Honey Moon just wants to be able to celebrate Christmas like they do in normal towns, but nothing seems to be going right this Christmas. First Honey is cast as a shepherd in the annual Christmas pageant when she’s certain she would be perfectly cast in the role of Mary. Then she discovers that the pageant is in jeopardy this year because evil mayor Kligore is organising a Haunted Holiday Festival instead. Honey also stumbles upon a town mystery and is determined to solve it with the help of her friends.

Throughout the story Honey reminds us to stand up for what we believe in, even when it seems like we’re alone in our convictions. Honey is quite bossy with her friends in this book, with her assertion that she is the leader, and it was nice to see her flaws along with her good intentions. She also reintroduced me to the word numbskull so I should be thanking her for that. I haven’t heard that word used in years and am now determined to find a way to use it in everyday conversation.

The illustrations were so much fun and a great blend of Halloween and Christmas. I particularly loved that the scenes depicted at the beginning of each chapter were inside snow globes. My favourite snow globe scene was the snowman in a black cape with fangs. If I ever see snow I’m sure this will be the inspiration for my first snowman.

One of my pet peeves showed up frequently in this book. The detail in the illustrations didn’t always correspond to the description in the text. This happens a lot in children’s books and I’m not sure whose role attention to detail is, but it really frustrates me. Each instance is only minor but if the text specifically describes how something looks, then I expect that something in the illustration to match its description. Some of the examples in this book include:

* Mrs Keys is wearing heavy boots. In the illustration she’s not wearing boots.
* Miss Fortissimo was wearing a necklace that was so long it reached past her belly button. I didn’t see a necklace in the illustration.
* Honey and her friends have fries and milkshakes. In the illustration there are milkshakes but no fries.
* Honey is sitting on a bench with her little brother. Her little brother is not in the illustration.
* The spots on a turtle shell are all different colours. In the illustration the turtle is only green. On the front cover the turtle is green with white segments on its shell.

While overall I enjoyed reading Dog Daze more than this book (although I am quite partial to the first book in a series), I was still entertained and it made me laugh. I liked the story and the development of the mystery, and I love Honey’s determination and courage. I’m definitely interested in reading more Honey Moon books.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley, Rabbit Publishers and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

Honey’s hometown is called Sleepy Hollow. It isn’t the famous Sleepy Hollow, though the mayor likes to pretend it is. This means that instead of Christmas, he planned a Halloween festival for the town.

This story reminded me of A Nightmare Before Christmas. The town only celebrates Halloween, like the town in that movie. Honey wants to celebrate Christmas, just like Jack did in the movie.

Honey was a brave and smart character. She’s so smart that she volunteers to help an eighth grader with his essay (Honey is in fifth grade). She also took it upon herself to search for the town’s church bells so she could ring them on Christmas Eve. That was brave of her since everyone else in the town wanted to celebrate Halloween.

This is a great Christmas story for middle grade readers. It teaches you to stand up for what you believe in, even when everyone else wants something different.

Adorable chapter book for older children! It's set in a funky town with characters kids will be sure to enjoy!

I loved that a character introduction was at the beginning of the book so you knew who everyone was. The story takes place in Sleepy hollow a place were its halloween 24/7 but not everyone wants it to be halloween all the time. This was a cute read that I look to reading more of.

Review: THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF HONEY MOON: A SCARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS by Sofi Benitez

Christmas is supposed to be joyful and loving, not scary and horrendous. It's not supposed to be another version of Halloween....unless you live in Sleepy Hollow, Massachusetts, a small community which is NOT the site of the Headless Horseman, but is run by a mayor who is both evil and greedy. Honey Moon is a force for good, ten years old, and a warrior on the side of the angels. Older brother Harry is a magician--with actual magic. When the Mayor tries to make Christmas Eve another Halloween, Honey and the town librarian decide to bring the real joy of the season.

The Honey Moon series, created by Mark Andrew Poe, is a delightful, engaging, and thought-provoking set aimed at middle-graders, but which can be enjoyed by any age, even adults. "Do the right thing" and "Be where you're needed" are Honey' s mottos, but we could all adopt them.

*3.5 stars*

This book continues the adventures of Honey Moon, a ten year old girl who lives in an unusual town. Sleepy Hollow, MA, is not the Sleepy Hollow of Irving Washington's famous short story. That doesn't stop the new mayor from hosting non-stop Halloween events through the year. That's right, even through Christmas. Honey Moon's school's traditional Christmas pageant is cancelled because a Christmas Haunted House is scheduled at exactly the same time. Honey Moon wants to bring Christmas back to her town, but it's hard to compete against the gruesome and creepy.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. Honey Moon is a smart girl who isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in. I was also interested in the shadowy mayor and his henchmen, but we only get to see glimpses of him in this installment.

Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for an ARC.