Pumpkins Possessed

by A.J. Stein

When Archie finds himself alone at the pumpkin patch down the road, he sees the unbelievable. Not only are the pumpkins huge, but the scarecrow is unlike anything he’s ever seen. It has a jack-o-lantern head, is stuffed with pumpkin vines instead of straw, has fire burning in its eyes… And is coming right for him!

Archie escapes to tell the tale, but his parents say it’s only his imagination. Besides, no one else saw it, not even old Farmer Red, who is nowhere to be found. The only person to believe his story is his friend, Zeke, and together they must determine what’s real and solve the mystery before they end up spending Halloween...

...possessed.

Genres: Horror

79 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Jakob J. 🎃 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve compared a book or two before to Scooby-doo, not as a pejorative, per se, but this one is explicitly influenced by the Mystery Gang when jumpy teen Archie encounters the “Sca-Sca-Scarecrow!” and you can all but hear the cartoon bong feet sound effect and see him running in place for a few seconds before speeding away.

The tale is standard spooky pre-teen chronicling and reminded me of a story I would have written in elementary school. Again, not to insult. I think they were pretty good, if I may say so. Not a lot of edge, even when compared to the Goosebumps crowd of the’90’s when I was writing Friday the 13th ripoffs in fourth grade, but the exposition speculated between friends turning out to be truth was reminiscent of how my friends and I would talk to each other, pretending to actually believe there were monsters lurking in the neighborhood or that our teachers were aliens.

Charming in its pre-subversion approach to youthful supernatural investigation.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought back memories of the Scholastic book fair. It's exactly something I would have chosen. Adventure, mystery, scares, and Halloween pumpkins. Who could ask for anything more! Great read for any young reader or young reader at heart.

[Sophie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect autumnal novella for those spooky vibes without being horrific. This is a great story that is written for a middle grade audience but made for the best childlike read for me.

I love the pumpkin patch and farming element in this story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Megan Wintrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Goosebumps or if you are a fan of John Ward's Scareville series, you will absolutely love this one! This is the first book in the Stein Monster series by A.J. Stein aka Alex Ebenstein.

Archie is a kid who loves Halloween meets a boy called Zeke at school. Archie tells him about a walking scarecrow at Farmer Ted's farm, the boys decide to head there after school... But what they find is a little more sinister than they bargained for. Is it real? Or is the Halloween spirit just a little extra spooky this year? Why is the farm so quiet?

I really enjoyed this one. Definitely feeling autumnal now.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a middle grade horror story this one delivers! I’m absolutely certain that I would’ve loved this when I was younger. I had Roald Dahl’s The witches as one of my favourite rereads throughout school, and Pumpkins possessed pass the same vibe check. It has creepy scarecrows, scary pumpkins and kids being.. well kids. And it definitely gives you that autumn feel as soon as you start reading it.

It’s a quick read and I’d honestly recommend this book for both younger and older readers. The younger ones will probably tune in to the spookiness of the story more, whilst the adult readers will enjoy a nostalgia feel due to how it’s written and played out.

So get your comfy blankets and pumpkin spice latte ready to enjoy an autumnal, spooky reading session!

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All words written are my own personal thoughts and opinions.*

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pumpkin possessed is a middle grade spooky Halloween themed book that follows Archie who finds something strange in the local farmer's pumpkin patch.

It is the season of spooks when Archie finds a strange looking scarecrow with a jack - o- lantern as his head in Farmer Red land. He has fire in his eyes and is way too realistic for it to be a dummy. When no one except for Zeke, his best friend believes, he has no other way than to get to the bottom of this mystery.

But solving this mystery turned out to be more dangerous than he anticipated. Can Archie and Zeke get out of this spooky situation without any harm or will they end up getting possessed?

A quick read with amazing engaging narrative. The author's writing style is unique and elements of fears and mystery were well done. I also appreciate the jump scares that the story has. A perfect book for the spooky Halloween.

[KELLI DANIELS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.J. Stein’s Pumpkins Possessed is a delightfully eerie and imaginative story that captures the thrill of Halloween with perfect suspense for young readers. Archie’s encounter with the terrifying, vine stuffed scarecrow is both chilling and compelling, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The dynamic friendship between Archie and Zeke adds heart and humor to the tense, mysterious atmosphere. Short, engaging, and packed with unexpected twists, this story is ideal for middle grade readers who love a mix of suspense, adventure, and seasonal fun.

[485street · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun autumnal read

This is a classic Goosebumps style read. Nothing too scary, short cliffhanger chapters, and a little humor mixed in. Perfect read for the autumn season and great for the middle graders in your life.

[Saul Warren-Howles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book and look forward reading more.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scarecrows can be a scary bunch. Imagine if they came to life?
Another great book by a YA author. Just enough gore and suspense to keep even the pickiest reader hooked!!!

[Trevor Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series was a generation-defining literary success, and hardly a kid wasn't reading it in the '90s. In the wake of Stine's success, there have been many who have wanted to follow in his tradition, most of them in the hopes of replicating how lucrative the series was to its publisher.

What separates those efforts from something like A.J. Stein's efforts is that it's clear that the objective here is not some crass commercialization of story in order to capitalize on a market. Stein's Monsters, beginning with Pumpkins Possessed, is an effort to memorialize those kinds of stories for kids, acting as both love letter to what made Goosebumps our favorite series growing up as well as an ode to a simpler childhood pastime, when a spooky story to share with your friends was the thing that made community, that brought us together and cemented those friendships.

Pumpkins Possessed is an honest, open letter of love to the Goosebump stories that came before it and inspired it, full of fun, a youthful voice, some jump scares and danger, and devoted homage to R.L. Stine. It's hard not to love it. I can't wait until the next book drops.