As a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I was drawn to this book, which follows what happens to Sally after the end of the film, when she and Jack finally get together.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, since the film appeals to children and adults alike. My daughter actually wanted to read the book, so I read it first to see if it was okay for kids. It is. There is a little bit of Jack and Sally kissing, but mostly it’s a coming of age of sorts for Sally.

She and Jack are married, and it’s almost Halloween. They go on a very brief honeymoon and then all goes wrong. In short, a door is opened to a different world, and all the beings in all the worlds seem to be fallen into a permanent sleep. Sally is the only one who can save them.

It was a good plot-based read with some development of Sally’s character. She begins feeling like she doesn’t fit in as the queen of Halloween. This could serve as a metaphor for one growing into a role, or taking on a new role and needing to make it your own.

What disappointed me a little is, I never felt like I was actually in a world. If I hadn’t seen the film a million times, I would not have had much to imagine. That said, there were repetitive parts, like Sally constantly feeling the leaves stuffed inside her rustling, etc., instead of her heart fluttering. From what I know of those who write a book that takes place in a world someone else owns (ahem Disney), I am assuming the author’s hands were tied in some ways. Ernshaw is a NYT bestselling author, but I just felt a certain something was missing from the tale. There were also some plot weirdnesses. For example, the film ends at Christmas time. This is when Sally and Jack presumably start dating. So, did they date from December through October and then decide they just had to get married 2 weeks before Halloween? It caused a rushed honeymoon, but if these creatures live either forever or for a very long time (a character during the tale is sentenced to 100 years of service), why the rush to marry at such an inconvenient time?

That said, I felt drawn to finish the story, as I really wanted to know what happened. I won’t go into details of her backstory, but they played a role.

I will definitely let my daughter read the book, and I think the plot elements will hold her interest.