This tale is about a boy who must save Halloween, return home, find the underlying cause for four folktales, and join in his brother later. Which will, in turn, unleash a shadow in the dark forest.
A Halloween Adventure with Jack & Ony Lantern (ebook, paperback)
A Halloween Adventure: Special Edition with World Maps & Illustrations
Halloween-land needs help!
This story is about an adventurous boy named Ony Lantern, who made a promise to save Halloween. He must deal with four missions attached to four folktales and overcome the challenges in the Himalayan mountains. This is where he will face the wildlife who create mayhem in Halloween-land. Jack, his younger brother, would join Ony on his fourth mission, where he would practice on an exceptional flair he had built up. Casey is a pretty little witch on a broomstick. She must lead the adventurous brothers on their missions. When she found out she could bring her parents back from another dimension, this brought Ony and Casey’s missions to a whole new level.
Jack and Ony Lantern know they will be the perfect superheroes for the adventure.
Put your Halloween costume on, grab a Halloween treat, and get ready for a ride to a land filled with Halloween madness!
Author: Sylvie L. Gionet
Genre: Children, Children’s Halloween, Grades 2-12
Publication Date: September 28, 2020
Pages: 187
Setting: Earth, another dimension in a place called Halloween-land.
Protagonist: Ony and Jack Lantern, along with Casey, were situated as our leaders.
Problem: Someone was eating the delectable desserts in the warehouses, amongst other things.
Antagonist: A variety of wildlife in the Himalayan mountains got a whiff of the fresh baked goods in Halloween-land.
Conflict: Ony and Jack have a blend of unique pumpkins seeds for the wildlife.
Goal: To bring the wildlife to Halloween-land, so they could be a part of the Lantern family.
Excerpt
Chapter One: A Family Legacy
It’s a chilly, breezy evening in Ponchatoula—a small city in Tangipahoa
Parish, Louisiana.
One mile down the dirt road, there’s a thick forest leading to a
driveway. At the end of the road, you will arrive at the Lantern family
farmhouse: 369 Hucks Hollow. Flickering Jack-o’-lanterns border an old
wooden veranda, and plenty of bats drift on a cord from the overhead
beams. Strings of fake cobwebs with lifelike spiders stream across the old
timber windowpanes. The Lantern family has placed tombstones and
scattered imitation bones and a skull across the lawn. White sheets bundled
together form a ghost dangling from the towering bushes and trees.
Paul and Olive Lantern inherited the old and roomy farmhouse from
Paul’s grandparents. The spacious farmhouse was ideal for their two young
Halloween fans. Olive and Paul were thrilled that their children had a flair
for this special event. Every year they would let their excited boys dress up
for one week in an assortment of costumes. Eleven-year-old Ony Lantern,
and his nine-year-old brother Jack, gear up for the creepy night by parading
around the old house while their mom prepares lots of pumpkin treats. The
children’s excitement about living on a spacious farm was also due to a
huge pumpkin patch out back.
Chapter Two: The Pumpkin Patch
The splendor of the fall leaves could be seen at the Lantern family home.
Late October in Louisiana was when the frigid winds whirled the foliage
everywhere. Orange, red, and golden shades of leaves were piled out the
front and the back of the old farmhouse.
Paul had already put the boys to work in the second week of June. He took
them to the barn and taught them how to plant four types of seeds in peat
pots. The seeds grew for three weeks and were then ready for transplanting.
Paul had instructed the boys on how to plant the seeds in a raised mound,
one foot across in a wide patch. The eager boys dug a generous amount of
aged compost into each planting hill before transplanting. They used no
insecticides when the pollinators were active.
“Pumpkin plants have separate male and female flowers on the same
plant. The bees or insects transfer the pollen from the male flowers to the
female,” Paul had told them.
Ony and his dad’s favorite seeds were the Big Moon and Ghost Rider
seeds. He showed Ony and Jack pictures of these two types of pumpkins.
The Big Moon and Ghost Rider pumpkins had a black and orange ribbed
rind, and a dark-green or black stem that sprouted up through the center.
They were the best pumpkins for carving. Jack’s favorite was the Happy
Jack pumpkin seed, and Paul had mentioned the plump pumpkins were the
best for baking. He picked up a popular-selling seed for Olive, but no one
knew the name of the seed, so he named it after her. When they were ready,
her sweet globe-shape pumpkins were smooth, and a bright orange. Paul
knew this popular pumpkin seed was excellent for baking too.
It was now the third week in October and Paul was ready to spur his boys
into action for their first harvest in the pumpkin patch.
The fall morning was cool and the enthusiastic youngsters looked
forward to a second day of harvesting. After breakfast, Jack and Ony asked
their dad for more pumpkins.
“You fellows need to put on warm clothing, it’s chilly outside this
morning,” he suggested, and smiled at Olive.
Olive reached into the wardrobe and gathered hats, scarfs, mittens, and
winter coats. Jack struggled to put on his bulky winter coat, but Ony
breezed along putting on his own clothing. She flipped a Halloween cloak
over each of the boy’s shoulders and fastened the clasps around their hero
costumes.
“Thanks, Mom. I am positive I will sweat to death in this bulky, bodyhugging jacket.” Jack could barely move.
“My goodness, you have grown out of that jacket, Jack. You are almost
as big as your brother. Let me get you another coat.” Olive searched
through the winter clothing and found a bigger lightweight coat.
Ony stood ready and tapped his foot, waiting for his finicky little
brother. Jack obviously thought he had grown as big as him.
Paul reached for a winter coat on a hook by the backdoor. He put on a
knitted hat and a pair of leather gloves and threw a scarf over his neck. Paul
unfastened the latch on the back door and stepped outside and closed the
door. Earlier in the morning, he had hooked up two horses to a wagon in
front of the barn. Pulling himself up, Paul sat and waited for the boys.
Jack and Ony shoved the back door open, slammed it into the wall and
dashed outdoors. When they arrived at the barn, both boys jumped up onto
the wagon. Ony and Jack stretched out beside their dad. “Let’s go, Dad,”
they both said excitedly.
Paul looked at the enormous smiles on his sons’ faces. “Giddy-up,” he
said and flicked the reins. The horses trotted along a path. When Paul
stopped the horses, Jack and Ony jumped off the wagon and went straight to
harvesting.
As the pleasant morning whizzed past to lunchtime, Paul’s ambitious
sons entertained him the whole time they wandered around in the patch.
The choosy boys explored the jam-packed patch for the biggest and tiniest
pumpkins.
Olive, meanwhile, kept herself busy. She baked a variety of pumpkin treats
for the family, but most of her creations did not appeal to her. She reflected
for a moment . . . “The boys give me ideas for desserts daily—I wonder
where they get their ideas from? Hmm, actually I believe I know!” Olive
then sorted through the wooden recipe box on the counter filled with
pumpkin recipe cards.
The back door was flung wide open and hit the wall. Olive jumped.
The energetic boys proceeded to haul loads of pumpkins onto the back
porch. She spotted them both through the window in the kitchen, placing
the pumpkins here and there in the old farmhouse.
“You boys certainly do have grand ideas when the days start to count
down to Halloween!” Olive wiped her hands and placed the towel on the
counter. The boys were actively going in and out, so she sauntered into the
hallway to watch her adventurous sons.
“No worries, Mom, we got this.” Jack spoke in a high-pitched voice.
Olive observed their flushed cheeks and smiled. “Okay.” She looked
around and checked out at what two days of harvesting had done to
decorate the old farmhouse. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the
surroundings carefully, then she sighed and set her sights on the kitchen and
returned to baking.
Before bedtime, Jack rushed up the stairs to his bedroom to change into his
star trail pajamas. Then he darted over to Ony’s room. When he showed up,
he assumed a cyclone had struck this enormous bedroom. It was a serious
disaster zone! Several costumes hung on the old brass handles on the
wooden wardrobe. Ony even had Halloween socks spread out on the floor,
and they were here and there and everywhere! His skull lantern on his
worktable was lit, but at least his homework was done. Jack’s eyes were
bright as he peeked around the spacious room. Decorations from Dad’s
favorite Halloween store dangled from the walls. There were skeletons,
grim reapers, ghosts, bats, witches, spooky spiders, mummies, and
tombstones.
He gazed at the unusual poster Dad had given his brother today. Ony
had fastened it to the wall and trimmed the bottom with four orange
lanterns. On it, on one side, an iron gateway led to a graveyard. On the
other side, a skeleton pirate guarded the entrance. Unlit candles and
lampposts lined a stone walkway, and beside it was a wishing well. A ghost
dangled from a decrepit tree, and it had a creepy-looking spider dangling
from a bare branch. Scattered underneath another tree were skulls,
tombstones, and bones. But what caught his interest was the full, bright
Hunter’s Moon. The big moon bathed the twisted tree branches in a
gleaming light. Its moonbeams shone between and on top of two dark,
closed wooden coffins just below. Two skeletons stood alongside them. The
stars sparkled in the background and made the mountain peaks shine.
Pumpkins lined the stone walkway, and one was lit from inside. The poster
looked mysterious, and it seemed virtually alive.
This looks amazing, but my room looks just as good as this, Jack
thought to himself. His bedroom also had an original poster on one of his
packed walls. The universe fascinated him, and this poster he had received
from his dad showed the solar system surrounded by mountains whose
peaks were covered with snow.
One of the carved jack-o’-lanterns flickered, so Jack took a quick look.
Ony had them in every corner of his room, and they were lit with solar
candles. Jack thought back on how he watched him polish the orange to a
deep shine using a dab of olive oil and Dad’s old rags. That is when he had
decided to ask Ony to help him with his.
Jack asked his parents for pictures of the universe for his bedroom,
while Ony asked his mom for Halloween socks and Halloween decorations
for his bedroom. Both boys had plenty of these items from their parents and
grandparents, along with countless costumes, but Ony could never have
enough!
Ony turned around and noticed Jack standing at the doorway. Jack
smiled at the surprise on Ony’s face—Jack knew how quiet he had been!
“Hey, Jack, are you finished checking out my room?” Ony asked,
while he sifted through a stack of Halloween socks. Jack had a stake in his
stash of treasured socks because Ony had promised him a pair.
His hands clutched at each other tightly, and he hoped today might be
that day. Jack watched Ony closely.
“Here, have a pair.” Ony passed him a pair of Halloween socks
decorated with hunched black cats on top of pumpkins.
“Finally, thanks, Ony.” He snagged the socks before his big brother
changed his mind. Jack took off his own and put on the new socks.
“Wow, the same socks as yours,” Jack said in awe.
“Mom bought me the same ones as last year, so you can definitely
have those.” Ony slipped on the same pair.
“How about we sort through our costumes? You can help Mom place
the Halloween spider sticker on the calendar tomorrow.”
Olive put these weird-looking tally marks on the calendar every day.
The boys saw the tally marks, but they ignored them as they didn’t know
what they meant.
“Five more days until Halloween. You know what that means, Jack?
We can dress up as a scary creature or a hero,” he said and laughed at him.
“Yippee,” Jack said. He sat on the edge of Ony’s messy bed and
flipped both feet up to admire his new socks. “I’ll meet you after school.
It’s hero day for me tomorrow.” He bounced off the bed and left Ony’s
room.
“Okay, see you tomorrow, Jack.”
As Jack turned to say goodnight, he saw Ony had picked out his
Frankenstein pajamas for the night.
When Jack arrived at his room, he marched straight to his closet full of
costumes. As he entered, a bright glow caught his attention from the corner
of his eye. He looked to the left and then to the floor. That is when he
realized his ghost costume had a pile of glowing pumpkin seeds on top of it.
Jack sank to his knees and wrapped the costume around the tiny seeds. He
sprang up with the costume in hand and strode into Ony’s room.
Ony turned. “What’s that in your hands, Jack?”
Jack lifted the costume and showed him how it glowed.
Ony took the bundled costume from his hands. “What’s going on,
Jack?” He raised his one brow as he waited for more details.
“I’m not sure,” Jack whispered. “Look at what I wrapped up; this is
super strange. They’re inside the costume.” Jack’s face showed how
surprised he was.
Ony nodded and placed the costume on the bed. When he unfolded it,
he eyeballed the glittering seeds. He gasped. “Wow, Jack, where did you
find these seeds?”
“In my closet. They weren’t in there last night, I swear it.” Jack put
both hands to his face. He suddenly realized that he continually asked his
big brother for the best explanations for everything since he always had the
answers. Jack stood in front of Ony and waited for the answer expectantly.
Ony passed his hands through the pile of tiny glowing pumpkin seeds,
which glittered brightly.
“Shush, tell no one. These seeds are out of the ordinary.” He stared into
Jack’s bright eyes and thought for a moment. Ony rubbed his chin. “Mm . . .
I realize what is going on. Dad must have done something to these seeds—
he lives for a good Halloween prank.”
“Whatever Dad did to them, I’m sure you can deal with it, brother,”
Jack said, giving Ony the benefit to solve the mystery.
“Okay, I will hide your costume and these mysterious seeds in my
closet.” Ony paced around the room and then turned to him. “But what if
Dad didn’t put them in your closet? Where did these glowing seeds come
from? Did Mom put them in there?” he wondered out loud and shrugged his
shoulders.
Jack shook his head from side to side. “No, I don’t think Mom put
them there. If she knew we had more seeds to plant, she might have
something to say to Dad.” Jack covered his mouth and giggled.
“Once again, I am sure Dad is playing another Halloween prank. After
all, every year he arranges something around the house for us to find.
Remember how he put plastic spiders in your bed at our old house last year,
and you lost it?” Ony said and chuckled.
“Yep, but he put plastic lizards in your bed too. So Dad is at it again. I
will not tell anyone, I promise. This stays our secret, brother,” Jack said
truthfully.
They both gazed at the glittering seeds and wondered if this was
definitely a Halloween prank. Was it a trick or treat?
“It’s getting late. I can hear Mom and Dad; they are coming up those
creaking stairs. Oh, Dad said tomorrow night is a great night for stargazing
on the tractor. He said it’s almost a full Hunter’s Moon. That is awesome.
Hurry, go to your room and pretend you’re asleep.”
Jack nodded and darted out of Ony’s room. He headed across the hall
and leaped into his car bed and pulled the covers over his head.
Ony carefully wrapped the tiny glowing pumpkin seeds back in the
ghost costume and hid it in the closet. He hurried to his bed and jumped
right in and pulled the surrounding covers to his face.
Olive sauntered into Ony’s room. She peeked over the bedclothes and
noticed him sleeping.
Sylvie is giving away TWO signed copies of A Halloween Adventure with Jack & Ony Lantern, each including a bookmark and keychain. To enter, all you have to do is LIKE this post below. For an extra entry, you can LIKE the link to this post on Meghan’s House of Books’ Facebook Page. Have you joined the Halloween Extravaganza Facebook Group yet? There’s a third chance at an entry inside. You simply have to LIKE the post there as well. That’s THREE – count ’em – THREE chances to win a signed copy.
Boo-graphy:
Sylvie Gionet is a writer of fiction and an accomplished photographer. A Halloween Adventure with Jack and Ony Lantern is her first children’s book. If you like a dark folktale but a pleasant story, then you will enjoy Jack and Ony’s mystical journey.
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