Archives for October 16, 2026

Books of the Week: October 16, 2026

So much fun to read!
Unicorn Rescuers: Adventure in Witch Land
(Candlewick Press, for ages 5-7)


The second in a new full-color series set in the magical Unicornia universe, featuring an exciting journey to Witch Land!

Claudia, Pippa, and Sara are off on another unicorn-rescuing mission, this time to Witch Land, where the witches are expert liars and time moves in mysterious ways. Worse still, nobody is allowed to fly! Can the Unicorn Rescuers save the day before their own unicorns fall under a spell?

🔮 “The age-friendly language, complemented by Vicedo’s bright, colorful illustrations, will keep young readers engaged […] Series fans and newbies alike will enjoy reading about the latest high jinks of these intrepid unicorn adventurers.”—School Library Journal

Ana Punset is a best-selling author of books for children, including the other books in the Unicornia series. She lives in Barcelona and has always dreamed of flying with unicorns.

Maud and the Very Eventful Week (Candlewick Press, for ages 5-8)

Follow an adorable little vampire named Maud through a week of ever-so-gently-spooky adventures in this charming vignette-style story—the first in a series poised to engross newly independent readers.

Who would have known on Monday that the week ahead would be such a busy one? It all starts when Maud finds a teapot that is obviously haunted (and very hungry). EEEK! The days continue with Maud’s attempt to sell spiders (and juice) from a sidewalk stand; a mega-toothy discovery; a ghost family taking over the dollhouse; and a visit to Agnes the witch, who brews up a dynamite soup. Then comes Maud’s yard sale, which is a lot of work but a great success, rounding out a very full week. But wait, could that be a teapot coming around again, on Sunday?

In this slightly gothic tour through the days of the week, the delight is in the details as illustrations portray Maud and her family and friends among the familiar objects and activities of childhood, with just enough of a quirky twist to please the young vampire lovers among us.

Lisa Anchin is an illustrator, author, and designer. She has long had a literary love of vampires and often ran around in a red cape and fangs as a child, not only on Halloween. She is the author-illustrator of the picture book The Little Green Girl, which won a Crystal Kite Award, and the illustrator of a number of other books for children. When not in her studio stringing words together and doodling, she loves meeting other kidlit folks and has long volunteered as the illustration coordinator for the Metro New York chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Lisa Anchin lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Pumpkin and Beetle: Super Secret Garden (Holiday House, for ages 7-10)

Two vampire cat best friends plus a mysterious treasure—what could go wrong in this young graphic novel full of gentle spooky fun?

Pumpkin and Beetle are vampire cat best friends who sleep during the day, only eat red foods, and go to school at night! In this adventure, Beetle has found something mysterious. To Pumpkin, this treasure looks like a pile of crumbs. They decide to bury it—and soon their whole town is covered in vines. This plant is hungry! Will they be able to save their town? Will curiosity get the better of these two cats?

Pumpkin and Beetle is a delightful graphic novel series for young readers, featuring two vampire cat best friends and their hijinks around their spooky town.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Philadelphia, Jannie Ho moved to New York to study illustration at Parsons School of Design. After working as a graphic designer and an art director at many fun places such as Nickelodeon, Scholastic, and TIME Magazine for Kids, she decided that illustration was her true calling. Jannie (also known as Chicken Girl) now specializes in illustrating for the children’s market, with her work appearing in both trade and educational books, magazines, toys, crafts, and digital media. She currently lives in Boston, MA with her husband and daughter.

Where’s Waldo? Spooky Spot the Difference (Candlewick Press, for ages 5-9)

Join Waldo on a pumpkin hunt for Halloween. With hundreds of spot-the-differences to find among zombies, ghosts, vampires, monsters, and more for children aged six and up!

Search for Waldo and the gang on the hunt for some perfect pumpkins. Watch out for hundreds of spooky differences to spot in the puzzles along the way, but beware of a host of hair-raising characters wandering in the places they visit. Spook-tacularly fun entertainment for brave young fans of Waldo and search-and-find puzzles!

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to feature. Cover images were also provided. I highly recommend all books that are featured weekly.

Jonas, Oct. 16 Pet of the Week

AWWWWWW!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just ask the Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) vet team, their cat volunteers and anyone who meets Jonas. Jonas is a 9-year-old senior fellow who came to LBACS in June. He was, frankly, a mess—he had mange, conjunctivitis, a few missing teeth and entropion, an ocular condition in which the eyelid margin rolls inward, causing eyelashes and fur to rub on the surface of the eye. But Jonas took it all like the champ he is. He’s been improving big time with treatment: hee got entropion surgery and had a mass removed from the tongue area “like it was no big deal,” LBACS staff said. He’s also FIV positive, but FIV cats can live long, wonderful lives, and Jonas will in the right household. He may need further eye surgery, dental work and routine bloodwork, but Jonas can handle it. He’s had a rough life, but he’s a sweetheart—“I haven’t seem him get annoyed, although he does start meowing when I close the kennel door since he wants more attention and pets,” said volunteer Ona, who spends a lot of time with Jonas. Personality, perseverance, and just the right amount of sass—meet Jonas and see for yourself how beautiful this survivor is. To adopt or foster Jonas, email PetAdopt@longbeach.gov to speed the process, or call (562) 570-7387. Ask for ID# A762667. Better yet, meet him in person at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, at entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Visiting hours are Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Spooky Season at Santa Monica Place – Line Dancing, Cooking Classes & More!

Credit: Santa Monica Place

Here’s a quick look at what’s happening:

Western Wednesday: Halloween Edition

Wednesday, October 28 from 6–8 p.m.

HaLouLouWeen Night

Saturday, October 31 at 6 p.m. until late

Kid’s Halloween Baking Classes at The Gourmandise School

Sunday, October 25 from 2–4:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 31 from 10 A.M–12:00 p.m.

Halloween Harvest Date Night at The Gourmandise School

Saturday, October 31 from 6:30–9:30 p.m.

The festivities start with Western Wednesdays, bringing free line dancing to Center Plaza every Wednesday in October from 6-8 p.m. Professional instructors lead dancers of all experience levels, with restaurant happy hours, shopping perks and complimentary giveaways adding to the fun. The series culminates with a Halloween-themed Western Wednesday on October 28, inviting guests to dress in costume and dance the night away, with a $50 Tenshoppe gift card awarded for the best costume!

On Saturday, October 31, LouLou Santa Monica will transform for HaLouLouWeen Night, a glamorous Halloween celebration featuring music, cocktails, dinner and dancing with its signature French Riviera flair! Guests are encouraged to arrive dressed to impress in their favorite costumes and book a table in advance for the fan-favorite Halloween festivities.

Santa Monica Place’s cooking academy, The Gourmandise School will also host a parent & child Halloween Treats baking class, where parents and little chefs from 6-11 can get hands-on creating spooky sweets including vampire sandwich cookies, eyeball cookies and monster haystacks.

For adults looking to get in on the Halloween fun, The Gourmandise School will also host a Halloween Harvest Date Night cooking class on Saturday, October 31, from 6:30–9:30 p.m. Couples can enjoy a hands-on evening of cooking featuring a festive fall-inspired menu, including Graveyard Short Rib Ragu over Creamy Polenta, Blood Red Beet Salad, Midnight Molten Lava Cake and a Witches Brew Cocktail. Costumes are encouraged for an extra touch of holiday fun!

With spooky family fun, free line dancing and Halloween nightlife all in one destination, Santa Monica Place offers plenty of ways to celebrate throughout October.