We're on the count down to Halloween-- decorating, pondering costumes, and eagerly anticipating one of the most mystical, magical, and downright unforgettable nights 🌙 ✨️ of the year. Goodwill has laid out the merch. Doughnuts and other goodies come in autumnal flavors. And what better way to get ready for the big night than read some spooky books? Cynthia Leitich's Harvest House. It combines a suspenseful, engaging plot with information about an important social justice issue even many adults haven't wrapped their minds around.
Hughie is very aware that Halloween 🎃 is on the way. His father is a go big or go home holiday decorator. I mean dozens of human size skeletons with light up 👀. A little too epic for most households. Also he's a volunteer helping to create a 👻 house appropriate for all ages based on local legends. But it is turning out to be more complicated and stressful than he'd ever imagined.
For one thing there's a really scary legend that seems to be happening in real time. It involves a terrifying being that predates on indigenous girls and women. Some girls including his best friend's sister have been having close encounters of the worst kind. Hughie is desperate to find out what's going on before someone he loves becomes a fiend's next victim.
Also the woman designing the haunted house is perpetuating racist indigenous women stereotypes. Hughie is trying to remove and replace the microaggressions before they can hurt people he cares about.
And show time is quickly approaching.
On a purrrsonal note, today my best friend, Lisa Morin, and I are obsessed with blood. Nope, we haven't gone the snoozing in coffins and nocturnal neck nipping route. It's the second day of the UMaine Red Cross blood drive. The first day went pretty well. We got a lot of donors including a large proportion of first timers. Nobody fainted. We're hoping for good numbers today.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated yesterday and will do so today.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
No comments:
Post a Comment