Patschke, Steve. Haunted Scavenger Hunt, The: A Spook-tacular Story. Roland Garrigue, Illus. Templar, 07/2025. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $15.99. 978-1-5362-3523-4. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Four ethnically diverse friends find a box with a skeleton key and go into a haunted house on a scavenger hunt to find what is hidden inside. The repetitive text includes signs that spell out what to avoid, but the children enter anyway, and one by one they disappear until the surprise, humorous ending. The lively text offers opportunities to call out messages and clues, and the full-color cartoon artwork depicts lots of scary details including the woods, spiderwebs, and more. A great choice for Halloween readalouds, this will appeal to a wide age range but won’t frighten the younger listeners, and the audience will chant along with many of the passages including “So what did the friends do?”
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool