–
1 –
BOOK TWO - HALLOWE'EN - THE BEGINNING
Caro Carolina didn’t know if she’d go out trick or treating this
Hallowe’en or not. Her mother wanted her to. Her father shrugged. Caro
wasn’t so sure.
Trick or treating had been the most exciting thing in the
world when she was seven – but what was she going to do with a bag of
candies and apples at thirteen? Chocolate gave her zits.
She picked up Scruff and looked him in the eye. Scruff
was large and fluffy with wide hazel eyes that hardly blinked.
Caro had wanted a dog. Scruff was the compromise – an oversized cat.
Scruff had been slated for death at the local animal shelter three weeks ago,
which was when she went with her mother. Caro had wanted a kitten but there
hadn’t been any that day. Scruff had looked deep into her eyes when
she passed his cage. Peaceful, quiet, loving. He had been lying on his side,
his head slightly raised, his bushy tail curling around him. His eyes had
kept following her.
On the way out, they had stopped to fill a request form
for a kitten. Rather, her mother had filled it out, and Caro had turned for
a last look back. That’s when it happened, her decision that it wasn’t
important to have a kitten. It was important to get the cat with the tranquil,
watchful eyes.
“Are you sure, Caro Carolina?” Jan had asked.
“Yes.” That was the only way to deal with her
mother. If you weren’t absolutely sure, you were never going to get
what you wanted.
“I mean it, Caro. No begging for a kitten next week.
No changing your mind. We’ve agreed: one kitten. That means one cat.
Not a cat and a kitten.”
“I know.”
“You know how you often change your mind afterwards.”
|
|
|
Halloween, a preteen story. Caro has a new pet,
Scruffers, a quiet cat with watchful eyes.
She and Doug rescue 400 cats and dogs,
helped by ghost dog, Fluffers. Adventure, mystery.
Coming
soon.
To
go back to the Table
of Contents of Caro's Quest, preteen story for all ages, click here.
To
make a comment about Caro's Quest or about Hallowe'en,
each a preteen story for all ages,
click here.
top
of page
__________________
Hallowe'en
- a preteen story
But just what is a preteen story?
Is it a story about preteenagers? Or is it a novel for
preteenagers? Is it a book both about and for teenagers?
If people older than preteenagers like a book, does it still count as a preteenage
story? Does a preteen story have to include things that concern lots of preteenagers?
And if so, who's to say what preteenagers like? Plus, not all preteenagers
are alike. So how many preteenagers need to like a book for it to be okay
to say it's a preteen story? And what about - why not say such a story
has to be by teenagers? If it isn't, can one really call it a preteen
story? One could even ask, who determines if a story is a preteen story? Is
it a group of preteenagers? Is is grownups?
For now, those questions will remain unanswered.
Instead, how does Hallowe'en
qualify or not qualify as such a story? - and also as a preteen
girl boy story, a preteen girl story, and
a preteen friendship story? Plus, why might it be a story that works for many
people, from kids to grownups.
The biggest character is Caro Carolina, thirteen
- so she's a preteenager, right at the end of her preteen years. There is
probably no more magic time of life than twelve, thirteen - no time when life
is changing more. One is at the edge of so many things. One isn't a child,
believing in the tooth fairy. But what is out there, if not the world of childhood?
And who will one be in that grownup world? And what about now, when there's
somethig you desperately want to do, but everyone says you're crazy.
Caro
wants to rescue all the animals at the local animal shelter. But how can she
do it? Will Doug help? And what about the two new kids in her class? And then,
most of all, what will she do with over 400 cats and dogs?
Those
are ways Hallowe'en
is a preteen story.
As for non-preteens - a good story works for
many people.Plus, who is a friend? How do we get the help we need? What is
real? Most of us keep asking those questions.
top
of page
***NAVBAR***
|
|
|