good Eating:
If you're determined to think sweet, you can also
use those cookie cutters for devilish brownies
and cakes. Either cut the cakes into scary shapes,
or use the cookie cutters as stencils to make
designs - with frosting or colored sugar on top
of the icing."
Book Description
These days, Halloween is the most popular holiday
next to Christmas. At its heart are family and
friends having fun together--which is what this
book is all about. In this cornucopia of creative
Halloween ideas, simple crafts, tasty treats,
and ghoulish good times abound. From delicious
"one cauldron" dinners such as creamy
pumpkin soup to luscious devil's food cake and
black cat cookies, here are recipes ideal for
entertaining adults and children alike, both in
the kitchen and at the table. And then there are
the crafts. Kid-friendly projects such as trick-or-treat
bags, spooky lanterns, and tissue ghosts, and
easy ideas for beautiful centerpieces, place mats,
and name cards keep everyone from the tots on
up busy and happy. Filled with clever projects
and delicious snacks, and illustrated throughout
with colorful photographs, Halloween Treats will
keep the whole family (and friends of all ages)
entertained. Happy Halloween!
About the Author
Donatela Maggipinto is the entertaining director
at Williams-Sonoma and a regular on NBC's Today
Show. She recently completed a series of cooking
programs for the Television Food Network. She
lives in Marin County, California.
Richard Jung is a San Francisco-based
food and travel photographer whose previous books
include Balsamico.

My Very
Own Halloween: A Book of Cooking and Crafts
My Very Own Halloween is a
great book for children to use to create treats
to eat, as well as crafts to decorate for the
occasion. Each food/craft has a list of the items
required to create it. Then it shows a numbered
list of descriptive steps to follow. There's a
photograph of every creation and suggested menus
combining the creations.
Halloween Holiday News - Looking for Halloween
Parties or Halloween Festivals?
Share
your Halloween haunts (Seattle Times)
Tricked-out house? If you decorate your home for
Halloween, send a photo from last year (and information
about how you created the look... Tue, 19 Sep 2006
07:19:51 GMT
Disney
promises grins over gore (Orange County Register)
ANAHEIM – The Disneyland Resort on Thursday
unveiled specifics of its "HalloweenTime"
seasonal event, billed as the "biggest and best
Halloween event ever celebrated" at the resort
in its 51 years. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:13:26 GMT
Parks
grasp the Halloween spirit (Amusement Business)
Ghostly pirates, a couple of ghouls, even a harmless
hayride can scare up plenty of revenue for theme
parks as they segue into the profitable Christmas
season. More parks are spooking it up for Halloween
than ever before. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:17:38 GMT
A
wet Halloween? (San Francisco Bay Guardian)
With just a month and a half to go before Halloween,
it's still not entirely clear what's going to happen
with the annual party in the Castro this year —
but it could be an early, wet night for revelers.
Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:06:52 GMT
Halloween
play tells a sweet story for children (Everett Herald)
Other upcoming productions include a story full
of eccentric characters and a gem of a tale by George
Bernard Shaw. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 07:12:47 GMT
THE
10TH ANNUAL COUNT'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR (Philadelphia
City Paper)
Put on your spookiest costume and co
Halloween
activities at Pierce College (The Acorn)
The family-friendly Halloween Harvest Festival begins
Fri., Sept. 29 and continues through Oct. 31 at
Pierce College, 6498 De Soto Ave., Woodland Hills.
Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:13:17 GMT
Parks
grasp the Halloween spirit (Amusement Business)
Ghostly pirates, a couple of ghouls, even a harmless
hayride can scare up plenty of revenue for theme
parks as they segue into the profitable Christmas
season. More parks are spooking it up for Halloween
than ever before. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:17:38 GMT
St.
Gabriel festival scheduled on Sunday (Connersville
News-Examiner)
There is one last chance for that famous St. Gabriel
fried chicken before the snow flies, and that is
during Sunday’s annual St. Gabriel Parish
Fall Festival at Expo Hall. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:17:28
GMT
THE
10TH ANNUAL COUNT'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR (Philadelphia
City Paper)
Put on your spookiest costume and come trick or
treating at Sesame Place! Every weekend until Halloween,
the park will host pumpkin decorating, haymazes,
hayrides and countless shows and rides. Wed, 20
Sep 2006 20:35:37 GMT
E-mail
Newsletters (Washington Post)
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Spirits of the Season Washington
Walks' "Most Haunted Houses" tour makes
the biggest impression in October, when its creepy
vibe plays off the cooler weather and thoughts of
Halloween. The tour will take walkers to, among
other places, the Octagon House, the oddly shaped...
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 06:36:28 GMT
Madison
Finalizes Halloween Plans (Channel 3000)
The city of Madison's Halloween plan has been finalized
after a year of planning and many meetings in the
past few months between city leaders, police and
fire departments, business owners and students.
Wed, 20 Sep 2006 03:14:19 GMT
LET'S
GO: Mount Gilead Autumn Fest is Saturday (The Marion
Star)
Send us your go, do and see event: Are you, your
group, community or village planning a fun activity
the public can attend? We’d like to let our
readers know about your plans. Thu, 21 Sep 2006
15:52:44 GMT
Group
mulls ways to make Halloween crowd less scary (Athens
News)
Love it or loathe it, Halloween is coming soon to
Athens in the form of another Court Street takeover
by tens of thousands of revelers. About 25 local
residents and officials met Thursday at the Athens
Public Library to plan for the influx. Mon, 18 Sep
2006 13:35:00 GMT
By
Phil Melnychuk Staff Reporter (Maple Ridge News)
Shock and awe should shake up the skies over the
Maple Ridge fairgrounds again this Halloween. "Bigger,
better and more organized," says Lions club
volunteer Peter Brockbank about this year's fireworks,
planned for Sunday, Oct. 28. Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:12:57
GMT
Local
Beat - 09/21/06 (Corsicana Daily Sun)
This column is designed to give our local readers
a place to put news and events that are important
to them and others in the community. Local news
such as public meetings, luncheons, events and other
non-club local items for not-for-profit associations
are listed in this column. Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:01:29
GMT
|