October is here, bringing with it cooler temps, caramel apples and one of our favorite days --- and probably yours too --- Halloween! Here at Kidsreads.com we're celebrating the month the way we know best --- with special features, series features, the best in movies, the coolest new books and all the information on your favorite authors. You could say that this month's Kidsreads.com update is like a goody bag just chocked full of treats.

First we have two very special new additions to the site --- our Araminta Spookie series feature and our special feature for FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine. The Araminta Spookie series by Angie Sage is a sweet and spooky treat, just perfect for Halloween. Readers who prefer the magical to the haunted will be enthralled by FAIREST, the newest book from ELLA ENCHANTED author Gail Carson Levine. Still craving cool series info? We have a sneak peak at our upcoming Harriet Bean series feature --- the fun and offbeat exploits of nine-year-old Harriet Bean are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This Friday, October 13th, the movie version of Anthony Horowitz's absolutely awesome Alex Rider series hits theaters with Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker. If you've ever harbored a secret fantasy of being a super-spy (and really, who hasn't?) then this movie is for you. Check out our Books into Movies feature for all the details, along with information about the two extra-cool tie-in books being released in conjunction with the film.

Like movie tie-in books? You're in luck because HarperCollins has come out with a number of them to coincide with the release of the hysterical and star-studded animated movie Open Season, which opened on the 29th of September. Click here to check them out!

Along with our roundups of New in Paperback and Cool New Books, and our regular reviews, we're spotlighting two new titles you just can't miss --- THE BEATRICE LETTERS by Lemony Snicket and MOMMY? by Maurice Sendak. By the way, you DO have your calendars marked for Friday, October 13th for the release of the LAST Series of Unfortunate Events title, don't you?

Finally, because we're as excited as you about Halloween, we're featuring a roundup of Halloween books and our poll and question are spooky-story-related.

So until you can dump out your goody bags and arrange all your candy in order of what you like best, log on to Kidsreads.com for a sweet fix of books that's as fun as it is cavity-free!

Carol Fitzgerald for Kidsreads.com

ARAMINTA SPOOKIE by Angie Sage
Have you ever thought, even for a second, about living in a haunted house? Well, it isn't necessary for Araminta Spookie to dream about such a thing --- because she already does! The enormous mansion where she resides with her aunt and uncle, along with a number of houseguests (both invited and uninvited!) is known as Spookie House. Bats rattle the rafters and ghosts float along the many tunnels and secret passages hidden under the house. And if Araminta's adventures in Spookie House are more hilarious than haunted, who cares? Even the grownups are having fun during Araminta's original and harebrained spooky schemes.

FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine
Fans of Gail Carson Levine's ELLA ENCHANTED will be pleased to discover that her newest fairy tale offering, FAIREST, is every bit as enchanting as its beloved predecessor. This time, Levine boldly rewrites the Snow White tale into a story that bears little resemblance to the original but offers much more scope for the imagination. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

Click here to read a review of FAIREST.
Click here to read an excerpt from FAIREST.
Click here to read Gail Carson Levine's bio.

HARRIET BEAN by Alexander McCall Smith
Humor, suspense and a charming cast of characters abound in this delightful series starring nine-year-old Harriet Bean. Fans of Nate the Great or Junie B will appreciate the antics of Harriet and her aunts as they discover each other and uncover baffling bedlam --- and have loads of fun doing both.

Stay tuned to Kidsreads.com for our Harriet Bean series feature, which will include an interview with author Alexander McCall Smith, reviews of the first three books in the series, and more.

 

To celebrate the release of ANOTHER NASTYbook, Kidsreads.com teamed up with NASTYbooks series author Barry Yourgrau to create a wild, wacky and kinda nasty Summer Story String Contest.

This week we are happy to share our winning entry from Ravneet, whose ending has been added to September's story. Barry also has joined in on the fun and written his own conclusion. Click here to read both versions!

Summer officially has ended, which means that this contest has come to a close. But you can still sit back, relax and enjoy reading (or re-reading) the three stories that your fellow writers helped create with Barry. Thanks to all of you for daring to participate in this nasty (but very entertaining) contest!

-Click here to read September's completed story.
-Click here to read August's completed story.
-Click here to read July's completed story.
-Click here to read a review of ANOTHER NASTYbook.
-Click here to visit NastyBook.com.
-Click here to read Barry's bio.

We know you love Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series. And we're as psyched as you for the movie version of the first installment, which hits theaters on October 6th. With its mix of thrills, espionage and gadgets, Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker promises to satisfy the spy in everyone. Advanced warning: After prolonged exposure to Alex's adventures, your life may seem rather humdrum in comparison.

To coincide with the film's release, Penguin Young Readers Group has made available two must-have books for fans of the teen spy. THE MOVIE TIE-IN NOVEL includes eight pages of movie stills, along with a new cover featuring stunning movie art. And BEHIND THE SCENES offers readers a sneak peak into the making of the film --- including interviews with the stars, the ins and outs of all the amazing stunts, and cool info on Alex's fascinating gadgets.

THE BEATRICE LETTERS by Lemony Snicket
Fans of Lemony Snicket's beloved A Series of Unfortunate Events are eagerly awaiting the thirteenth and final installment in this funny, enigmatic and intriguing series. Now hardcore Snicket aficionados have something to really sink their teeth into, in the form of THE BEATRICE LETTERS, a puzzling publication that will keep readers guessing up until (and probably long after) the series reaches its inevitable end.

MOMMY? by Maurice Sendak
For decades, author and illustrator Maurice Sendak has enchanted children with his timeless tales and fanciful artwork. He tickles the imagination once again in MOMMY?, teaming up with renowned children's author Arthur Yorinks (HAPPY BEES!, QUACK!) and paper engineer extraordinaire Matthew Reinhart (Encyclopedia Prehistorica, CINDERELLA: A POP-UP FAIRY TALE) to create a three-dimensional adventure full of charm, laughs and a couple of spine-tingling chills and thrills.

Open Season, the first feature-length animated film from Sony Pictures Animation, is a wild and wacky comedy featuring the voices of such celebrities as Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing and Gary Sinise. When Boog, a grizzly bear with no survival skills, becomes stranded in a very unfriendly forest, his life is placed in the hands of Elliot, a clumsy outcast mule deer. With open season just three days away, Boog and Elliot must learn to work together and unite the woodland creatures.

HarperCollins has made available a number of tie-in books to coincide with the movie's release. Click here to check them out!

Here at Kidsreads.com we're busy dreaming up fancy costumes and rubbing our bellies thinking of all the treats we'll be getting on the scariest day of the year. We figure that you need a little candy for your brain, too. The books we've compiled will be sure to make you giggle with glee and shiver with fright this Halloween!

September's roundup of Cool New Books includes THE LOST COLONY, the fifth installment in Eoin Colfer's blockbuster fantasy series, Artemis Fowl; ESCAPE FROM THE CARNIVALE, the first book in a brand-new adventure series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson featuring Peter's friends and enemies in Never Land; THE SECRET ORDER OF THE GUMM STREET GIRLS, Elise Primavera's debut novel about four very different girls who must unite in order to save the street on which they all live; and SONS OF DESTINY, the stunning finale to Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak saga.

September's roundup of New in Paperback titles includes Esmé Raji Codell's DIARY OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER, the story of a witch who's determined to follow her heart and become a fairy godmother; ARTHUR AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY by Luc Besson, the exciting sequel to ARTHUR AND THE MINIMOYS in which a 10-year-old must rescue his grandfather, recover a stolen treasure and save the land of the Minimoys before it's too late; and installments three and four in Wendelin Van Draanen's Shredderman series featuring young cyber-superhero Nolan Byrd.

SONS OF DESTINY: Cirque du Freak #12 by Darren Shan
In the twelfth and final installment of this breathtaking series, the time has finally come for Darren to face his archenemy, Steve Leopard. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows --- and destroy the world. Is the future written, or can Darren trick destiny? Reviewed by Carlie Webber.

WATER STREET by Patricia Reilly Giff
Patricia Reilly Giff's latest work of historical fiction --- the companion to NORY RYAN'S SONG and MAGGIE'S DOOR --- continues the tale of Nory Ryan and Sean Mallon's newly established life in America, following their intrepid journey from Ireland in the mid-1800s. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.

THE SECRET ORDER OF THE GUMM STREET GIRLS by Elise Primavera
Ivy has been plagued with bad luck for seven years, and it doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. Even the awesome opportunity to make friends with her three new neighbors fizzles out as they can't stand one another. But then the threats of a nasty newcomer throw the four girls together in a desperate attempt to save their town...and their lives. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

WRITING MAGIC: Creating Stories That Fly by Gail Carson Levine
If you like to write or want to like your writing better, then get your hands on a copy of Gail Carson Levine's WRITING MAGIC. Levine manages to dispel worries by leading the fretful writer down an enjoyable path to exploration and creativity in this well-organized and imaginative book. Reviewed by Joy Held.

HOROWITZ HORROR: Stories You'll Wish You'd Never Read by Anthony Horowitz
You may not believe in haunted houses, but by the time you finish this book, you may start believing in haunted bathtubs, haunted cameras and more! To say that nothing good happens in HOROWITZ HORROR is indeed high praise; each and every tale is worse than the next. If you love horror, these are "stories you'll wish you'd never read." Reviewed by Robert Oksner.

JUDY MOODY: AROUND THE WORLD IN 8 1/2 DAYS by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody is proud of being an original. But then she meets Amy Namey, who is very similar to herself in many ways (including having a rhyming first and last name). Suddenly Judy feels like an unexciting clone. She learns about friendships, Italy and spiders --- and proves once again that there is no one else in the world exactly like Judy Moody. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

HORNS & WRINKLES by Joseph Helgerson
Claire's cousin, Duke, has always been a big bully. During one of his mean tricks, he gets drenched in magical waters, which causes him to grow a horn. But instead of performing an act of kindness, which would set things right, he joins up with a gang of river trolls that proceeds to turn his parents into stone! As Claire struggles to restore matters to normal, she stumbles into an outrageous adventure along the banks of the Mississippi River. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

THE SOMEBODIES by N.E. Bode
Our fearless tween heroine, Fern Drudger, returns once again in THE SOMEBODIES, the third and final installment in N.E. Bode's trilogy that includes THE ANYBODIES and THE NOBODIES. There are elements of fantasy, mystery and adventure all rolled into one in this page-turner of a novel. Reviewed by Kristi Olson.

THE BOOK OF ONE HUNDRED TRUTHS by Julie Schumacher
Just before Thea boards the plane for her annual summer visit with her grandparents, her mother hands her a notebook and challenges Thea to write down one hundred truths. For most this would be easy, but for Thea it will be a struggle --- because last winter, Thea started lying. Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman.

PART OF ME: Stories of a Louisiana Family by Kimberly Willis Holt
Kimberly Willis Holt's latest book is a collection of stories that traces the history of four generations of a Louisiana family. The thread that connects these stories is the books that the family members have read and loved. Reviewed by Renee Kirchner.

Do you like reading scary stories?

Yes
No
I'm not sure

Do certain holidays or specific times of the year inspire you to read themed books?

Yes
No
I'm not sure

Because Halloween is just around the corner, name three of your favorite scary or Halloween-inspired stories.