I'm Not Afraid Of This Haunted House

Who could ask for more in a Halloween book than full-color illustrations oozing goo, eyeballs, and hideous creatures? In fact, this entry in the spooky book fest also delivers a fun story, though Murfin's pictures (reminiscent of the Lane Smith's in Math Curse, 1995) are enough to satisfy all on their own. The rhyming text, about facing down fears, centers on kids going through a haunted house. As they venture along, their leader, Simon Lester Henry Strauss, loudly proclaims: "I'm not afraid of this haunted house!" Nothing scares Simon--not the Vampire's Feast, the werewolf, the graveyard, or Frankenstein's wedding. The deliciously creepy yet comical pictures show Simon propelling running and tumbling kids from one fright to another--until he meets his own surprising match at the close.