Shadow Over the Pumpkin Queen
417 pages · Released Jul 7, 2026 · Random House
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A note for parents
This is a young adult continuation of The Nightmare Before Christmas universe featuring Sally as protagonist. The story involves conflict with a dark villain and missing citizens, but the tone remains consistent with the source material—more fantastical and suspenseful than graphically violent. Sally's determination to protect her town and king, along with themes of friendship and loyalty, provide positive anchors for the narrative. The book is aimed at older middle-grade to teen readers who enjoy adventure and are comfortable with mild supernatural tension.
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From the publisher
Follow Sally to a dark realm called Shadow Town—where a powerful foe awaits her—in the #1 New York Times bestselling series inspired by Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas! Can Sally save Jack from the shadows? Sally should be at ease now that she has proven herself as Pumpkin Queen by saving Halloween T... Follow Sally to a dark realm called Shadow Town—where a powerful foe awaits her—in the #1 New York Times bestselling series inspired by Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas! Can Sally save Jack from the shadows? Sally should be at ease now that she has proven herself as Pumpkin Queen by saving Halloween Town from destructive spells twice. But the villain behind the town’s most recent troubles—a mysterious figure cloaked in darkness—is still at large, and Sally refuses to rest until she and her king, Jack Skellington, can find their enemy and stop them forever. Then, strange storm clouds and directionless wind begin to haunt Halloween Town, and soon, citizens start to go missing. It becomes clear that the dark foe has decided to make the first move, and Sally will need allies from across the Hinterlands to stop him. But as Sally and Jack gather their friends to fight back against this attack, the unthinkable happens: the mysterious force takes Jack, too. After learning that her nemesis is a dark prince who lives in a lost realm called Shadow Town, Sally embarks on another cross-realms quest to find a solution, one that will connect her to new locales like Chance Town and the Hinterlands Maze. With the prince tracking her at every turn, seemingly bent on revenge, Sally will need to fight with every fiber of her being to prevent Halloween Town from utter destruction. But what secrets is the prince hiding—and could the truth undo everything? Don’t miss the other New York Times bestselling titles in the series: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw Hour of the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd
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- Young Adult Fiction
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ISBN 9780736447256 · Random House