The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief / Charles Day / 154 pages / Bram Stoker Award Nominee

Seventeen year old Nick is looking forward to Halloween, his second favorite holiday.  He loves reading mysteries so when their jack-o-lantern is stolen, he decides to solve the mystery of who took the pumpkin.  "The new mystery reminded him of the stories he's heard among his classmates;  the urban legend of the Pumpkin Thief."  According to Jeffery Beamer who wrote an article for the school newspaper, the Pumpkin Thief stole the jack-o-lanterns which warded off evil spirits, protecting the homeowners from ghosts, ghouls, and goblins.  Strange happenings ensued due to this lack of protection.  This is a quick, easy read, but the many typos are a bit disconcerting.  At times the dialogue and text feels contrived and overly simplistic.