Save Halloween!

by Stephanie S. Tolan

Book Overview

In this "thought-provoking and engrossing" ("School Library Journal") novel by the author of "Who's There?", a young girl's family gets concerned by her deep involvement with a class Halloween... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688121683
• ISBN13: 9780688121686
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

What Is Halloween Really About?

I just discovered our library has no copies left of this book and I'm very sad! It is such an insightful and thought-provoking novel for middle graders, besides being very exciting! Johnna, the daughter of a fundamentalist minister, attends the local public school where the annual Halloween pageant is the big event. Johnna has never been allowed to participate in the pageant, but this year, unknown to her parents, she has been asked to help write the script. The pageant this year is about the history of Halloween, and as Johnna and friends conduct their research, she is surprised to find that Halloween did not begin as Satan worship, as she has always been told, but was actually started by people who wanted to ward off evil spirits, because they were afraid of death. Johnna and her friends conclude that even today, the reason it's so fun to dress up as spooky characters and tell scary stories is because most people still fear death--and it's more fun to poke fun at your fears than to be afraid. Unfortunately, just as the kids have their big pageant all ready, Johnna's traveling evangelist uncle comes to town and mounts a big anti-Halloween crusade. After a barrage of anti-Halloween letters from parents, the school cancels the pageant. But Johnna and her friends decide to stand up to the teachers and parents and save Halloween. They find an alternate place to hold the pageant and speak up for what they believe is the truth about the holiday. Surprisingly, Johnna's parents support her in the decision. In the end, Johnna decides that, for her, Halloween isn't as important as her family and her religion--after all, believing in God helps people not to be afraid, too. She may not celebrate Halloween in the future, but she'll always be glad she did what she could to save it for others. All though this book has a few weaknesses (for instance, Johnna's fundamentalist family are portrayed a bit too stereotypically), it is a great discussion-starter, and may help kids who wonder how Halloween got started, and what the modern-day fuss about Halloween is all about. As a Christian who allows my children to celebrate this holiday, I love this book!

VERY GOOD

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A 11 YEAR OLD JONAH. HER dad is an fundmentla minster and is agagints halloween. then her uncle who is also a minster comes to town and wants to banne halloween. jonnah likes halloween and is the writer of her schools halloween play can she stand up for what she belives. if if it means going agasints her family.

A fantastic and exciting story.

Save Halloween is so exciting that I never wanted to put it down. It is something that everyone can relate to sometime in their life. It's about a girl named Johnna who could never celebrate Halloween. Her uncle came from Texas and tried to ban Halloween from her town. Will she be able to save Halloween