"...the story and tone have a timeless feel, and Kirby's struggles with self-exploration are very relatable. Overall, the novel's strength lies in its evocation of how it feels to live in a sometimes-disappointing world. A well-structured, enjoyable tale about growing up and letting go." - Kirkus Reviews
"With nods to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Giano Cromley's The Last Good Halloween artfully reminds us what it's like to be young and angry, and raging against a universe we can't possibly yet understand." - Ben Tanzer, author of My Father's House and Orphans
"High school sophomore Kirby Russo carries a talisman in his wallet-a dollar bill signed by Doug Henning-but Giano Cromley is the real magician here. With sensitivity, wit, and wisdom he conjures up a real and complex kid, a vulnerable smart-ass who earnestly seeks guidance from the culture around him as he slides deeper and deeper into trouble. Kirby touched my heart to the point I felt guilty every time this novel made me laugh out loud." - Diane Lefer, author of The Fiery Alphabet, Nobody Wakes Up Pretty, and the Mary McCarthy Prize-winning California Transit
RECOMMENDED. "It gets a lot of things right about the teenage experience: the bad decisions, the awkward sexuality, and the narrow-minded perspective...(t)here's a powerful irony in Kirby's search for a father in a country that supposedly had a clear patriarch." - Newcity