Details
Illustrated by Vicky Lowe
Ages: 8 to 12
February 2010
ISBN:
978-0-557-24676-2
Mary Margaret is beyond excited for Halloween. After all, a homemade costume is the perfect way for her to show everybody how creative she is. If everything goes to plan, her one-of-a-kind ensemble and dramatic entrance will make her the star of the school Halloween parade and win her the Best Costume at McKenzie’s Halloween party.
But it seems that everything might not go to plan. There’s one big, very scary problem: McKenzie’s party is going to be held outside at night, and that means it’ll
be. . .dark! And, thanks to recent events, the dark is something that Mary Margaret is highly suspicious of.
But a girl can only hide in the light for so long, and nothing can cast a shadow on Mary Margaret’s spotlight. Find out how Mary Margaret makes her long day’s journey into night.
The Idea
I know an independent, confident, outgoing young woman who became afraid of the dark when she was about 10. While the people who loved her could help, in the end, she had to work through it on her own. Mary Margaret has faced some big obstacles in previous books, but I wondered what would happen if the obstacle she had to overcome was something in herself—fear. And then I set the book at Halloween because Mary Margaret loves that holiday, and what could be worse than missing trick or treating? It raises the stakes. Mary Margaret overcomes her fear, as we all must, and life goes on for her in a very Mary Margaret way.