Hubble Bubble: The Super-Spooky Fright Night!

In this entertaining series opener, Corderoy introduces a girl named Pandora who lives with her two grandmothers: Granny Podmore, a neatnik, and Granny Crow, a witch with the tendency to “get excited and go too far” where magic and spells are concerned. The first of three four-chapter stories focuses on a wild Halloween party that features out-of-control pumpkin soda and a “super-sucky” octopus-esque vacuum cleaner. In the latter tales, teddy bears at a build-your-own-bear store are brought to fluffy life and a school trip to a swimming pool takes some wild twists and turns. Accented with bright orange, Berger’s two-color cartoons add to the atmosphere of benevolently chaotic magic. Pandora is a sweet-natured, slightly nervous heroine, and although Granny Podmore doesn’t show up again after the first story, Granny Crow steals the show in each tale with her well-meaning—if not entirely effective—use of magic. Ages 6–9. (Aug.)