Haunting but happy tales abound.

Byline: Fran Hawk

What did the dishonest butcher say to his customer when he sold him the empty sausage? "Happy Hollow Weenie!"

Fortunately, the new Halloween books are a whole lot better than that old Halloween joke. There are so many good new choices, the first-graders and I couldn't choose a favorite. They were all favorites for different reasons.

"The Pumpkin Fairy," by William T. Boyd, is written to "rediscover some of the lost innocence of Halloween." A new fairy is required to "find the right good deed to earn her magic powers." She saves the pumpkins from the marauding coyotes by turning the pumpkins into frightening jack-o'-lanterns that …