Caroline's Halloween Spell

Sweet Valley Kids #33

by Francine Pascal (Creator), Molly Mia Stewart, Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator)

Elizabeth Wakefield is scared! Halloween is only a few days away, and Elizabeth suspects that Caroline Pearce may be a witch—a bad witch. When Caroline catches Elizabeth spying on her, Elizabeth really start to worry. Is Caroline truly a witch? And if she is, is she going to cast a nasty Halloween spell on Elizabeth?

Genres: Halloween, Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile

Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Francine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.

Reviews

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caroline's a witch!! Not.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Caroline’s Halloween Spell
There are four more days until Halloween. Caroline and the twins are naming the things they love about Halloween (the costumes, the jack o lanterns, the trick or treating, the haunted houses). Liz asks Caroline what she’s going to be for Halloween. Caroline says for Liz to tell her first. Liz says she doesn’t know. Jessica says she’s going to be a cheerleader. Caroline says it’s none of Liz’s business. She’ll just have to wait and see. Winston says she just forgot and they start to tease her about her “rusty” hair color. Liz takes up for her and tells everyone to leave her alone. Caroline says they’ll be sorry. Just they wait.

Eva says she’s going to be a clown. Amy says she’s going to be a dog. Charlie rides over on a horse and says he’s going to be a cowboy. Todd and Winston are having a sword fight. They’re going to be pirates. Mrs. Otis comes in and says don’t forget to wear there costumes because there will be a contest for best prize. Mrs. Otis gives them a special assignment. They each have to check out a book about Halloween and give there report Friday. Liz wants to write about witches. Liz finds a book called “All About Witches” Jessica finds one called “How Halloween Started.”

Jessica goes to help Lila find something to read. Liz starts to read her book. It says that most women and girls with red hair were said to have been thought of as witches a long time ago. Liz thinks this is silly but it makes her think of Caroline. She looks around to apologize to her and see her by herself looking at a thick book. But when Liz goes over and asks what she’s looking at she closes the book. Liz wonders if Caroline is hiding something.

The twins play on the jungle gym. Jessica runs ahead of Liz and tags a bar and Kisho says maybe she should be a track star for Halloween. Amy teases Liz can be a turtle. Liz says she might be a witch and she might cast a spell on her. Caroline says she doesn’t know anything about witches. Kisho starts to talk about his parents brining home a jack o lantern. Then he starts to tall them about the lady doen the street that hangs up a huge skeleton named Mrs. Frankle. Steven says she eats little kids for breakfast.

Everyone dares each other to ring her bell and no one wants to but when they do she gives out the best candy. Last year they got lots of choclate bars, bags of caramel popcorn, and bubble gum. Caroline tells Jessica this year Mrs. Frankle won’t put out a skeleton. It’ll be a ghost. Jessica asks how would she know. Caroline says she knows lots of things. Liz tho thinks Caroline is just trying to get back at them.

The twins are trying to decide what Liz should be and they see the ghost on Mrs. Frankle’s door. Maybe Caroline is a witch. The book says witches can see into the future. Liz asks Jessica is she thinks Mrs. Frankle is a witch. Jessica says she probably just talked to Mrs. Frankle. Liz still thinks she’s hiding a secret. Jessica is getting creeped out and says she’s going home. Liz quickly follows her. The twins decide to spy on Caroline. They sneak over to Caroline’s and see her carrying.. a broom. Jessica says it doesn’t prove anything. Even tho Liz says she saw it in her book. Then they see her stirring something in the kitchen. Liz thinks it’s a potion. It’s in a black pot. Jessica says she could be making anything. Liz asks what they should do and Jessica says go home. Their mom is taking them to the mall.

At the mall, they go to a store called “Abracadabra.” Steven is going as a (vampire?). Liz still can’t find the right costume. Jessica says she has an into and whispers it to Liz. They leave the store with a big shopping bag and smiles. They see Caroline coming out of the ice cream shop. She’s carrying a big box that says “Pete’s Pets”. Mr. Wakefield asks if she’s bought something for Halloween and she says it’s none of their business. Mr. Pearce makes her show them what’s in the box. It’s a lizard. Jessica starts to think maybe Liz is right. Maybe Caroline is a witch.

The twins are passing Mrs. Frankle’s house on their bikes. Jessica dares Liz to knock on her door and run. Then she double dares her. Liz tells her she should go first, but Jessica says she’s not crazy. They hear a sound and hear Mrs. Frankle telling them to come there. The twins get out there bike but the thing in the branch’s shakes. Then they see Caroline crawling out of the bushes holding her cat. The twins ask what she was doing, but just then Caroline’s father calls her and she rushes off down the street. Liz says witches have cats. Jessica points out Misty isn’t black. Liz says she bets Caroline is taking witch lessons from Mrs. Frankle.

On Monday, it’s pitch black outside when the twins are at school. All the students think the weather will mess up trick or treating, but Mrs. Otis says it’s the perfect setting. Then they make Halloween Spiders with pipe cleaner. There’s a clap of thunder, it starts to rain, and then the lights go out. Caroline starts to laugh and call them babies. Caroline says the dark doesn’t scare her. She’s just bored. Then the lights come back on. Jessica thinks Caroline did it. They share with Amy their theory. Lila, Ellen, and Eva hear them.

Liz says her book says witches have cat eyes. Caroline must have them that’s why she could see in the dark. They all agree but agree to keep it on the low so Caroline won’t get upset. SMART! Eva, Jessica, and Liz follow Caroline home from the bus stop. Liz says its not a good idea. She could be dangerous. Jess says they need to find out what she’s up to since it’s almost Halloween. Eva says Liz can go home, but Liz says if they’re going she’s going. Nothing happens but then they hear chanting “Double double toil and trouble” Caroline is chanting a spell. They make so much noise, Caroline catches them. Liz asks if she’s a good witch. Caroline says no she’s a wicked one. The most wicked one in the whole school. Liz apologizes. Caroline says they’d better watch it and if they’re smart they’ll give up because they’re no match for her.

So, they run home. Liz says they’re in trouble. Eva points out no *she’s* in trouble. Jessica and Eva say they’ll protect her. Liz looks at her book, but it doesn’t say anything helpful. Eva says they can think of movies with witches and what people do to protect themselves. Nothing comes to mind. That night Liz remembers the Wizard of Oz and she and Jessica come up with a plan. On Halloween, Liz decides to go as Sherlock Holmes. Both twins have on garlic necklaces. Caroline tho doesn’t get on the bus. At school, they meet the other girls. Lila is dressed as a butterfly. They’re curious about Caroline but they tell her she wasn’t on the bus. They notice the spells and tell them about there necklaces and Caroline’s threat. They tell them about their plan-and tell them they’ll use it if Caroline shows up-. Caroline shows up dressed as.. a witch.

Mrs. Otis makes Jessica go first to give her report. Then Liz gives her report. Jessica sees Caroline mumbling. The rest of the class do their report. Then Mrs. Otis says Caroline will give a special report on costumes. When she starts the chant, the twins rush up to her and dump water on her. Then they have to explain they thought she was a real witch. They say if she’s a witch that’s the best costume they’ve ever seen. Mrs. Otis says she thinks so too and that’s why Caroline wins the best costume.
At recess they ask her about Mrs. Frankle’s skeleton. She says she saw her throwing it away. Sweeping is one of her jobs at home. She was making chili in her dad’s pot. The lizard was part of her costume but she didn’t bring it because she’s scared to pick it up. The chant came from a Shakesphere play. She said she was late because her mom drove her. Caroline explains she was in Mrs. Frankle’s garden because Misty got lost. Caroline says she was mad at the twins because she thought Liz was going to copy her costume. The twins ask if she’d like to go trick or treating with them. She says yes. She’ll hex anyone who doesn’t give them a lot of candy.

That night, the twins dare Caroline to knock on Mrs. Frankle’s door. She and the twins decide to knock together. Mrs. Frankle answers the door and gives them three bags. Then they talk about how much their looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Rating: 6 It gave me Nora Mercandy vibes (from the book The Haunted House- Sweet Valley Twins). I will say they were smarter at 6 than they were at 12 because they knew they didn’t want to piss Caroline off. I thought Mrs. Frankle would end up being related to Caroline-maybe her grandmother on her mother’s side-. I’m still waiting tho for it to be true. That the little old lady in the big creepy house isn’t just lonely and she really IS a witch.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those times when children your own age just seem SO MUCH YOUNGER.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda liked the Shakespearean reference to "Macbeth". Maybe Caroline "weighs the same as a duck"? (Monty Python & the Holy Grail)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth is scared! Halloween is only a few days away, and Elizabeth suspects that Caroline Pearce may be a witch--a bad witch. When Caroline catches Elizabeth spying on her, Elizabeth really starts worrying. Will Caroline cast a nasty spell on her?

[Kara Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank my sister for unwittingly allowing me to borrow part of her Christmas present from me to plump up my Goodreads count

[Ruvi Perera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again they are kind of bullying a kid, Caroline for her hair colour. They suspect that she is a witch and keeps shadowing her. In the end it's just a Halloween costume

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many Halloweens do they have in second grade?!

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caroline’s Halloween Spell
Yep, it’s Halloween - for the THIRD time in 33 books! Liz can’t decide what she wants to be, but everyone else shares - except Caroline who tells Liz to mind her own business. This sets off Jess and other kids, teasing Caroline about her red hair, and she vows revenge. Everyone in the class has to read a Halloween book and give a report on it, and Liz chooses one on witches. She starts noticing behaviours of Caroline’s that match the witches in the book - Caroline predicts a spooky neighbour changes her door decoration to a ghost, the twins spy on her with a broom at home, and stirring a big pot. They even run into her at the mall after buying their costumes (Liz is a detective and Jess a cheerleader 👏🏻) and she’s bought a lizard (for a spell?). They catch her in the spooky neighbour’s yard with her cat (getting lessons from another witch with her familiar?). They’re convinced and so are their friends. Then Caroline catches them spying and vows Liz will be sorry! The twins come up with a way to defeat this witch, and at school on Halloween, they put it into action when Caroline - openly and brazenly dressed as a witch, starts chanting ‘double, double, toil and trouble...’ they throw water on her! But she does not melt. The whole thing was a misunderstanding if you can believe it! 😱😱 They make up and all go trick or treating.
My rating - 4/10 - look, I hate reading about kids being ganged up on. But Caroline is a pain who even tells Ned to mind his own business. Not a fan 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Tara Calaby]

It was nice to have it be Elizabeth succumbing to imagination and catastrophic thinking for a change, instead of having it always be Jessica! Here she and her friends manage to get themselves into a complete state thinking that gossipy Caroline Pearce is a witch and work out a plan to protect themselves from her magic.

Oh, and for those interested, in this incarnation of SVK Halloween, Liz dresses up as Sherlock Holmes and Jessica as a cheerleader.

[Sheila Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the cover just not the story