There’s room for a little spooky and a little creepy on Halloween night, especially for the older kids. The Spider and the Fly is certainly a little creepy, but it’s a great Halloween book with amazing illustrations! Howl-O-Ween at the Zoo will also be good for a little scare. Intended for kids 8 years old or older, this will be a good event for those looking to scream this weekend.

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Humbug Witch sat on the family bookshelf my entire childhood. It is a classic Halloween book that captures a child’s imagination. The imagery is simple but engaging and memorable. We loved getting it out every Halloween as kids, and as soon as the first grandchild was born we brought it out once again.

Costumes!!! We love getting dressed for Halloween! I firmly believe that group costumes are the best. Our family can mark the passage of timed based on our family costumes alone. A great group costume can get everyone excited for the big day. Maybe our previous years’ costumes can inspire your clan.

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It’s October . . . and our family loves Halloween! We aren’t fond of haunted houses, creepy skeletons, and dark objects lurking in the corner – no way! We love to decorate, dress up, and make everything fun and whimsical . . . spooky but kooky!

Monsters, the cute and cuddly kind, are a great way to get into the fun Halloween spirit. I Need My Monster is a very funny book your kids will love! The illustrations are breathtaking and the plot is both lighthearted and meaningful. We also recently discovered MoshiMonsters.com. It’s a free website in which your child gets to customize their own monster and then decorate their house with items they “buy” from the monster village. Similar to webkinz.com and buildabearville.com, kids explore a fanciful virtual world and full of games and challenges. The games are educational and great practice, the website is intuitive and easy to use, and the experience is a lot of fun!

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Long drives are the perfect time to read chapter books together as a family. Enjoying a story passes the time quickly and keeps the kicking, poking, and yelling to a minimum. One we recently enjoyed, Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Book, is a great story full of excitement and adventure. A chapter book intended for 9-12 year olds, it’s a fun and simple read but the storytelling and imagery are fantastic! We found this to be a great book for boys - it’s a Neverland adventure - and yet there is a brave heroine named Pearl who kept my daughter’s interest. It’s a nail biter for children and tough to put down. You will love imagining the treasure hunt through The Cave of the Dark Wind together.

You could finish the book on your drive down to Benson, AZ - just past Tucson. Here you will find Kartchner Caverns, an amazing cave in pristine condition. You and your children will be wowed as you seemingly enter another world full of stalagmites and stalactitles! It can only be accessed by tour and a reservation is required.  Get the book and plan your trip. It will be an inexpensive mini-vacation the kids will talk about for months!

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