I was drawn to this book because of the illustration style. I’ve followed the Laurie A Conley on Instagram for a while now, and was stoked to see this come up for ARC review.

The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL. Like, remove the binding and frame them for your house beautiful. They remind me so much of the picture books I had as a child, and the tiny details that show the changing of the parents’ view is charming.

That said, the story feels a little forced and flat. I love the concept, but the forced rhyming (and the scattered sentences that don’t mixed in) feels jilted and weird. It also feels a little too spelled-out, even for a children’s book. I wish there had been a bit more nuance, and much more about the Spoops themselves vs Holly’s story, especially as the Spoops are the cutest part, and the book is named after them.

I would have loved to have seen little Spoop bios in the front or back that shares something special about each of them.

All in, we need more Scoop lore and less dentist bashing from the text. (I know that sounds wild, but kids are already sort of trained to have fears of the dentist, and this makes them out to be monsters on another level.)

The book is worth buying just to look at the illustrations.

Whether you’re cuddled up for a bedtime story or getting into the Halloween spirit, “Spoops” is a must-have for your bookshelf. It’s sweet, spooky, and filled with just the right amount of Halloween magic! 🌙🦇🍬

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) — A boo-tiful story you’ll will want to read again and again!

This is a cute little story about parents who don't want to allow their child to celebrate Halloween. The child wants to bravely pursue her Halloween dreams and is assisted Cinderella-style by tiny Halloween spirits. The illustrations are absolutely adorable when it comes to the spoop spirits, not my favorite when it came to the people. I did feel like the story was a bit long and would have been more successful if it had been a bit shorter. I also felt like there could have been more about the spoops, for them to be the focus of the story there was shockingly little of them. I still think kids will find this heartwarming and get them excited to celebrate Halloween.

Note: I received a free copy from NetGalley.

This is a sweet rhyming tale about a Halloween-obsessed girl misunderstood by her dentist parents. She makes a wish to celebrate this year, and summons the Spoops, tiny little spirits who make her dreams come true.

Overall, a fun read. The rhyming, while not always smooth, was fairly consistent, and while the story was straightforward, the use of complex language elevates it somewhat. Illustrations are gorgeous. I can see this working as a classroom or library read aloud for elementary students, however it is quite lengthy so may not work for all institutional customers.

It’s no secret that Halloween is and will forever be my favorite holiday. Some people claim that the unofficial start of Halloween is the 5th of July. Pfft! I say Halloween is a lifestyle not a day.

This story was super cute. It’s about being who you are and enjoying things that you love. Not everyone is going to understand or like what you do but it’s great to encourage people to be themselves. Embrace your weird side!!

Cute. I look forward to reading this to my kids around Halloween time - will be fun to see which of the little chibi Halloween-character-trope characters each of them fixate on!

Overall: 4.5🌟
Plot: 5📍
Emotion: All The Feels! 🥹
Illustrations: 5 🖌️

Suggested Ages:
Read To: up to 8 or 9
Read By: 8 and up

Mom's Review:
Halloween is tied with Christmas in our household for favorite holiday so this sure was a massive hit!

For the most part, the rhythms flowed well and the story was such a fun, fresh concept for Halloween combined with a lovely sentiment/lesson learned . And the illustrations? Omigosh! They were fabulous! This will definitely be added to our Halloween rotation!

"A's" Review:
I really loved reading parts of this with Mom! Some of the words were new to me and a little hard to around out, but Mommy and Daddy helped. I let them read most of this book.

The Spoops are so cute! I always wondered what the Halloween Spirits looked like and now I know!

"C's" Review
(Pending - fell asleep before storytime!)

Dad's Review:
Perhaps a little long for the younger kids (5 and under) at 70+ pages. Overall, a highly enjoyable story, length aside with great details both in the story and illustrations.

We're all behind grateful for the opportunity to read and review this adorable, sweet, feel-good book. Thank you to A.J. Locascio, IDW Publishing, Top Shelf Productions, and of course NetGalley for the advanced readers' copy!

All reviews are our own.

Spoops is a heartwarming story overflowing with whimsy and vintage nostalgia. It tells the tale of Halloween obsessed Holly Hollowell. Her parents are dentists and their concern with dental health keeps them from allowing Holly to engage in any Halloween festivities. At almost 10 years old, Holly has had enough. She wants to participate in the Halloween fun so she prepares a whole presentation to try to change her parents minds. Despite her attempt, the Dr. Hollowells cannot be swayed. When they leave for a dental convention, Holly visits a little shop to pick herself a pumpkin. The shopkeep throws in a candle and a note of "Lore." When Holly carves her pumpkin and makes a wish, she never expects the Halloween spirits to change her Halloweens forever!

This book is sure to be a classic for little and big Halloween lovers alike. Some of the rhyming felt a little forced but overall the story was charming and a lot of fun. The grey, orange, and yellow color palette evokes autumn while the illustrator's cross hatching technique is reminiscent of children's books of a bygone time.

While I thought the artwork was really cute in this book, I struggled with both the writing and the overall plot. The idea of the rhyming scheme was cute, but I found many of the lines did not flow well and created a more jarring effect while reading them. The idea of anti-Halloween dentists was interesting, but the execution wasn't as compelling. The spoops themselves were absolutely adorable and the concept of them is what really caught my attention. Boils down to an intriguing premise with cute art, but the final product wasn't one I actively enjoyed.

So lovely! The illustrations really make this little halloween book something special, and the story is nice too. Will be perfect for our little indie this fall.

I absolutely adored this. The illustrations are as sweet as can be, with a perfectly picked colour palette.

Holly is a young girl with dentist parents, who understandably dislike Halloween.

Once they leave, she’s carves a pumpkin and meets the titular spoops.

I’m excited to read this closer to Halloween again with my daughter!

Cute, fun and meaningful but perhaps too straight forward. Read it in one sitting and it was overall just an okay read.

Spoops is like your favorite Halloween candy-sweet, a little spooky, and totally fun to dive into. The little spirits are adorable troublemakers who bring all the festive vibes without any real scares. The artwork is bright and playful, perfect for anyone who loves a cozy Halloween mood.

It’s not a deep or super scary read, but that’s the point, it’s perfect for a lighthearted spooky fix. If you want something to get you in the Halloween spirit without losing sleep, Spoops has you covered!

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an arc of this book and top shelf productions!
This book was an absolute delight to read
, l adore
Halloween and everything spooky.
Excellent writing fun and sweet, made me feel very nostalgic. Halloween isn't about trick or treating or eating sweets. This book shows what else it's about.
Lovely Holly is just such a sweet girl wanting to enjoy Halloween but her parents are grumpy dentists stick in mud types. She try's very hard to get them on side but has to plan a Halloween goal for herself.
The spirts of Halloween called spoops come and help her! Decorating her home and helping her make an awesome witch costume.
The illustrations are so beautifully drawn all in black white and orange just what anyone who's into Halloween or spooky things will love .
I will be buying this book when it comes out may it be on my Halloween read list more many years! X

This was seriously the cutest! This would be perfect for any Halloween lover, young or old. The story centers around Holly and her love of Halloween! Unfortunately, her dentist parents disapprove of the holiday, thinking it is all about eating candy. With the help of the fairy-like Spoops, Holly helps show them that there is so much more to Halloween than just candy!

The illustrations are fantastic!! I love the use of only black, white, and orange. It really drives home the Halloween vibe and has a vintage feel that adult readers will be sure to appreciate.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC! This was truly a treat!

4.5 stars

Holly loves Halloween but her parents are dentists and just can't get behind a holiday that promotes eating so much candy. When they leave for a dental convention on Halloween, Holly makes a wish on a carved pumpkin that she can celebrate this year. Little does she know, the Halloween spoops are listening and are determined to make her wish come true!

What an absolutely adorable graphic novel!! The art is STUNNING - such a beautiful "old school" children's book style in a gorgeous orange, black & white colour palette. The spoops are adorable and there is so much whimsy.

This is all told in rhyme so perfect for children. I think this does really feel like a Halloween version of the Grinch and is a perfect story for that time of year.

Reading this as an e-ARC wasn't totally ideal on my reader as I couldn't get the sense of the full scale of the beauty of the 2 page spreads so I will be picking up a physical copy when it's out for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Spoops is atmospheric. But the way the words flow makes it feel like more of a long picture book than a graphic novel. The illustrations are very Fall(ish) but I wish there had been a little more color than all the white space used. I would say someone who is moving up to MG from Easy books would be the targeted age for Spoops. Spoops is the perfect read for spooky season with it's cozy Autumn vibes.

This was adorable. I love Halloween, and I loved how it rhymed. What a cute little book about Halloween! I plan to purchase a physical copy once it is published. The artwork was super cute, easy to read.

Spoops is pure Halloween magic! From the very first page, Laurie A. Conley’s illustrations absolutely charm—every single page is full of personality, expression, and delightful detail! The art is both spooky and sweet in the best way, creating a whimsical world that’s a joy to explore.

A.J. Locascio’s prose matches the mood perfectly—clever, playful, and full of rhythm that makes it a treat to read aloud to children of all ages. There’s a warmth and humor woven through every line, making this a book that’s as fun for adults as it is for kids. Additionally, I appreciated how the author depicted the parents having a healthy, respectful conversation with their daughter at the end of the book - they admitted their short-comings/mistakes as parents and opened a dialogue up with Holly to hear how she would like Halloween to look moving forward... LOVE to see it!

This is one I’ll come back to every October. Five stars for a festive, feel-good read that celebrates the cute side of creepy with heart and style! Thank you, NetGalley!

Wonderfully illustrated and sweet story of a girl who loves Halloween and just wants her parents to like it too. Not everyone will like the same things you do, but for the ones you love, you should give it a try.