A Brief History
On August 2, 2022, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas by Shea Ernshaw was published by Disney Press, a sort of sequel to the popular Tim Burton movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Digging Deeper
The story is told from the perspective of Sally, a rag doll that marries Jack Skellington, aka The Pumpkin King, thus becoming the queen of Halloween Town, a title and job she is not too sure she either wants or can handle.
The story takes Sally out of what she believes is her native Halloween Town to other holiday oriented “towns,” virtually alternate realities. She is on a mission to save her beloved Jack and all the residents of these various towns that have been threatened by the evil Sandman, a denizen and former king of Dream Town.
The story takes us through revelations and some surprises, with enough tension to keep the reader closely involved with the tale. Most of all, this book gives a much-deserved filling out of the Sally character.
The 315 pages of the book are written in easy-to-read text and language, making for an enjoyable reading experience for anyone with a passing familiarity with the original The Nightmare Before Christmas story, including readers from pre-teen to senior adults.
We are comfortable in enthusiastically recommending this book, especially for Tim Burton fans and fans of A Nightmare Before Christmas.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Did you enjoy this book?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Ernshaw, Shea. Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Disney Press, 2022.
Marsham, Liz. Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas – The Graphic Novel. Dynamite Entertainment, 2025.
Shepherd, Megan. Hour of the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. RH/Disney, 2025.
