Danny Dragonbreath and friends embark on a Halloween adventure, complete with haunted house and a real ghost. The story, with its many cartoon panels interspersed in the main text, has strong appeal in its welcoming format, many illustrations, and abundant humor. Fans of the previous books will find a lot of familiar action in this fifth entry.

Adventure-magnet Danny Dragonbreath and his nebbish sidekick Wendell have no idea what trick-or-treat has in store for them... The first horror: Wendell's costume consists of two pie tins, one emblazoned with a plus and another with a minus...he's a hydrogen atom. He's hoping the pity candy will offset the embarrassment. The second horror: Danny's dad has volunteered to take Christiana Vanderpool along. Christiana is an official Junior Skeptic (who doesn't believe that Danny's a real dragon). The third horror (though far from the last): Big Eddy and his pack of lizard goons lurk. Danny and company feel safe enough with parents nearby, but then Big Eddy dares Danny to go into the local haunted house. What can a young dragon do? The trio gets locked in the house, and the horrors begin to mount. Pictures change from crying clowns to flowers, mysterious thumps echo down dark halls, floors collapse, ghostly visions appear...will they survive the spectral onslaught—but, more importantly, will they escape with their candy collections intact? Vernon's fifth hybrid text-and–graphic-panels tale extends Danny's search for adventure (and Wendell's search for safety). Plenty of gags and one-liners similar to previous outings, in two-color panels and short chapters. Fans will enjoy the spooky outing, newbies should start with earlier volumes for maximum fun. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 5-9)