Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw

YA Fantasy, 2022 by Disney Press, 315 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

There’s no real world building, there’s world borrowing. Characters are used in the exact ways as the movie with no additional depth or creativity. I kept finding myself getting annoyed when the mayor or Oogie’s boys were presented in exactly the manner they were in the movie with nothing changed. I think I’d prefer that to be used as a jumping off point and then find something new or interesting.
The big twist felt lazy. I can’t explain why it bothered me without treading into spoiler territory but let’s say I wanted something better and less cliche.
Jack felt different and not in an “I learned from my mistakes” sort of way. He felt distracted and inattentive, which isn’t what I expected.

Sally. Her depth is explored and her insecurities are addressed. We get to see her learn who she is and that’s pretty cool.
The sandman is a great character with a great arc. In a world where misunderstood creatures are sort of the norm, he fits right in.
It is cool to revisit the world of Halloween Town. Also, like everyone else who loves the movie, I often wondered what was beyond some of those other doors. This book does explore that a bit and I enjoyed that part.

Fans of the original who want a little more Sally and another visit to Halloween Town.

This book is cute and does honor most of the characters we know and love from the original movie.