‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ YA Book Centered on Sally in The Works

For fans who have longed for a follow-up to the 1993 stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas are in luck. According to io9, author Shea Ernshaw (The Wicked Deep) has been tapped to write a new YA novel that will be centered on Jack Skellington’s love interest Sally and will be set after the events of the film.

Per the site, the book is currently untitled and will see happily married Sally and Jack get their lives momentarily turned upside down when Sally accidentally lets loose a mysterious villain in Halloween Town. With Jack and the entire holiday world itself in peril, Sally goes on a quest to the other holiday worlds, including one previously unexplored, as the Pumpkin Queen, uncovering secrets about how to save the world and wrestle with new discoveries about her past life.

Ernshaw responded to io9 during a Q&A and shared what Sally will be up to and the chaos that will ensue:

“This new book, written from the point of view of Sally, takes place shortly after the movie ends. It’s the yet-to-be-told love story of Sally and Jack. But it’s also a coming-of-age story for Sally, as we see her navigate her new royal title as the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town. It will hopefully give fans a long-awaited second dose of Sally, Jack, and all the familiar residents of Halloween Town, while introducing a new cast of grim, strange characters, that I hope readers will love.”

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Released just days before Halloween in 1993, The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story of the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.

The Halloween movie… and yes, it is a Halloween movie, not a Christmas movie, that was confirmed by the director back in 2018, has become a pop culture phenomenon, with Disney celebrating the film with several re-releases, a massive array of products, and even a dark ride at Disneyland (every year, as they retheme the Haunted Mansion with that of characters and scenes from the film).

The new adventures of Sally from Ernshaw and Disney Publishing will hit bookshelves in July 2022! Check out io9 for more.

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