disclosure: I was sent a copy of Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
When Nightmare Before Christmas ended, Jack had saved Sandy Claws and Christmas was somewhat salvaged. Jack and Sally had their perfect, fairytale kiss on Spiral Hill. Everyone was back to their ghoulish mayhem. It seemed their story was over, right? Wrong. I just finished Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw and if you are a Nightmare Before Christmas fan, this is one book you will want to read.
Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw- published by Disney Books
- page count: 352 * age range: 12-18 years
- available now
Jack and Sally have just been wed, and enjoyed their lovely honeymoon in Valentine’s Town. But now they’re back in Halloween Town and Sally is having trouble adjusting to her role as the first Pumpkin Queen. After a particularly exhausting day of being queen, she manages a quick escape to the Grove of Seven Trees, longing to visit Valentine’s Town again. To her surprise, she discovers an eighth door, and this is when it all starts to go down, down, downhill.
Sally unknowingly releases a truly terrifying man known as the Sandman. When she returns to Halloween Town, she realizes that she is the only one awake. Everyone has been placed under a sleeping curse and it’s up to a little rag doll to save them – along with the rest of the holiday towns – and discover who she is along the way. Desperate to know what happens to these beloved characters? Read Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw to find out!
Long Live The Pumpkin Queen is the novel that Nightmare Before Christmas fans never knew they needed but always wanted. Filled with characters old and new, it ties up every loose thread as seamlessly as Sally resewed her limbs after escaping Dr. Finkelstien’s laboratory. While there are no illustrations, Shea Ernshaw’s narrative fills your mind with Tim Burton-esque imagery. Ghoulishly delightful scenes leave you hungry for more, and excited to travel with Sally to all the holiday towns, searching for a cure to wake all the holiday town residents.
While Long Live The Pumpkin Queen was mostly about Sally saving her town and finding out who she was, it also was about Sally learning to cope with her overwhelming anxiety towards her new role in Halloween Town and struggling to act like a “proper queen,” learning along the way that being a proper queen is being her true, proper self.
I did not put down Long Live The Pumpkin Queen until there were no pages left to read. It was beautifully written and somehow provided a backstory and ending for Sally all at once. If there were to be a Nightmare Before Christmas sequel, I would hope they would choose Long Live The Pumpkin Queen as the storyline! Not only does it complete Sally’s story, it also takes us to all those wonderful holiday towns that Jack never got to visit in the movie, and adds all sorts of fun little details to add a little more sparkle to an already enthralling book.
Long Live The Pumpkin Queen is recommended ages 12-18, but I know for a fact Nightmare Before Christmas fans old and young will enjoy this companion book to the movie. I do believe that you should watch the movie before reading this book, as there are some parts that would befuddle those who have never seen the movie.
Long Live The Pumpkin Queen would be a wonderful read during the fall and colder months, curled up in a blanket with a cup of tea and your own ghoulish (but not ghost!) pet.
Go read Long Live The Pumpkin Queen or a ghost will follow you home!
Oh wait… wrong spooky Disney line. Whoops!
I’m NDK and this is my review 🙂
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Hi! I am the Neurotic Disney Kid – sharing my expert kid-opinion all about everything Disney! My favorite attraction is The Enchanted Tiki Room and my favorite park is Magic Kingdom. I love to read and take pictures!
