Friendship is a common theme. For example, in stories like 'Room on the Broom', the witch makes friends with different animals who then help her out of a tough situation. Another theme is not being afraid. In 'The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything', the main character shows courage in the face of spooky things.
Another great one is 'Pumpkin Jack'. It tells the story of a boy named Tim who carves a pumpkin named Jack. After Halloween, instead of throwing Jack away, he plants it. Jack decays over time but new pumpkins grow from it. It's a story that combines the fun of Halloween pumpkins with the cycle of life and nature.
There was a grade 8 student named Lucy. On Halloween, she dressed up as a witch. She was walking through the park when she noticed a strange cat following her. The cat had bright green eyes. She tried to shoo it away but it kept coming back. As she walked further, she found herself in a part of the park she'd never been before. There were old, gnarled trees and a small, spooky - looking cottage. The cat led her to the cottage door and then disappeared. When she knocked, an old woman opened the door and invited her in for some warm cider. It was a strange but friendly encounter on Halloween.
There was a 2nd grade boy who wanted to be a superhero for Halloween. He made his own costume. While out trick - or - treating, he saw a cat stuck in a tree. Just like his superhero would do, he climbed the tree and rescued the cat. His friends were all amazed, and he got extra candies from the neighbors for being so brave.
There was a 4th grader named Tim who dressed up as a vampire for Halloween. He went to his school's Halloween party. At the party, there was a haunted house set up. Tim was so brave and went through it first. Inside, he saw fake ghosts and skeletons. But then, he saw a real - looking witch. It turned out to be his teacher in disguise, which made everyone laugh.
The stories are usually full of imagination. They can transport 1st graders into a magical halloween world. In 'Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin - Picking Plan', Splat's adventure at the pumpkin patch is full of little surprises. They also often teach a simple lesson, like courage in 'The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree'. And they use bright colors in the pictures to attract kids' attention.
There's a grade 8 halloween story where a class was having a Halloween play. One of the students was playing a vampire. During the play, something really strange happened. The fake fangs the vampire student was wearing seemed to grow longer on their own. Everyone in the audience gasped. It turned out that there was a small malfunction in the special effects device that made the fangs look longer, but at the time it was really spooky and made for an interesting halloween story.
There was this 5th grader named Tim. On Halloween, he dressed up as a vampire. He went to a haunted house event at school. Inside, he got separated from his friends. As he was wandering around alone, he saw a 'ghost' floating towards him. He was terrified at first, but then he noticed it was just a teacher in a costume with some strings and a fan making it look like it was floating. He had a good laugh about it later.
One 3rd grade halloween story could be about a little witch who loses her broom on halloween night. She has to search all over the spooky town for it. Along the way, she meets friendly ghosts who help her look. In the end, she finds her broom in a pumpkin patch and is able to fly home just in time for the big halloween party.
One common theme is costumes. Kids in 2nd grade love to dress up as different things like monsters, fairies or superheroes for Halloween. Another theme is trick - or - treating. It's a big part of Halloween for them, going from house to house getting candies. Fear and then overcoming it is also common. For example, being scared of a spooky house but still going inside to get treats.