"This title was previously published by Dorchester Publishing; this version has been reproduced from the Dorchester book archive files."--Page after Title Page.

Using a carved pumpkin for a head, old stuffed clothes for a body, and boots for feet, two small children delight in seeing their autumn creation come together and are proud of the end results. Original.

Shiver with fear...shake with laughter!

Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween? How did this tradition begin? Here is a story to answer these questions and more as children and parents of a small village put their trust in a stranger during a time of danger.

The quiet town of Hallowseve has always been filled with the stories of the Pumpkin Man. It's a town rife with legend, known for its famous pumpkin patch and Halloween festival. To be a child in Hallowseve is to be brave, because, even in the heat of summer or beauty of spring, there's an undercurrent of October. Even in the sunlight, there is shadow, and the myth of the Pumpkin Man never seems to die. But is the Pumpkin Man just a myth? It would appear not when human skulls appear hanging from the pumpkin patch tree in the dead of Hallowseve night. Who would play a joke like that? And where did the jokester get all those skulls? Young Evelyn has lived in Hallowseve all her life, but when she begins having nightmares about the real Pumpkin Man, it's hard to doubt what she has suspected for years-that the Pumpkin Man is not a myth at all. She believes he has awakened to terrorize the peaceful community of Hallowseve and bathe it in blood. But how can you kill a ghost? Evelyn and her brother Julian will not be alone in battle. The entire town must stand up to this evil. Will they escape the clutches of one who means to kill, or will they become legends, too, lingering forever in the world of storybook nightmare?

After seeing a jack-o-lantern for the first time, Hattie tries to convince her father to spare one of the pumpkins he is selling.