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Halloween Hustle
In the dark, a funky beat. / Something white with bony feet. / Skeleton dancing up the street, / Doing the Halloween Hustle. Skeleton is dancing his way to a Halloween party but as he grooves across town, he keeps stumbling, tumbling, and falling apart! Can Skeleton stay in one piece long enough to make it to the party?
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2013
88 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Gunnufson
10 books12 followersCharlotte loves writing stories for kids! Her books include Hard Hat Hank and the Sky-High Solution, Dream Submarine and Halloween Hustle. Eight, Nine, Tengineers and School Spirits arrive in 2026. A former teacher, Charlotte frequently visits schools and libraries to entertain, encourage curiosity and get kids excited about science, nature and reading! She lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she writes, hikes, plays word games and plants trees.
Visit her website for kid-friendly activities and educator guides, funny book trailers, get-up-and-move videos, and fascinating ocean animals in action. Get in touch! Charlotte is keen to promote literacy and meet young readers at schools, libraries, bookstore and festivals!
Visit her website for kid-friendly activities and educator guides, funny book trailers, get-up-and-move videos, and fascinating ocean animals in action. Get in touch! Charlotte is keen to promote literacy and meet young readers at schools, libraries, bookstore and festivals!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
October 11, 2018
An upbeat and non-scary story that lifts your spirits and puts a smile on your face. With its bouncy rhythm and rhyme, you’ll soon find yourself on your feet doing your own Halloween Hustle!
October 11, 2018
Cute Energizing Book that high-steppin' into Halloween.
This is a rhyme Halloween book for young children. It has a beat and this happy skeleton is going to make you want to get up and dance. The book lifted up my heart and my feet feel lighter now. I want to boogie with this unstoppable happy skeleton. He gets the whole party on its feet and brightens the room. He even has some missteps and falls to pieces, but this doesn't dampen his mood. He puts himself back together and dances some more.
There is a zombie in the book with an eye hanging out that was rather gross and I don't like zombies and we still let the niece read this. Both kids liked it and reading it with good rhythm got them into the story too. They book had fun and we had a mini dance party for 5 seconds when the book was done. The trick is in how you read it to them. They both gave it 5.
The artwork isn't fancy, the story pushes this one along.
This is a rhyme Halloween book for young children. It has a beat and this happy skeleton is going to make you want to get up and dance. The book lifted up my heart and my feet feel lighter now. I want to boogie with this unstoppable happy skeleton. He gets the whole party on its feet and brightens the room. He even has some missteps and falls to pieces, but this doesn't dampen his mood. He puts himself back together and dances some more.
There is a zombie in the book with an eye hanging out that was rather gross and I don't like zombies and we still let the niece read this. Both kids liked it and reading it with good rhythm got them into the story too. They book had fun and we had a mini dance party for 5 seconds when the book was done. The trick is in how you read it to them. They both gave it 5.
The artwork isn't fancy, the story pushes this one along.
October 29, 2013
This is the first book I read to my pregnant belly! My future son was kicking the entire time! It was such an entertaining story, and my husband even listened in. My favorite aspect of this book would easily be the great examples of figurative language. For example, this alliteration: "Gets up and grooves with ghoulish grace" (p. 7), or this consonance: "Bones scatter / What a clatter / Spine is like a broken ladder!" (p. 4). You may also notice the simile in that last passage! The colorful illustrations and great rhymes also drew me in, and I also loved all of the famous scary characters in the book, like Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula.
December 5, 2015
I've had this book floating around the house since before Halloween, so it seems strange to read it in the Christmas season. Still, I'm glad I finally picked it up. The Halloween Hustle is a fun story, with a good beat to it. The Skeleton is that guy, you know the one, that just can't sit still and dances wherever he goes, be it on the bus or anywhere. The zombie's foot coming off kind of creeped me out, but overall I liked the book and thought it a little different from your usual Halloween story - lots of fun.
October 21, 2020
This is one of our favorite books to revisit every Halloween. A boney skeleton in a orange pumpkin shirt is bopping down the street doing the Halloween Hustle, along his faithful companion. He's having a good old time for himself until he trips and comes apart. A few well-placed rubber bands and he's good to go, again. Getting on a bus, with a bunch of other Halloween creatures, they head to town to get some party clothes, all the while doing the Halloween Hustle. At an old haunted house, everyone is partying and dancing, but oops, the skeleton falls comes apart again. Luckily, a pretty girl skeleton is there to glue him back together, and the party continues as everyone does the Halloween Hustle. The story is told in a four stanza rhyme, with each one ending in a repeat of "Doing the Halloween Hustle." The illustrations are bright despite being done on a black background and the monsters/creatures aren't at all scary for young readers. You can find some great printable activities to go with this book at the author's website HERE
August 23, 2013
Cute, rhyming story about a skeleton who just loves to dance. While on the way to a dance contest (which he dances to all the way there) he encounters a few bunps that cause him to fall apart but he mends himself and keeps right on dancing. Fun Halloween story that's in no way scary for small readers.
September 7, 2017
This one is a triple threat: great illustrations, fun to read, and fun to listen to. The catchy rhythm carries this Halloween story that has enough humor and interest in the pictures to make this a Halloween classic. It only took one reading for my three year old grandson to do the Halloween Hustle.
September 14, 2013
A happy surprise: a self-published-at-Amazon goodie. Skeleton Halloween-hustles it to a big Halloween party, stopping from time-to-time to pick up his scattered bones and tape them and bind them into place. Fun illustrations and a suitably hustling beat.
August 23, 2016
My six year loved it!
The illustrations were great! It's a cute little story. I liked the rhyme scheme. My daughter liked the happy ending. She believes skeleton found "the girl he's supposed to be with". It's a quick funny read.
The illustrations were great! It's a cute little story. I liked the rhyme scheme. My daughter liked the happy ending. She believes skeleton found "the girl he's supposed to be with". It's a quick funny read.
August 4, 2014
Goofy skeleton book. But the message is clear.. fall down and get back up, things aren't that bad and your friends will always help. oh and dancing feels great!
December 27, 2013
Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=2004
This is a perfect Halloween book for young readers who want to get into the spirit yet do not want to be scared. The colorful illustrations add an extra element of fun to the book which will suck the readers even more into the book. My favorite part, though, is the rhyming and rhythm. It adds something special to the book that makes it different than other Halloween books.
This is a perfect Halloween book for young readers who want to get into the spirit yet do not want to be scared. The colorful illustrations add an extra element of fun to the book which will suck the readers even more into the book. My favorite part, though, is the rhyming and rhythm. It adds something special to the book that makes it different than other Halloween books.
January 5, 2014
A rhyming story about a skeleton who likes to do the Halloween Hustle, but keeps getting his bones scattered. Will he be able to keep himself together for the dance contest? All the monsters and assorted other Halloween characters are friendly looking.
October 21, 2013
This book is a lot fun. The rhythmic beat is great to read and my 3 and 5 year old really enjoyed it!
November 3, 2015
Cute.story.
My 2 1/2 year old loved the story! Great rhyming and he loved the paraphrase. Will be reading this one to my 5 year old twins tomorrow night.
My 2 1/2 year old loved the story! Great rhyming and he loved the paraphrase. Will be reading this one to my 5 year old twins tomorrow night.
November 1, 2016
So cute
This book was repetitive which kids love. Perfect for Halloween. My son loved this book. He enjoyed reading it to me. He's in Kindergarten.
This book was repetitive which kids love. Perfect for Halloween. My son loved this book. He enjoyed reading it to me. He's in Kindergarten.
October 10, 2024
The story of HALLOWEEN HUSTLE came about as Gunnufson states, “I’ve saved many crafts my kids have made over the years. I lifted this one from a bin of Halloween decorations, started writing a poem about a dancing skeleton, and didn’t stop until I had a whole story.”
With rhymes and a rhythm that will make kids want to get up and dance, a skeleton moves and grooves his way to a Halloween party. As he dances through town, one twist of his skinny hip and his bones scatter. To keep moving on, he needs to put himself back together. Along the way Skeleton picks up a few friends around town, all heading to the Halloween party.
Once everyone arrives at the party, all the monsters begin dancing but when a zombie’s foot gets in the way, Skeleton’s bones scatter. Can he be put back together one last time?
With the rhyming scheme, repetitive stanzas, and silly illustrations, kids will easily be engaged in this story. It makes for a perfect read-aloud, perfect for a classroom Halloween activity. Add in a skeleton craft and you’ve got the ideal storytime fun. Add this one to your Halloween book collection!
With rhymes and a rhythm that will make kids want to get up and dance, a skeleton moves and grooves his way to a Halloween party. As he dances through town, one twist of his skinny hip and his bones scatter. To keep moving on, he needs to put himself back together. Along the way Skeleton picks up a few friends around town, all heading to the Halloween party.
Once everyone arrives at the party, all the monsters begin dancing but when a zombie’s foot gets in the way, Skeleton’s bones scatter. Can he be put back together one last time?
With the rhyming scheme, repetitive stanzas, and silly illustrations, kids will easily be engaged in this story. It makes for a perfect read-aloud, perfect for a classroom Halloween activity. Add in a skeleton craft and you’ve got the ideal storytime fun. Add this one to your Halloween book collection!
April 23, 2019
It is Halloween, and the monsters are going to a party at Ghost's house. Skeleton is really pumped to show off his dance moves, but he, unfortunately, is having a little trouble *ahem* keeping it together. Rubber bands? Twine? Luckily, a cute girl skeleton knows how to help him out once he gets to the party.
September 27, 2019
Skeleton does the Halloween hustle around town and disassembles every time. The other Halloween characters join in and do the hustle at the Halloween party. Drawings are childish but the rhyming story is creepy.
November 9, 2019
Pretty fun and I like the art style.
The skeleton apparently has a pet who is in every picture and adorable, but they never identify or mention in any way.
The skeleton apparently has a pet who is in every picture and adorable, but they never identify or mention in any way.
October 2, 2018
Great story for rhyming and adding movements while reading!
February 9, 2019
I really liked that the inside covering was a bright, light green. I liked the title page. It was all black and orange writing for the titled and there was a mailbox and a skeleton's hand opening it up. It was so cute. Everything about the invitation was adorable. The spider webs in the top corners, with the little spiders trailing down. The male had a curl of hair and the female a wig. There were three pumpkins, each with a detail, Midnight October 31, 1313 Shade Lane and Dance contest! It's cute that the envelope read Specterville for the town.
I thought the rhyming was so cute and it translated music, if that's possible. It made you want to dance along. The skeleton with the orange button up shirt with a bunch of pumpkins with different expressions was just great. I loved it, as well as his legs turned in toward each other as he kicked up one foot, and his snapping fingers. What fun to have a skeleton dressed like that and dancing.
He was even cute while he was falling in the air after he tripped over a crack. I just loved his skeleton. I saved this book specifically for Halloween because I thought it would be a good read.
I liked the expression on his face after he put himself back together, but it looked like he was holding a third hand so I didn't know what to make of that. Or of the elephant thing with razor sharp teeth. I could have done without that. It's cute that he put rubber hands around his joints just in case, and got up and grooved with ghoulish grace.
The names of the shops were fun, Freak Boutique and Spider Web Cafe. The skeleton doing the mummy dance down the street was too cute.
At the store he tried on a jacket and a top hat, but a black cat runs out and he falls down, breaking his bones again. This time he tied himself together with tape and twine and kept on dancing.
During the dance contest the zombie's foot tripped him and he broke his bones for the bird time. It was kind of repetitive because the same words were used, bones scatter, what a clatter, spine is like a broken ladder. It was cute that the little purple elephant thing had one of his leg bones in his mouth, and a tiny red devil thing was holding the zombie's broken foot up to him. The skeleton girl glues him back together with ghoul glue and he's good forever, and they dance the Halloween Hustle together. I liked the vampire holding his hands together to his chest like he was happy for them. They were a nice couple, with her blue wig and yellow rose and green dress, and his purple top hat and pink suit jacket. I liked the dance move they were doing, holding arms as they leaned away from each other.
I really enjoyed this and would read it again. The only downside was the repetition, the Halloween Hustle mentioned on every page and the same words used very often.
I thought the rhyming was so cute and it translated music, if that's possible. It made you want to dance along. The skeleton with the orange button up shirt with a bunch of pumpkins with different expressions was just great. I loved it, as well as his legs turned in toward each other as he kicked up one foot, and his snapping fingers. What fun to have a skeleton dressed like that and dancing.
He was even cute while he was falling in the air after he tripped over a crack. I just loved his skeleton. I saved this book specifically for Halloween because I thought it would be a good read.
I liked the expression on his face after he put himself back together, but it looked like he was holding a third hand so I didn't know what to make of that. Or of the elephant thing with razor sharp teeth. I could have done without that. It's cute that he put rubber hands around his joints just in case, and got up and grooved with ghoulish grace.
The names of the shops were fun, Freak Boutique and Spider Web Cafe. The skeleton doing the mummy dance down the street was too cute.
At the store he tried on a jacket and a top hat, but a black cat runs out and he falls down, breaking his bones again. This time he tied himself together with tape and twine and kept on dancing.
During the dance contest the zombie's foot tripped him and he broke his bones for the bird time. It was kind of repetitive because the same words were used, bones scatter, what a clatter, spine is like a broken ladder. It was cute that the little purple elephant thing had one of his leg bones in his mouth, and a tiny red devil thing was holding the zombie's broken foot up to him. The skeleton girl glues him back together with ghoul glue and he's good forever, and they dance the Halloween Hustle together. I liked the vampire holding his hands together to his chest like he was happy for them. They were a nice couple, with her blue wig and yellow rose and green dress, and his purple top hat and pink suit jacket. I liked the dance move they were doing, holding arms as they leaned away from each other.
I really enjoyed this and would read it again. The only downside was the repetition, the Halloween Hustle mentioned on every page and the same words used very often.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2017
What a lively upbeat book, I loved it! I got on a roll with the rhythm of the rhyming text and this was a fun book to read. I could feel the beat in my head even after the book was read. The words did not feel forced and the book made sense. What a delightful Halloween book for children.
Skeleton starts up the street doing the Halloween Hustle with the different parts of his body moving and jiving to the beat. Then it happens, he falls and his body comes apart and he's laying in pieces. Using rubber bands to reinforce the construction of his body, Skeleton starts doing the Halloween Hustle again as he makes his way to his friends who are at the bus stop (Frankenstein, mummy and witch). On the bus, Skeleton continues to dance and soon he is leading his friends off the bus, everyone now is doing the Halloween Hustle. Again, Skeleton trips and he falls to pieces again. He uses twine and tape to put himself back together and he sets off dancing again. Now, there are lots of monsters following Skeleton, who is dancing down the street, smiling. Where are they going? To a Halloween Party where a dance contest is occurring. Will Skeleton be able to dance during the contest?
This novel is so cute, it is now one of my favorites. The illustrations are bright and upbeat and I liked how Skeleton continued on dancing throughout the novel even after he had fallen down. Everyone is having such a great time in this book, it just puts a smile on your face. You definitely need to check this novel out.
Skeleton starts up the street doing the Halloween Hustle with the different parts of his body moving and jiving to the beat. Then it happens, he falls and his body comes apart and he's laying in pieces. Using rubber bands to reinforce the construction of his body, Skeleton starts doing the Halloween Hustle again as he makes his way to his friends who are at the bus stop (Frankenstein, mummy and witch). On the bus, Skeleton continues to dance and soon he is leading his friends off the bus, everyone now is doing the Halloween Hustle. Again, Skeleton trips and he falls to pieces again. He uses twine and tape to put himself back together and he sets off dancing again. Now, there are lots of monsters following Skeleton, who is dancing down the street, smiling. Where are they going? To a Halloween Party where a dance contest is occurring. Will Skeleton be able to dance during the contest?
This novel is so cute, it is now one of my favorites. The illustrations are bright and upbeat and I liked how Skeleton continued on dancing throughout the novel even after he had fallen down. Everyone is having such a great time in this book, it just puts a smile on your face. You definitely need to check this novel out.
November 4, 2014
This book will have you and your child bumping up and down along with the beat as you read this rhythmic tale about a skeleton who likes to dance but unfortunately keeps falling apart into a big pile of bones. But he picks himself up, sticks his bones back together (with dubious adhesive solutions) and goes on his way, inspiring everyone he meets to dance along. The ending is really cute, making this not only a fun book to read but a great story. Highly recommended for Halloween time.
October 19, 2016
We love this book...
My grandson and I read this book a lot as we are getting ready for Halloween. This book is fun to read and it really is helping us get ready for the holiday. Happy Halloween to everyone and we hope everyone will have a chance to read this book to help them get into the Halloween spirit.
My grandson and I read this book a lot as we are getting ready for Halloween. This book is fun to read and it really is helping us get ready for the holiday. Happy Halloween to everyone and we hope everyone will have a chance to read this book to help them get into the Halloween spirit.
October 5, 2017
Love this fun Halloween Rhyming book
My grand daughter is in kindergarten and we have been reading this every night since I got it on my kindle. She knows all the the words by heart and even sings it to her own tune. Love the bright colored pictures and jazzy rhythmic story. I will definitely look for more books from Charlotte Gunnufson.
My grand daughter is in kindergarten and we have been reading this every night since I got it on my kindle. She knows all the the words by heart and even sings it to her own tune. Love the bright colored pictures and jazzy rhythmic story. I will definitely look for more books from Charlotte Gunnufson.
October 31, 2017
Ghost is throwing a Halloween party and Skeleton can’t wait to get his groove on, problem is he is just a bit klutzy and prone to falling apart.
Little ones will enjoy this colorful trip through town while their favorite Halloween “monsters” hustle their way to Ghost’s party. The wonderful illustrations do a terrific job of bringing the undead to life.
Little ones will enjoy this colorful trip through town while their favorite Halloween “monsters” hustle their way to Ghost’s party. The wonderful illustrations do a terrific job of bringing the undead to life.
November 2, 2013
Max's review:
"Good."
A cute, creative rhyming book.
He walked away singing, "Halloween, Halloween, doing the Halloween Hustle."
Although he had to remind me, "It's November 1st. Halloween's over."
"Good."
A cute, creative rhyming book.
He walked away singing, "Halloween, Halloween, doing the Halloween Hustle."
Although he had to remind me, "It's November 1st. Halloween's over."
October 20, 2016
Halloween Hustle is a delightful book with funky rhymes and eye catching illustrations! Skeleton is having some trouble hustling to a Halloween party until a friend steps in to safe the day! Perfect bedtime read for those crisp and chilly October nights!
November 18, 2016
Reread this year and loved it just as much as the first time! Skelelton is on his way to the Halloween party but as he dances along, he keeps falling apart and putting himself back together again. Finally the skeleton girl helps him with ghoul glue and repairs his bones for good.
October 24, 2017
A great Halloween book that have a lot of rhythm & rhyme that will keep childrend
Entertained. Because my grandchildren have short attention spans. So, they will enjoy this book when I read it to them because I'll dance while I read.
Entertained. Because my grandchildren have short attention spans. So, they will enjoy this book when I read it to them because I'll dance while I read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews