©2006 review by Fiona Broome and the Hollow Hill Staff
Scary Scenes For Halloween
by
Jill Williams Grover was
a surprise. I wasn't expecting much from this book.
The front cover isn't especially impressive. Despite the title, the projects aren't
very scary. And,
this book can be confusing; some of the instructions don't match the illustrations on the facing pages.
Once I got past that, I was pleasantly surprised by the projects in this book.
Most of these decorations are strictly for family entertaining. But, some of them would be nice
accents in a "haunted house" attraction, too.
Okay, the "witch's hat luminaria" idea is weak: Spray paint a traffic cone black, and put a light inside it.
Ditto the witch's broomstick: Paint an old household broom with black and orange.
But, those kinds of project are more than offset by the clever twist on spiderweb pictures, the
original idea for spiderweb glasses,
and the simple but brilliant way to create dripping candles.
I especially like the Toile Jewel Pumpkins, which I'd glitter heavily and take in even more artsy directions. But,
the basic project is great, "as is," too.
Like many other books that we recommend for Halloween, this is a good book to ask for at your public
library. It doesn't offer enough interesting projects to keep in your home library, but it's still
a very good book featuring several easy but dazzling ideas.
