The Nightmare Before Christmas is a movie that truly has something for everyone. The goth girls who love ghouls, the Christmas movie fanatics, the romance aficionados, and everyone in between can find something to enjoy within this film. For many of us Gen Xers and Millennials, Sally became a fave character right alongside classic Disney Princesses. That adoration for her spans to later generations and became even more prominent thanks to Long Live the Pumpkin Queen (2022), a New York Times bestselling YA book that picked up where the film left off. Now, the long-awaited sequel to this book, Hour of the Pumpkin Queen, is coming soon and we have an exclusive first look at its vibrant cover.
In this book, our beloved Pumpkin Queen will go on a twisty time adventure to save Halloween Town and Jack.
Here’s the synopsis for Hour of the Pumpkin Queen, written by Megan Shepherd, to accompany our cover reveal:
One year has passed since Sally wed her beloved Jack Skellington and stepped into her role as queen of Halloween Town. Even with her Jack at her side, though, being a ruler isn’t easy, and Sally feels uncertain of her future. Her seams are stretched thin with her royal duties, her newfound family in Dream Town, and a desire to bring citizens from across the Hinterlands together.
Then a simple potion demonstration at Sally’s inaugural Halloween exhibition goes horribly wrong, and things unravel fast: Sally and her new rag doll apprentice, Luna, fall through a mysterious portal, landing in a new realm called Time Town. They discover that someone has tampered with the clock that controls Halloween Town, and Sally cannot return to the present-day version of her home unless she finds the culprit and resets time.
Sally and Luna embark on a journey to unmask the truth, encountering more towns, friends, and foes along the way. But time is ticking, and as Sally fights to save Jack and her hometown, she wonders what kind of future she really wants–and what she must sacrifice to get it.
Hour of the Pumpkin Queen’s cover features Sally seemingly falling with an hourglass in the background. Autumn leaves sweep up magically and the skyline of Halloween Town spans the bottom of the glass. The details of various clock faces in the background promise an adventure that will take us through time, indeed.
What Is the Release Date for Hour of the Pumpkin Queen?
Who is responsible for tampering with time in Halloween Town? What will Sally discover about herself through this journey? We will have to see when Hour of the Pumpkin Queen hits bookshelves in July 2025.