Member Reviews

Like Hermione, the greatest young witch of all time, Charlotte knows that traditions should not remain simply because they always have been. First, she talks with her mom. Then, she talks with her friends. Finally, Grandma Lily encourages her to find an alternative while staying true to herself.⁠

But what will her classmates say when she reveals her secret Halloween costume?⁠

"The Secret Halloween Costume" is the perfect book for independent boys and girls.

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This story is so cute and great to read for kids during the holiday! I especially loved the illustrations and colouring throughout the book and would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a book to read their child for halloween.

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Adorable story of following your heart. Super cute Halloween story about Charlotte a little witch who doesn’t want to dress up scary anymore. Beautiful illustrations.

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I read this book with my four-year-old daughter who is very much in to Halloween this year and she really enjoyed it.

We didn’t get quite the same effect with the book being electronic but she still really enjoyed the story and we are off out this afternoon to a spooky Halloween farm and she is dressing up as a witch!

The images were lovely and suited the story really well - it is 4 stars from us for this one –highly recommended!

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Translated (from French I'm guessing!) by John Conn, this sweet look at indpendent-thinking on Halloween, was a delight. Beautifully-illustrated in glowing Halloween colors by Dupuis, and written intelligently by someone with the amazingly French name of Sophie Vaillancourt (I hear that with a delightful French accent in my head as I type it!).

Anyway, this is the story of Charlotte, who doesn't want to be scary on Halloween. I adored the illustration on page 4 of the story where Charlotte is contemplatively upset and strutting away from her oblivious mom, who is determnined to have scary witches on halloween.

Rebelling against mom's antiquated ideas, Charlotte decides to try something new, and she recruits her grandmother to help, so that when the day comes, she dresses how she wants, not how tradition (and mom) dictate. She's can still be a witch without being scary; how about a superhero witch who just looks amazing!

I must confess I'm not sure what the 'with two-way sequins' was all about on the cover. Sequin means the same thing in English or in French. I assume this had something to do with the print version, which I do not merit as an amateur reviewer. But the sequins? I have no idea what that's about because there are no sequins in this book! LOL! Despite that dire lack of sequins, I still commend it as a worthy read!

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Halloween is a scary time. Bats fly overhead, trick-or-treating happens in the dark at night, and witches appear out of nowhere to zoom across the sky right in front of your eyes. It's a spooky night that's full of fright ... and fun!

Charlotte is a young witch whose mother expects her to robe herself in black and wear scary makeup that will send shivers down kids' spines. Charlotte, on the other hand, feels that she isn't meant to be scary and wants to choose her own costume this Halloween Eve.

She shares her feelings with her friends. She gets an invite up to her friend's attic where they browse through an old trunk filled with costumes that Charlotte may like. Unfortunately she finds nothing she likes. She does discovers a roll of red material and "Eureka"... the perfect idea pops into her head for its use.

She takes the fabric and hurries off to her beloved Grandmother's house and together the two create the perfect costume that suits Charlotte perfectly. Will her family and school mates approve of what she chooses? Charlotte follows her heart thus showing that she is a nontradionalist. Perhaps her breaking away from tradition will inspire others to do the same. What do you think?

The illustrations are very well done. They are colourful, vibrant and engaging. I love that Charlotte is brave enough to celebrate her true self! Kudos to her. I love the book and highly recommend it.

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It is cute adorable and easily read I liked this overall and the graphics were very good. This was great and enjoyable good for smaller children.

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Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It's a sweet story. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

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This is such a cute and perfect book for the Halloween season! Little witch Charlotte doesn't want to have to be a scary witch on Halloween, she wants to be something different! Charlotte is invited by her little witch friend to look through a trunk of old costumes in her attic, but Charlotte can't find one she likes. She finds a roll of red fabric and takes it to her grandmother who helps her to make a surprise costume! I love the themes of doing what makes you comfortable and starting new traditions.

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⭐⭐⭐

This was cute. The book is about a young witch called Charlotte who wants to break from tradition and go her own way costume wise. Her grandmother sews a different costume for her which inspires others to do the same, A very sweet book about embracing oneself. Full of eye-catching graphics and drawings as well.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

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The Secret Halloween Costume is a really sweet story that, encourages children to be themselves and to have the confidence to not follow the crowd if they don't want to. Being different is great and I love how much this book emphasises that. Charlotte's secret Halloween costume was a very well kept secret, nobody in our house guessed what it would be. The book is a nice length that can be read in one go (but would also be fine to read in parts) and the illustrations are really gorgeous - the kind where you spot something new every time you look at them.

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Release date: November 15, 2021!! Which I'm honestly a bit confused about since it's a Halloween story, but do what you gotta do!

This is a cute and super short story about a little witch who wants to switch up tradition and follow her heart. As much as it pains me to say this, this book didn't quite live up to my expectations. I felt like the writing was really botched and all over the place and the plot itself was even a bit strange. The thought that all witches have to be scary felt... idk... off to me. I genuinely thought the art style was absolutely ADORABLE, but it felt a little unfinished and I wish it was given a fuller look. Overall, I think this had SOO much potential, but it lacked overall. Would have loved to see this out more fleshed out.

Thank you to NetGalley and CrackBoom! Books for giving me an advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

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A sweet book about standing up for your feelings, but I would have liked the words spread out a bit more among the illustrations!

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Deciding what Halloween costume to wear can be one of the most challenging decisions little ones make every year, but what about if you were an actual witch? In The Secret Halloween Costume by Sophie Vaillancourt, Little Charlotte is a witch, and with Halloween fast approaching, everyone is getting ready to wear their scariest witch outfits because that’s what tradition dictates. However, Charlotte doesn’t want to be scary, she wants to wear something different that reflects who she really is.

After a little help from her friends, Charlotte secretly approaches her eccentric grandmother with a proposal. But can her grandma help Charlotte find a costume she really loves in time for the big day?

The Secret Halloween Costume by Sophie Vaillancourt is a really sweet story about defying traditions and ignoring expectations when they don’t suit who you are. Young readers will hopefully find a valuable lesson here that will help them find their own voice when being pressured into choices that make them uncomfortable or that simply don’t fit who they are—something even many adults struggle with.

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I love that the main character does not feel the need to do what has always been done and dances to the beat of her own drum. This is a great message in a book with lovely illustrations! A wonderful story to share with kids around Halloween.

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Cute Halloween book with great illustrations. The overall message of being yourself and inspiring others to do the same is sweet but I find it hard to believe the parents are making a little girl dress scary for Halloween. In my experience kids often want to dress scarier than what seems age appreciate so the message was a little fuzzy.

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Review to come in a few days on goodreads/blog.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

While I have read a few Halloween books in this past week, sorry, I couldn't resist. This one is my second real Halloween book (I read a manga earlier today). I definitely could use some cute book, because I am also watching a movie next to this and the movie is scary!

In this adorable and fun picture book we meet a little witch named Charlotte. This year she isn't looking forward to Halloween and when we learn why I could totally understand! I mean, I get that it is tradition, but isn't Halloween supposed to be fun as well? Having to be a scary witch is fun for a year, but each year? I can imagine that Charlotte wants something different! Something special! Something even more fun! I loved how she had the support of her peers/friends and even her grandma helped out with something awesome!

I loved the day of Halloween and how brave Charlotte was to just dress up as what she wanted to be. I won't spoil her costume, but I just adored it, especially when she kept her hat but added something fresh to it.

[spoiler]And while I loved what happened after that... I did feel it was a bit too magical. Look I am happy, but I cannot believe a tradition is thrown away so easily. It just never that easy. I know this is a book and so I can forgive it a bit. And I guess it does have to end happy. But I would have liked more of the adults reaction. I also guess I am just too old to still believe things can be that easily resolved. I am sure if I was the age group I would have been very happy and didn't care about the rest. [/spoiler]

The art was very cute and I like the style!

All in all, despite the ending that was a bit too easy, I still had tons of fun reading this. Go Charlotte! Follow your heart~

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I love reading books pertaining to the seasons and holidays to diversify topics and get my kids excited for different times of year! I read this book with my 3 year old and it sparked a great discussion of Halloween costumes.

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A cute little book about a little witch not wanting to be scary for Halloween. And she finds a solution to her issue.

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This was a cute read. Charlotte doesn't want to dress up as a witch this Halloween and wants to change tradition.
I really enjoyed it and as I'm working at school I think it's a really good one for children.

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