The Perfect Pumpkin Pie    by Denys Cazet Order:  USA  Can Atheneum, 2005 (2005) Hardcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Mr. Wilkerson is a grump, a Halloween Scrooge who doesn't deserve the aromatic pumpkin pie that the agreeable Mrs. Wilkerson serves him. When she comments sweetly, 'After we pass on ... there will be no more pie', he shouts 'Then I AIN'T GOIN'!' but (this being a spooky story) dies soon afterwards anyway. His wife buries him in the pumpkin patch, sells up and leaves. Jack and his grandmother move in. At Halloween, a ghost drifts in, bringing a cold draft and demanding a 'perfect pumpkin pie', with threats of perpetual haunting (Denys Cazet's illustrations do a fantastically funny job of the dead Mr. Wilkerson, fork stuck in his head, at the ready). Grandma takes it nonchalantly, saying 'We'll show the old fuddy-duddy what a perfect pie is all about!' as she adds more cinnamon. She does make a pie to his satisfaction and he's finally laid to rest ... or is he? The Perfect Pumpkin Pie is a cute story, full of ghostly fun, about a grouchy oldster who'll even come back from the dead for that perfect piece of pie - as the holiday season approaches, can any of us blame him? Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews