Party Dog: Trick or Treat, Marley by John Grogan

"I CAN'T WAIT! I CAN'T WAIT!" CASSIE BUBBLED AS SHE RAN THROUGH THE HOUSE CLUTCHING HER COSTUME.

"ME NO WAIT, TOO!" BABY LOUIE AGREED. "ME SUPERMAN!"

You would think the long-suffering Grogans, owner and would-be trainers of the world's worst dog--Marley, would know better by now. Thinking that it's easier to host a Halloween party than trek out with two youngsters, one barely walking and talking, for the annual trick or treating, they are busily getting ready for their party. Cassie and Baby Louie are over-the-moon excited, and so their puppy, Marley, is beside himself as well. As fast as Cassie and her parents can put up decorations, Marley manages to take them down, and the spooky signs and crepe paper streamers have to be rehung over and over as he tries to "help."

And when Mom settles the kids down to help her carve one of their homegrown pumpkins, Marley has to help remove the seeds and "guts," predictably getting his head stuck inside the pumpkin.

DARK IN HERE!" MARLEY THINKS!

Marley takes off running, careening around the room, until he thunks into the wall, and emerges proudly coated with yellow slime and pieces of the unfortunate fruit's shell.

"GOOD THING DADDY GREW MORE THAN ONE PUMPKIN," MOM SAID WITH A SIGH.

"BAA BOOBOO, WADDY!" SAID BABY LOUIE.

Marley is chastised, but his ebullience returns when the kids begin to blow up the festive orange balloons and he just has to chase them, with predictably loud results. There's never a dull moment as the party finally gets underway, and when Marley is exiled to the outdoors for stealing the tails from the Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey game, he nevertheless brings the party to its spooky conclusion with a guest appearance outside the window as a ghost--with a hopefully wagging tail.

John Grogan's Halloween treat in his best-selling Marley series, Trick or Treat, Marley! (Harper, 2011) is another hilarious Marley adventure, aided by Richard Cowdry's cute-cute-cute illustrations, one which will give little spooks-to-be the giggles in storytime circles celebrating the scary season! Let's hope those clueless Grogans never learn!