Scholastic; 152 pages; $6.99; Amazon

For anyone who follows this blog, you probably already know I'm a big R.L. Stine fan. I've been collecting his books ever since the first Goosebumps title was published in the early 1990s, so of course, I couldn't go a Halloween without reviewing at least one of his books.

Now available from Scholastic is the third installment of the Goosebumps SlappyWorld series, titled "I Am Slappy's Evil Twin."

Inspired by The Adventures of Pinocchio, Slappy is an evil ventriloquist's doll, who likes to terrorize his owners. Since the character first debuted in 1992's Night of the Living Dummy, Slappy has become a fan favorite villain. The character is now the star of own spinoff series, SlappyWorld, where he's the narrator and occasionally appears in the story.

"I Am Slappy's Evil Twin" kicks off with a three-chapter prologue that's set in 1920 and shows the origins of two evil puppets, which happens to be Slappy and his twin Snappy. The book then fast forwards to the present day, where us readers are introduced to the main characters, twelve-year-old Luke Harrison, his younger sister Kelly, and his best friend Jamal.

Luke's father is the owner of Horror House Films, where he produces horror movies, which explains why there are so many horror memorabilia throughout their home. Things start to get weird after Mr. Harrison brings home two identical puppets, which he's using in one of his latest horror films. As soon as Mr. Harrison turns his back, the puppets come to life and begin stalking Luke, Kelly, and Jamal!

Slappy and Snappy plan on making their very own horror flick and Luke, Kelly, and Jamal are the stars of it!

Mill Creek Ent., 150 minutes; $9.98; Amazon

Now available on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment is Trick or Treat Spooktacular Collection: 13 Haunting Tales. As an added bonus, the DVD comes with a digital code that can be redeemed at www.millcreekent.com/redeem.

Yep! It's that time of year when you'll be finding many different Halloween themed DVD titles in the stores, and many of these will most likely be in the $5 bins!

Trick or Treat Spooktacular Collection: 13 Haunting Tales features four Casper shorts (1945-1954) and 13 other cartoons, which three of them were produced by Fleischer Studios in the 1930s, and the others are part of the Storybook Series. The shorts running time spans between 9 to 15 minutes.


The shorts on the single disc are:

• The Friendly Ghost
• There's a Good Boo Tonight
• Boo Moon
• A Haunting We Will Go

• The Cobwell Hotel
• The Fresh Vegetable Mystery
• Magic Mummy
• Sleepy Hollow
• Ghost in the Shed
• Noises in the Night
• Misunderstood Monsters
• Three Golden Hairs
• The Boy Who Couldn't Shiver

Disney; 92 minutes; Amazon

Being released on DVD from Disney Home Entertainment on October 17th is the newest computer-animated Disney Junior series Vampirina, featuring eight 11-minute episodes. There are no special features or bonus extras on the single-disc.

Based on the Vampirina Ballerina children books by Anne Marie Pace, and executive produced by Chris Nee (creator of Doc McStuffin), Vampirina centers on a young vampire named Vampirina "Vee" Hauntley, who has moved with parents from Transylvania to Pennsylvania.

Life in Pennsylvania is completely different than Transylvania, mainly because there are humans everywhere, but Vampirina "Vee" adjusts to her new surroundings and befriends several humans.

The series features the talented voice-cast of Isabella Cramp, Lauren Graham, James van der Beek, Mitchell Whitfield
Wanda Sykes, and Dee Bradley Baker.

Episodes on the DVD includes:

• Going Batty - Vee gets a case of the batties when she meets her human neighbors.
• Scare B&B - Vee's mother, Oxana, opens up a B&B, and two vampires checks in as guests at the exact same time the neighbors are invited to stay.
• The Sleepover - Vee invites Bridget and Poppy for a sleepover.
• Portrait Of a Vampire - Vee's first day at a human school goes bad.
• Vee's Surprise Party  - Vee's classmates throw her a surprise birthday party.
• Vee Goes Viral - Edgar makes a web video of Vee and Poppy doing the "Spine-Chiller" dance and it goes viral.
• The Plant Predicament - Vee and Poppy must undo a curse that has put on Edna's garden.
• Mummy Mayhem - Vee, Bridget, and Poppy try to convince the mummy, King Peppy, that the visitors at the museum are still interested in him.

Now available on Amazon from Devil Dog Press is the horror novel Lycan Fallout: Rise of the Werewolf (A Michael Tablot Adventure) by Mark Tufo.


I would like to thank the author for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do a Q&A about his novel.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I wrote a bit in College. I’ve been interested in it ever since.

What was your first book/story published?

The first book I put up on Amazon Kindle was Indian Hill. The first book that sold more than one copy was Zombie Fallout. 😀

What inspired you to write Lycan Fallout?

Lycan Fallout came about after a conversation I had with my wife on a coffee excursion to town.

What character in Lycan Fallout is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Probably Michael Talbot. Im always getting myself into some sort of trouble.

What is your favorite part in Lycan Fallout?

Revell; 384 pages; $14.99; Amazon

After dealing with a 48-hour flu bug, I'm back with another "Review Catch Up Marathon!" post, which is my attempt to get caught up with all the backed up books that are piled up collecting dust. All of these books have been read, I just need to write the reviews for them.

A few months ago, you might of recall my review for the novel Naomi's Hope, which was book three in the Journey To Pleasant Prairie series by author Jan Drexler. Well, today's review is for the second books in the series, titled Mattie's Pledge.

Set in the 1940's, Mattie's Pledge centers on a young Amish woman named Mattie Schrock, who has to leave her entire life behind when her father decides to move the family west from Somerset County, Pennsylvania to an Amish community in Indiana. Traveling by wagon is going to be tough, but Mattie is looking forward to reconnecting with her old friends that are joining them from another Amish community. She's especially looking forward to seeing Jacob Yonder, as she has feelings for him.

Jacob has changed a lot since the last time he had seen Mattie. His goals and dreams have changed. He's ready to settle down, get married, and start a family.

As for Mattie, she's keeping her future wide open, especially after she meets an Englisher, who wants her to leave her Amish lifestyle and travel out west with him.

Each and every year, I decorate the front yard with decorations for Halloween Night, which includes an inflatable Frankenstein, Dracula, and a witch. I also put up a creepy cemetery, full of tombstones, skeletons and a few zombie groundbreakers! Last year, I added a fog machine, which went over well with the trick-or-treaters.

What new decorations am I adding to my yard this year?

Well, I'm adding a new groundbreaker called Pumpkin Man and a 5' Collapsible Coffin, which I received from Oriental Trading.

Pumpkin Man still in the packaging.

The box the Collapsible Coffin came in.

Oriental Trading is largest party supply store in the nation. Besides from party supplies, they also sell arts and crafts, school supplies, toys and novelties. They have a huge section on their website called the "Halloween Headquarters," which contains over 5,000 costumes, craft items, party supplies, candy, and decorations.

The Pumpkin Man!

The coffin lid.

All the Halloween Goodies I received.