Halloween is almost here, and our creative* twins, Sia and Sabina, are in the middle of preparing a surprise for the trick-or-treaters…

[Sia]: Quick! We only have two weeks before Halloween to finish my latest invention.*

[Sabina]: Did you move the ruler? I’m trying to design my costume and I need to measure the length before I start.

[Sia]: You don’t need a ruler to measure how tall you are, just open your arms!

[Sabina]: What?

[Sia]: When you open your arms wide, the distance between the tip of your left index finger to the tip of your right index finger is how tall you are.

[Sabina]: Why am I just learning about this now?

[Sia]: Shh! I need to connect these eight pumpkins so when kids ring the doorbell, they’ll swing down one by one and give them each a mix of candies!

[Sabina]: You and your experiments.* Don’t you need more supplies to make them say “Trick-or-Treat”?

[Sia]: Nope, just a potion* that needs stirring. I mixed in wicked* licorice, a lollipop after three licks, a Twixie stick, and half of a Chocolate Crisp. Those Jack-o’-lanterns will be speaking in no time!

[There’s a knock at the door… It’s Reese!]

[Reese]: Hi girls, thanks for having me over. This big box was downstairs with your names on it.

[Sia & Sabina]: It’s ARRIVED! It’s ARRIVED!

[Reese]: What’s inside?

[Sia]: The candy we need to fill up the pumpkins.

[Reese]: I’m holding a box full of candy?!

[Sabina]: Ha ha, yes! But it’s for Halloween. We’ll sneak one or two when we finish up.

[Reese]: So, what’s this big invention?

[Sia]: Well, Sabina has always wanted to turn her drawings into an animation*, and I just found a way to make our pumpkins talk! Just a few more minutes until the potion is ready and we’ll be all set.

[Sabina]: We’re also going to create a different look for each one to give them a real Halloween personality.* Come on, let’s start painting!

[Reese]: Our friends are going to be in for a real trick.

[Sia & Sabina]: And treat!

Definitions

Lots of new and interesting words can be learned when reading a story. Here are a few that Sia, Sabina, and Reese used during their conversation:

Creative – Using imagination or original ideas to make artistic work

Invention – an object or process that is brand new

Experiments – a procedure that leads to a discovery

Potion – a liquid that has healing, magical, or negative properties

Wicked – playfully mischievous; causing trouble in a playful way

Animation – a process that makes drawings look like they are moving

Personality – a combination of different qualities that form a person’s character