The Spooky Box

Using sharp, angular illustrations in a palette of black, white, and a rather unholy shade of yellow, Gonyea builds zingy tension as his worrywart narrator frets about what might be inside a spooky black box that has appeared at the door. “It could be full of bats!” he shouts as a cloud of them emerges. “Or filled with rats!” (two rats peek out of another box, while three crooked tails slink away). Even less threatening options (“It could be a cake”) take on scary dimensions (“I hope it’s not haunted...”). Finally, readers get to open the box (via a flap), and the answer only begets more questions—and possibilities. Funny and original Halloween fun. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (July)