cover image The Halloween Kid

The Halloween Kid

Rhode Montijo, Simon & Schuster, $12.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4169-3575-9

When Halloween tricks get out of hand, it's time to call the Halloween Kid, a cowboy bandit with a black mask and flying hobbyhorse. Every year, he fearlessly wrangles "pumpkin-suckin' vampires" and tickles "leaf-pile ghosts," but when goblins run amok, he may have met his match. Grainy vintage-style illustrations in mustard and orange evoke autumnal nostalgia, with a nod to old westerns: " ‘Y'all keep trick-or-treatin' now, ya hear?' and with a wink, he rode into the moonlit sky." Ages 3–6. (Aug.)