October

SHIFTING THE LENS: FROM HISPANIC HERITAGE TO HALLOWEEN HAUNTS

 MAIN BOOK 

About:

 Catrina and her sister Maya, who is sick with cystic fibrosis, have to move to Bahía de la Luna in Northern California for the ocean air. When they get there, they learn from a neighbor that ghosts are living in the town. Maya is excited and really wants to meet a ghost, but Catrina is terrified of them. As a big holiday called Día de Muertos approaches, Catrina has to find a way to overcome her fears to help her sick sister and find peace with their new home.

Review

"I love magical realism and Ghosts is swimming with it because, well, it is essentially a ghost story. Cat is really afraid of ghosts as they make her think about death, especially in terms of Maya’s illness, so much of Cat’s growth comes with accepting that she lives in a town that is filled with harmless ghosts. At the beginning Cat runs away from the ghosts because she believes they harmed Maya, while Maya just wants to get to know the ghosts. Eventually, in a lovely heart-to-heart, Cat decides to go to the midnight Día de los Muertos party the town has for the ghosts on behalf of Maya. This is also where the book falters. In incorporating Día de los Muertos at this point of the story, Telgemeier changes the meaning of the holiday to fit the narrative. The celebration of Día de los Muertos doesn’t come out of nowhere as Telgemeier does a good job of explaining the ofrendas and having the girls make an altar for their grandmother, but the main crux of the holiday for Telgemeier is the big party at the end" (Tennyson.K, 2016).

BOOK DISPLAY

                                  October Special Programs
The Remembrance Altar: Día de los Muertos Family Workshop (Family Event / All Ages)
                                                         Description: 
An interactive cultural workshop celebrating heritage and family legacy. Families bring in printed photographs of deceased relatives and ancestors. Children write out short, descriptive paragraphs detailing favorite memories or things they loved most about that person, with staff and parents assisting toddlers and younger youth with dictation. These pages and photos are beautifully arranged onto a collaborative, tiered library display table styled in a traditional ofrenda format, adorned with vibrant paper marigolds and battery-operated flickering candles.
                                      Developmental Value: 

Builds deep emotional literacy, family bonding, and cultural empathy. Writing or dictating short biographies strengthens formal expressive vocabulary, narrative typing logic, and structural syntax, while assembling the physical altar pieces refines early spatial awareness and symmetry.
                                                  Resources & EDI:

Promotes the library’s bilingual collection on Mesoamerican histories and seasonal holidays. This program directly champions EDI by elevating global traditions, validating multi-generational family units, and keeping all supplies 100% free. Sensory-friendly low lighting and pre-printed memory sentence starters are provided for children with processing barriers.

Staffing Requirements: 

1 Children's Assistant (to manage table placement) and 2 Library Volunteers (1 teen, 1 adult to assist with photo framing and writing assistance).

Spooky Short-Film Studios: Writing & Acting Workshop (Ages 9–12)

                                                       Description: 

A collaborative multimedia production lab for older youth to bring text to life. Participants work in small teams to draft an original, 3-scene spooky short story using provided writing prompts. Next, kids assign roles, select props from the library's dress-up trunk, and step in front of mobile green screens to act their scenes out. Staff film the live performances on library tablets, overlaying eerie audio effects and digital backgrounds. The workshop wraps up with a mini-screening party where teams view their exported digital files.
                                                     

                                                        Developmental Value: 

Drastically boosts public-speaking confidence, digital media tech literacy, and group cooperation within a fixed timeline. Writing the script coordinates sequential plot mapping, vocabulary expansion, and comparative literature skills, while acting refines gross motor agility and spatial coordination.

                                                           Resources & EDI:

Leverages the library's physical screenwriting manuals and Goosebumps graphic novel lines for formatting inspiration. Equity is supported by granting equal, free access to high-end digital video editing platforms and camera rigs. For introverted or nonverbal children, crucial roles such as boom mic operator, green-screen editor, or prop director are established to ensure full team inclusion.
                                                   Staffing Requirements: 

1 Children’s Librarian (leads the writing lesson) and 1 Tech Assistant (manages the video recording, tablet transfers, and app safety).

                                                    Weekly Programs

 Motion-Maker Storytime (Ages 3-5)

Book Selection: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams (Classic Picture Book / Animated Book Special)

Media Element: 3-minute animated video clip showcasing active, rhythmic character movement

Audio/Song: "Monster Mash" children's fitness remix (streamed via Hoopla digital media)

Unique Materials: Colorful movement scarves, artificial fabric autumn leaves, pumpkin paper outlines, and orange washable finger paint

 Lego Animation Studio (Ages 8–12)

Unique Theme Focus: Gothic Castles, Secret Chambers, & Haunted Landscapes

Unique Materials: Bulk black, gray, and glow-in-the-dark Lego bricks, mini-LED flickering tea lights, and dark cardstock backdrops

Script Writers Club (Ages 8–12)

Unique Theme Focus: Crafting Suspense: Writing Spooky Ghost Story Twists and Sound Cues

Unique Materials: Lined script templates, fine-tip sketching pencils, and custom sound-effect instruction cards

                         Let's Get Moving! (Ages 5–8)

Book Selection:  Book: Gustavo The Shy Ghost

Unique Activity: The Zombie Tag Garden Arena & Haunted Maze Obstacle Course

Unique Materials: High-visibility running vests, foam jump rings, plastic traffic cones, and field markers

                                       
                                                Monthly Programs
 Paws & Playback: Read to Dogs (Ages 5–10)
Book Selection: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe (Juvenile Fiction / Cartoon Series Adaptation)

Media Element: 3-minute cartoon comparison clip to explore how funny mystery characters are animated on screen

Unique Materials: Hypoallergenic dog treats, custom canine reading paw-print reward stickers, and skeleton logic puzzle cards

Fact-Finder Film Scouts (Ages 7–10)Scavenger Hunt Focus: Global Autumn Folklore, Human Skeleton Biology, and Twilight Astronomy (Dewey shelves 398, 523, & 611)

Unique Materials: Printed Spooky Scout Manual trivia packets and custom plastic skeleton library keychains

 Read a Movie Club (Ages 8–12)Book Selection: Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Award-Winning Juvenile Fiction / Stop-Motion Feature Film)

Media Element: 5-minute comparison clip from the LAIKA stop-motion movie focusing on the written vs. visual puppet designs

Unique Materials: Individual snack boxes of movie-theater style popcorn kernels and custom character analysis log sheets

 Cinematic Escape Room (Ages 8–12)

• Puzzle Vault Theme: "Trapped in the Haunted Movie Director's Secret Vault"
• Unique Materials: 3 combination padlocks, 1 locked wooden storage box, spooky film-strip clue cards, and secret blacklight decoder flashlights