What Are Boo Baskets?
Hallowe’en is the holiday I decorate for the most. Our home is currently filled with floating Witch hats, chains and skeleton animals of more varieties than I can count. Me? I love pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins…need I remind you that I even got married in a pumpkin? Haha. Anyhow, being able to celebrate the season with the boys’ Hallowe’en baskets, which we now call Boo Baskets, brings me a little more pumpkiny cheer. It’s better to give than receive for sure.
WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR BOO BASKETS
Usually I have PJs for them but this year there was quite a distinct lack of hallowe’en nightwear out there. I looked back through old Boo Baskets photos and this year, I think it was 2015, was amazing, I’m congratulating myself on this one, and pretending not to notice how dreary this year is in comparison….hahaha.
Anyhow, as the only place I’ve been going is ASDA, I ordered some treats online from Hobbycraft and popped into the pound shop when I dropped off some board games for my niece who’s at Southampton University and vulnerable with asthma. So this year, compared to usual, I was feeling pretty bummed about the state of their little baskets. To my complete surprise, they loved them and were very humble about it all. Bless them. Here’s what was inside.
- Pumpkin Tealight Holder [doubles as a decorative candy pail] – Hobbycraft, £1
- Snack skeleton – Pound Shop, £1
- Black Spider basket – Hobbycraft, £1
- Spiders in Web – ASDA, £1
- Skull Basket – Flying Tiger, £1
- Hallowe’en Stencil – Hobbycraft, £2
- Paintable Skeleton Tea Light Holder – Hobbycraft, £2
- Chocolate Orange – ASDA, £1
- Goo Heads – ASDA, £1
- Plastic Skulls – Pack of 6, Hobbycraft, £1
- Eyeball Ice Cubes – ASDA, £1 pack of 6
- Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs – Marks and Spencer, 65p
HALLOWE’EN BOOKS
The reason we have such an impressive seasonal library [my way of saying we have too many books for the bookshelves without actually admitting it] is that each celebration time of the year, I buy each boy a book to add to the collections. This year I found books that they all love.
Hero had David Walliams’ new title, Little Monsters. This is the only one I can talk about with any certainty as I’ve read it with Hero at least 7 times now. It’s the story of a little werewold who isn’t scary and so goes to school to try and learn, but the other monsters are mean to him as he can’t be scary no matter how hard he tries. He leaves and finds children dressed for Trick or Treating on the way home, who are kind to him, thinking he’s in dressing up clothes, and off he goes with them, door to door collecting sweeties as he looks so impressive as a werewolf. He gains confidence along the way and with his friends, returns to prank the witch who had been so mean to him at Monster School. After the prank he’s asked to return to school as he clearly can be scary, but he decides to go to the children’s school instead. His parents are happy that he’s finally happy in a place where he fits in by standing out. It’s very sweet and the illustrations are adorable. Hero is 6 and reads it with no issues.
For Lyoto’s Boo Basket Book [try saying that a few times over] I chose Tom Fletcher’s, ‘The Danger Gang”, as we’ve read and loved other books of his, and they’re also quite long. Lyoto needs to build up his reading stamina and so this is perfect for him.
He’s reading a chapter a night with absolutely no complaints so I know he’s loving it. It’s recommended for 7-11 year olds, and the blurb says:
Franky can’t wait to move to his new town – although he wishes he didn’t have to leave his best friend Dani behind.
But everything changes after the storm, when strange green lightning and powerful thunder crash down on the town. From that night on, the kids who live on Franky’s street start to change. One by one, they become a little odd. A little unusual. A little… magical.
Franky’s always wanted to be part of an amazing gang – just like his hero, super-spy Zack Danger! And soon, he realises that there’s real danger in store for himself and his new friends.
And so the Danger Gang is born…
Finally, for Jensen’s Boo Basket Book, we chose the first book in the The Magic Misfits collection by Neil Patrick Harris. Not just because I love that man and am going to miss hearing his Candlelight Processional in Disney World this year, but because I can’t imagine a more fun person to write a book, and his series has amazing reviews.
The blurb:
Do you believe in magic? Carter doesn’t.
He knows magic tricks are just that – tricks. And as a street magician he’s also pretty good at them. But then Carter runs away from his conman uncle and he finds himself alone and in danger from dastardly carnival ring leader, B.B. Bosso. He could really use some magic now…
A chance encounter with the mysterious Mr Danté Vernon leads Carter to a magic shop, where he teams up with five other like-minded kids and the MAGIC MISFITS are born! Can the gang use their magical talents to save the day and stop B.B. stealing a priceless diamond?
I haven’t heard a peep from Jensen at bedtime when he’s reading this either, and he loves book series [as do I, I hate to leave characters] and so I’m looking forward to hearing what he thinks.
Each of the books I managed to get on Amazon for less than £6 each. Happy Hallowe’en!
