"I’ve written dozens of Halloween books for children, and I try to capture those memories and that feeling of liberation. So it was alarming to think that adults were taking the holiday away from kids. Was it really happening?... I saw a Halloween costume store. Yes, you guessed it — there were no princess costumes with sparkling tiaras, no duck costumes with fuzzy tails. I saw a lot of flimsy negligees as well as studded black leather outfits with handcuffs and whips. A popular item seemed to be fakeblack, curly chest hair for men."

--R.L. Stine, author of popular horror books for children, in a Halloween column for The New York Times. (Don't worry: Stine concludes that despite the predations of grown-ups, children still have the holiday to tap into their "own special and private world.")

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