J.K. Rowling released a Halloween gift to her fans on her website, Pottermore. Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy reading about the background of one of the villains of the books, Dolores Umbridge. She was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and during that time she terrorized many students. Umbridge also made small appearances in some of the other books as a dangerous member of the Ministry of Magic and the head of the “Muggle-born Registration Commission”.

The entire background story is on the Today Show website. Rowling’s website, Pottermore requires registration, and parents should check it out with their children.

(Image used by Google search with Creative Commons)

Clyde’s Costume

I’m a gingham sheet and I used to sleep

tucked into the guest room bed.

One day – surprise! Clyde cut out eyes

and slipped me over his head.

Now I’m ghastly and ghoulish and ghostly,

a will-o’-the-wispy fright.

Pardon my pride, but with Clyde inside,

I’m the hit of Halloween night.

(There are other ghosts but mostly 

the other ghosts are white.

I don’t like to boast, but not other ghost

is gingham.)

Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Petra Mathers (Harcourt, 2009)

“How did the monster football team win the game?”

They kicked a field ghoul!

Creepy Riddles by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998)