As is instantly clear from the cover, this series of short spooky vignettes concerns a headstrong young girl who lives in a sort of perpetual Halloween. All the ingredients are present, in exactly the right proportions: monsters in the woods (who may one day be tamed), spells gone wrong (and deservedly so), and misfortunes befalling the innocent.
Ted Naifeh (author of the equally fantastic "Polly and the Pirates," which also had a strong young female heroine) doesn't shy away from truly distressing scenarios; the book's dangerous, unvarnished tone is reminiscent of the more explicit of Grimm's fairy tales. Children will no doubt appreciate the trust extended to them by this adult treatment; adults will appreciate the elaborate art and engaging, mysterious characters.