Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A pale-skinned child who's apparently clad in a werewolf getup guides a crew of mischievous costumed friends, portrayed with various skin tones, along the titular street's Halloween trail. But the bizarre houses and homeowners they encounter are far from ordinary trick-or-treating fare, and members of the group begin to vanish, even as their impish leader insists, "You're safe and sound on Scary Street." Finally, the now-solo leader reaches the street's end, where moonlight ushers in a physical transformation, and a large log cabin doghouse reveals everyone magically (if inexplicably) bopping at a lively Halloween party. Though NSYNC member Bass's picture book debut features sometimes uneven lines ("I hear a DRAconian diet/ is quite seductive to those who try it"), they duet well with Garrigue's comically lurid digital art. The whole package is poised to hold readers' attention until the final page calls for a "Bye Bye Bye." Ages 4--8. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Bass, of the 1990s boy band NSYNC, brings his style and rhythm to the children's literary world with this Halloween treat. A mischievous character leads readers, along with a group of costumed kids, down Scary Street for trick-or-treating delights. They are sure to stop at the haunts of well-known monsters, such as Dracula, a witch, and a ghost. Readers paying attention will notice that there are fewer kids after each stop as the group proceeds down the street. What is happening to them? They disappear with no chance to say "Bye, Bye, Bye." Is there some fiendish plot in play? Only those who get to the end of Scary Street will know! A romping beat and bold, colorful illustrations blend together to bring the tale to life. The story is clever, and the rhyming is spot on. The book's only drawback stems from its missed opportunity in illustrating a wide range of diversity in the large group of children; the group portrays racial diversity, but not physical, gender, cultural, or other types. VERDICT Bass's Halloween scare is a fresh fright to rejuvenate holiday collections.--Cassie Veselovsky
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In NSYNC singer Bass' debut picture book, trick-or-treaters follow their fearless leader down Scary Street in search of sweets, or so they think. On Halloween night, a mischievous child dressed as a wolf, reminiscent of Max from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963), leads a large, racially diverse group of costumed children down Scary Street. The youngster, who narrates, proceeds to bring them to a series of creepy fun house--style homes, including a mansion belonging to a menacingly dapper vampire, who offers "toothy snacks" to the terrified-looking trick-or-treaters, and a gingerbread cottage inhabited by a Cruella de Vil--esque witch, who might prefer to bake little children into her house rather than give them treats. Uh-oh. Now there are only four children following the increasingly unreliable narrator, who ominously repeats, "No tricks allowed, just tasty treats." As it turns out, the narrator does have a trick in store, which completes the scare and brings the story to a happy conclusion. Bass uses a simple, sometimes uneven rhyme pattern that ranges from interesting combinations (missed is rhymed with resist) to more familiar ones (treats/sweets) with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor. Garrigue's atmospheric illustrations have a Coney Island sideshow vibe, created with a candy palette that's both invitingly tasty and garish in just the right way. The narrator, the vampire, and the witch are light-skinned. All-in-good-fun Halloween scares. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
