Halloween books Archives

Book Discussion Guide & Lesson Plan

Free Classroom Book Guide for Teachers & Students The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol is becoming a favorite classroom book for teachers from grades 4 through 9. For younger students, it makes a great Halloween story for the whole class to read and discuss. For middle grade students it's a great resource for discussing literary elements such as character, plot, setting, alliteration, similes, metaphors, themes and much more. For older students, the book provides a great opportunity for comparing/contrasting A Halloween Carol with Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Book Talk & Literary Discussion Guide for A Halloween Carol Book groups and classroom teachers are discovering the joys of reading and discussing The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol. On this website, you can find The Legend of Decimus Croome discussion guide with a list of literary questions and a collection of illustrated quotes from the classic Halloween novel. Feel free to pick and choose which questions are most appropriate for your book group, student grade and teaching objectives. Most of the questions are open-ended and cover a wide range of literary and reading objectives. Below is a wonderful lesson plan for student-created comic books and graphic novels as a wonderful project to accompany your Halloween reading unit. The plan utilizes the wildly popular (and free) website Canva.com. It allows students to demonstrate their comprehension and understanding of literary elements while also allowing them to participate in a fun and multi-sensory lesson. Reading & Literature Lesson Plan for Student Comic Books TITLE OF LESSON: Making Comic Books Based on The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol Student Outcome: Turn a popular Halloween novel into comic book format. ACHIEVABLES ● Students will create a comic book based on a classic Halloween book using the free Canva.com website. ● Students will combine literary elements like setting,…

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September 27, 2018

A Halloween Carol / Charles Dickens / Halloween books

Compare Holiday Carol Books at a Reduced Price

A Halloween Carol Book Price Reduced by 6o% The e-book price for The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol was just reduced by almost 60% from $4.99 to $2.99. So now is the time to grab your copy of the best Halloween book so you can compare it to the best Christmas book, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Teachers and literary fans have been having a wonderful time comparing the classic holiday tales in their classrooms and at home. For Halloween, high school and middle school teachers enjoyed comparing The Legend of Decimus Croome by Kevin Purdy to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. And Now the Bad Literary News Sorry to those of you who missed out, but the historic first edition of A Halloween Carol is now out of print. For those of you who purchased the first edition and still don't realize it, there were minor errors on pages 147 and 149. The names of the two main families in the book, the Croomes and the Bobbiches, were switched one time on each of those pages. So now, that first edition is a collector's item. Let's Turn the Best Halloween Book Into the Best Halloween Movie If you haven't voted yet, be sure to get over to iPetitions to cast your vote for turning A Halloween Carol into an awesome Halloween movie. While on iPetitions, you can also vote to turn it into a Halloween graphic novel. Nothing against Hocus Pocus or The Addams Family, but it's time for a really good classic Halloween movie and kick-butt Halloween graphic novel. Halloween fans deserve a memorable Halloween movie and graphic novel.

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November 17, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Charles Dickens / Halloween books / Halloween quotes

Halloween: A Season of Giving

Embrace the Spirit of Sharing This Halloween Halloween is often viewed as a spooky, candy-filled event, but it can also be a wonderful time to focus on generosity, kindness, and community. By turning Halloween into a season of giving, you can spread joy, make connections, and turn the holiday into something more meaningful. Whether it’s sharing treats, supporting local causes, or simply being a good neighbor, there are plenty of ways to make Halloween about more than just costumes and candy. In this post, we’ll explore how you can turn this festive season into a celebration of sharing and goodwill. Here at PurdyBooks.com, we talk a lot about (surprise, surprise) books. But sometimes we also talk about other topics that are near and dear to our hearts. This article is a completely revised version of one of our very first blog posts, updated for the season. While you're here, be sure to check out the Halloween booklist hidden in this post. Is Halloween a Season of Giving for You? When it comes to Halloween, there are three types of people:Halloween Humbugs - These folks, usually adults, are real Halloween Grinches. Their attitude, in the words of the legendary Decimus Croome, are "Pish Posh & Poppycock." When it comes to trick-or-treaters, they turn off all the lights in their house/apartment and ignore the Halloween Carol pleas and knocks at their door. Or as Deimus Croome would say, "People have just grown so crotchety."Halloween Revelers - These are the people who really get into Halloween. They dress in costumes, hand out treats and truly celebrate Halloween for the fun holiday it is. Or as we learn in A Halloween Carol, "It is our costumes that reveal who we really are."Halloween Spirits - Halloween spirits go one step further than Halloween revelers. They remember the real reason for the season.…

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October 11, 2017

Read more about the article Halloween: A Season of Giving

Don't Be a Halloween Humbug

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books / read aloud books

A Halloween Carol in the Classroom

How Teachers Can Use A Halloween Carol in the Classroom The holiday season is an excellent time to introduce students to The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol. It's the perfect classroom book for numerous reasons: Students will love it!! It's wonderful for numerous grade levels. In addition to the humor & spookiness, students will enjoy the word-play found throughout. It makes a great comparison novel along with A Christmas Carol. It's filled with exquisite, context-rich vocabulary. It's perfect for classroom reading/learning/literature activities. Comparative Literature: A Halloween Carol & A Christmas Carol Everyone knows the classic Christmas tale by Charles Dickens. Now, there's a contemporary Halloween version of the book that makes for wonderful comparisons that will allow students to utilize critical thinking skills as well as providing an opportunity for rich classroom discussions. As you can see by the chart that is located to the right of this blog-post, the comparisons between these two books are plentiful. The contrasts are delightful also. Vocabulary Enrichment Through Reading All reading teachers know the importance of developing vocabulary skills in students. A Halloween Carol is filled with new vocabulary words surrounded by helpful context clues. It provides a great opportunity for teachers to present vocabulary acquisition lessons using a fun & memorable Halloween novel. Is A Halloween Carol Right for Your Classroom? Obviously The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol is a great read for students of all ages. It is currently ranked highly on Goodreads & Listopia for 5th & 6th graders. In fact it is near the top of the list for Books to Read to 5th Graders. But depending on how you plan to use the book, it could be just as good a book throughout middle school and well into high school. If Charles Dickens is part of your high school literature curriculum,…

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September 20, 2017

Read more about the article A Halloween Carol in the Classroom

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books

Comparing A Christmas Carol with A Halloween Carol

[two-thirds-first] BHB Compares A Christmas Carol w/ A Halloween Carol With the holiday season just around the corner, it's time to compare two of the best holiday books: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens A Halloween Carol (The Legend of Decimus Croome) by Kevin Purdy We'll take a look at everything from the authors, to the holidays, to the timeline to the characters in the novel/novella. For quick reference, take a look at the infographic on the right-hand side of this column or view it in a larger size by clicking on the infographic or viewing the Halloween infographic on Pinterest.[/two-thirds-first] [one-third][/one-third] Comparing A Christmas Carol w/ A Halloween Carol [one-fourth-first]Novel Author Holiday Words Published Main character Main character sidekick Sick child First Ghost Country Setting Town setting Time setting Moral/theme Best line Main character catch phrase Genre Cameo appearance Divided into…[/one-fourth-first] [one-fourth]A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens Christmas Fewer than 30,000 1843 Ebenezer Scrooge Bob Cratchit &/or Mr. Fezziwig Tiny Tim Jacob Marley – dead business partner England London Late 18th – mid 19th Century Don’t be a Christmas humbug. “Marley was dead, to begin with…” “Bah, humbug.” Holiday novella Ignorance & Want Staves[/one-fourth] [one-fourth]A Halloween Carol Kevin Purdy Halloween More than 48,000 2017 Decimus Croome Black Magic Tommy Bobbich Patricia Croome – deceased wife America Timberton Mid 20th to early 21st Century Don’t be a Halloween humbug. Remember the part in our wedding vows about until death do we part? Consider this a bonus round. “Pish posh & poppycock!!” Holiday novel Apathy & Greed Chapters[/one-fourth] [one-fourth] [/one-fourth] SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

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September 18, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books / read aloud books

Halloween Carol at Top of Best Books List

Best Books to Read to 5th Graders The family Halloween book The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol has begun to appear on many "best of" lists including holiday book lists, best read-aloud books, best Halloween books and more. It's no surprise that this charming Halloween novel that is based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" would appear on so many "best book" lists in its inaugural year. But it was a pleasant surprise that it has already climbed to the very top of the Best Books to Read to 5th Graders list on Goodreads. A Halloween Carol is also near the top of other Best Books lists including the best 6th Grade Reading list. Best Revised Classic The Legend of Decimus Croome has also zoomed to the top of the best Classics Continued and Revised booklist on Goodreads. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Charles Dickens should indeed be flattered by this hilarious adapted version of A Christmas Carol. Speaking of Dickens, The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol has also risen to the top of the Sequels and Prequels to Dickens Stories on the Goodreads best books list. Future of The Legend of Decimus Croome Looks Bright The booklists shown above are mainly just the ones A Halloween Carol has moved up to #1 on. This delightful Halloween story has also appeared on over a dozen best booklists in the top ten or twenty. This is an incredible accomplishment for a brand new holiday novel. In many of the lists, A Halloween Carol appears near or above such literary masters as Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. This is indeed high praise. A Halloween Carol Among Best Halloween Books of All Time Everyone loves Halloween and there are never quite enough really good Halloween books that can be enjoyed…

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September 14, 2017

A Halloween Carol / Halloween books

Read a Sample of A Halloween Carol

Tis the Season to Read A Halloween Carol The evenings are starting to get a little longer and there's a bit of nip in the air each morning. Leaves begin blushing their Autumn hues and every shop is offering pumpkin flavored... everything. I swear the local auto repair garage is offering pumpkin flavored oil changes. What can it all mean? Snuggle Up With a Halloween Book Everyone loves a good Halloween book. And I do mean everyone!! Mom, Dad, brother, sister... But it's like a Goldilocks scenario. This book is too scary; this book isn't spooky enough... Wait, here's one that's JUST RIGHT!! Here's your chance to check out The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol. Read a FREE sample of A Halloween Carol right here on PurdyBooks.com. Then head on over and grab The Legend of Decimus Croome on Amazon in paperback or e-book form:

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September 5, 2017