A Bite Above the Rest

Heart and hilarity define this quirky All Hallow’s Eve tale by debut author Virnig, who evokes the classic Halloween Town film series to ghoulish effect. Following his father’s death, 11-year-old Caleb and his mother move from Los Angeles to her hometown—the Halloween-obsessed locale of Samhain, Wis.—for a fresh start. The first thing Caleb notices about Samhain is that everyone is in costume and acts like the character they’re portraying—all the time. It also seems as if a hint of evil permeates the air. Luckily, he quickly befriends classmate Tai, who’s dressed as “the World’s Most Perfect Fairy,” and with whom he’s paired for a school project. As they work on their assignment, the duo soon uncovers oddities that are a little out of place, even for Samhain—particularly with the vampiric mayor—and that residents have been experiencing curious memory lapses. Surrounded by witchy neighbors, werewolf teachers, and other things that go bump in the night, Caleb must navigate feelings of grief and isolation; levying hijinks balance weightier themes of loss and adjusting to a new normal. Caleb and Tai are depicted on the cover with pale and brown skin, respectively. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)