The books are "Hocus Pocus" and "Hocus Pocus: The Sequel" by A.W. Jantha! I started reading these before Halloween and wanted to finish before Halloween was over, but I failed. However, I still finished them and it didn't make them any less enjoyable. I will say that these books are made for a younger demographic then me, but I was more interested in the story, then how it was written.
I was curious about these books because Hocus Pocus is a classic Halloween movies and it is one of my favorites and I, as a reader, was shocked to find it was a book and that I had never read it. Also, the cover of this particular copy I picked up also had the sequel in the same book! It was a no brainer. I read the original hocus pocus and it was like watching the movie, almost identical, it was fabulous! Then I started reading the sequel. This is what I'll be doing most of the review on.
The sequel was set on Halloween night in 2018, 25 years later after Max lit the black candle. Max and Alison are married and have a child. Her name is Poppy and she is the same age as Max was in the original book. She has a friend named Travis and has a crush on a girl named Isabella, who becomes their friend. Yes, you heard right, the love story was between two females! I love that they are so progressive and showing a female relationship like this, especially in a younger aged book. Then, the Dennisons throw a Halloween party and the 3 of them end up going to the Sandersons house with a Oujia board on the night of the blood moon and halloween. Spooky right? Well, low and behold, the Sanderson sister get brought back to live and trade lives with Max, Alison, and Aunt Dani. Now it is up to them to save them and destroy the bloodmoon stone before the witches use it to live forever.
The story has the same concept, but it has a different twist on everything. It is nice because of how similar the overall idea is. It was nice to not just read a similar book, it had many differences that made it feel like a whole new story. I really liked how they brought the story into 2018. For example, the witches tried to navigate an Iphone, which was pretty funny. Also, all the titles had a pun and cleverness to them. One of the titles was "Squad Ghouls" and that cracked me up.
Overall, they are both great books. Like I said they are more written for younger kids, but If you're like me and grew up watching Hocus Pocus, it was fun to read and reminisce. I definitely recommend this as a book. It was fun to know what happened after the movie.
Favorite Character: I mean how can I not pick Poppy? She has spunk, comedy, and loyalty. She was creative and kind-hearted. I mean what a lovely character.
Favorite Quotes: "Sometimes the world isn't as simple as we'd like it to be."
