A Very Hoopla Halloween

Check out some of our favorite Halloween videos for free with Hoopla and your MPL card.

Looking for a spooky movie, ebook or audiobook for Halloween?

Mentor Public Library has you covered. You don't even need to visit one of our branches to browse the hundreds of Halloween selections available from our digital selections.

For example, Hoopla has video, music and books that you can check out right now, including:

• Dozens of scary stories from authors like Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe that you can stream anywhere (as well as some slightly less scary stories if you're looking for something for kids)
• Twenty classic Goosebumps audiobooks from R.L. Stine
• Halloween videos for kids and terrifying films that are very much not for children
• And even music for your Halloween party.

Here are a few of our favorites. (And, remember, you can check out up to 10 albums, videos, ebooks or audiobooks from Hoopla each month.)

1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead: It's a movie about a play based on another play (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) which is based on another play (Hamlet.) Also, there are vampires.
2. The Wiggles: Wiggly Halloween: Need a kid-friendly Halloween video? You can trust the Wiggles.
3. Stonehearst Asylum: Based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story, this movie tells the tale of an asylum where it's impossible to tell the patients from the staff. Starring Kate Beckinsale, Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley.
4. A Very Brave Witch: A short, kid-friendly story about a witch who wants to see what Halloween's all about. Based on the Alison McGhee picture book.
5. The Crazies: A reinvention of the George Romero classic. A vat of chemicals in the drinking water transforms an idyllic, rural town into a murderous free-for-all.
6. Alligator X: It's a horror story starring an enormous, prehistoric monster billed as "the T-Rex of the ocean." What more do you need?
7. Room on the Broom: From the creators of The Gruffalo. A gang of animals cooperate to save a friendly witch from a scary (but not too scary) dragon after she shows them kindness.
8. Bride of Frankenstein: The Boris Karloff classic, one of the most popular horror films of all time.
9. The Sisterhood of the Night: A modern horror story about three girls who slip off the social-media grid and create a mysterious sisterhood that's invitation-only and protected by a vow of silence.
10. Mind of a Rampage Killer: Scary for a completely different reason than anything else on this list. The PBS special discusses the combination of circumstances that compel someone to commit the most inhumane of crimes.

Check out Hoopla and the rest of our digital services for more free movies, music, ebooks, eaudiobooks and more.

Halloween Fun at Mentor Library

The kids race to see who can turn themselves into a mummy quickest during the Goosebumps Party at MPL's Lake Branch.

We threw a Goosebumps-themed party Monday at our Lake Branch.

Kids transformed themselves into mummies, played a spooky guessing game, and created glow-in-the-dark slime that they could take home.

Owen tries to guess what's waiting for him in the bowl.

The Halloween fun isn't over at Mentor Library either.

Kids can make monster boxes tonight at our Main Branch.

Then, Mr. Dennis will host his annual spooktacular puppet show on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at our Headlands Branch.

Finally, kids can trick or treat at Mentor Library’s Main Branch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our Main Branch on Friday, Oct. 30.

All programs are free but some require registration. For more information, call Mentor Public Library at 440-255-8811 or visit Mentor Library’s website.

Olivia gets all wrapped up during the mummy race.

For some more photos from the Goosebumps party, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Zombies are invading Mentor Library

Zombies are invading Mentor Library's Lake Branch on Monday.

We're throwing a Zombie Party and people will by dying to get there.

Teens can get made up as the undead and get their photos taken in our Zombie Photo Booth.

There will also be games, a laser light show, and snacks—brains for the undead, cupcakes for the living.

The party starts 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, at our Lake Branch.

Teens can register for the zombie party on our website.

Pumpkin Painting & Getting Ready for Halloween

Peyton gives her pumping the Jackson Pollock treatment during the Pumpkin Decorating program at Mentor Library.

The wind is blowing, the leaves are turning and everything edible now comes in a Pumpkin-Spice variety.

It must be October.

At Mentor Library, we're ready for autumn and Halloween, in particular.

On Wednesday, families decorated pumpkins together at our Main Branch.

When your kid wants to paint but you don't want to wash paint stains from his shirt...

And the fun's just begun. We have several Halloween programs coming up in the next few weeks including:

• A Day at Hogwarts on Friday, Oct. 16, at our Main Branch. Kids can make their own wands and take potions and magic classes.
• a Zombie Party for teens on Monday, Oct. 12, at our Lake Branch. Teens can just bring themselves. We'll bring the zombie makeup, "brains," fog machine and laser show.
• a Ghost Hunting talk on Monday, Oct. 12, at our Main Branch. Join members of the Banded Spirits group as they talk about their adventures ghost hunting.
• a special Goosebumps-themed party on Monday, Oct. 26, at our Lake Branch.
• Mr. Dennis's annual Halloween puppet show on Wednesday, Oct. 28, our Headlands Branch.

Finally, kids can trick or treat at our Main Branch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our Main Branch on Friday, Oct. 30.

Might as well get as much use out of their costumes as possible.

When did Halloween get this cute?

As you’ve surely noticed by now, we love Halloween at Mentor Public Library.

No, seriously, we really, really love Halloween.

And our celebration of all things Halloween would be incomplete without a gallery of the kids who came trick or treating at our library on Friday.

Fair warning, you all, it’s about to get adorable.

For more photos of all the fun we have at Mentor Library, visit our Facebook page.

James Renner's Favorite Halloween Costume

Author and journalist James Renner visited Mentor Library earlier this month to discuss the fun, frightening and possibly fictional denizens of this state for his book, It Came from Ohio: True Tales of the Weird, Wild and Unexplained.

When we interviewed him about his book, he told us an awesome story about his favorite Halloween costume. At the time, we couldn't work the anecdote into our video, but we also didn't forget about it either.

So, as a special Halloween treat, we present Renner's favorite Halloween costume:

And remember, on Halloween, kids can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at any of the Mentor Public Library branches!

Get your Halloween costumes ready

Olivia just needs a cauldron to win Halloween bingo.

The countdown to Halloween continues!

On Saturday, kids had a scavenger hunt and played Halloween Bingo at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch during our Halloween Spooktacular.

But the most fun part was the costumes some of the kids wore.

Darin--pardon me, the Flash--reads a clue during the Halloween scavenger hunt.

What does the Fox say?

And remember, on Halloween, kids can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at the library!

For more photos from our Halloween Spooktacular, visit our Facebook page.

Luke searches the bookshelves of our Lake Branch for the next clue in our Halloween scavenger hunt.

Making Slime at Halloween Time

As you've probably noticed. We love Halloween at Mentor Public Library.

No, seriously, we really, really love Halloween.

So we're starting the party early.

On Tuesday, we made slime, played spooky games and crafted a ghost that kids could use as a Halloween decoration.

Andrew makes a beard with his slime.

Even the snack was spooky.

Colin makes himself a mummy during one of our games.

Alyssa tests the slime to make sure it's good and sticky.

Alexandria finds something else to snack on.

And the party's not over!

On Halloween, kids can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at the library!

For more photos from our spooky story time, visit our Facebook page.

Getting ready for Halloween

Lauren decorates her customized Trick-or-Treat bag at our Lake Branch.

Kids had the day off school on Friday for NEOEA Day, so we held programs to get them in the Halloween spirit at all three of our branches.

At our Main Branch, Mr. Zap performed a magic show for more than 100 kids and parents.

Mr. Zap plays to a packed house

At our Mentor Headlands Branch, kids crafted spiders while sipping on cider.

Lucius wants to make the scariest spider of all.

Then, at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch, kids made customized trick-or-treat bags.

Olivia gets a little help decorating from her aunt.

And the Halloween fun has just started! On Tuesday, Oct. 21, kids can make a spooky ghost and play some haunted games at our Main Branch. (There are still a few spots open if you want to register your children.) Then, on Saturday, Oct. 25, we're hosting a Halloween Spooktacular at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch with ghost stories and a scavenger hunt.

Finally, on Friday, Oct. 31, kids can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at the library!

You don't have to wear your costume to our Halloween programs, but it does make it more fun.

We take Halloween very seriously at Mentor Library.

For more photos from our Halloween programs, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Jedi, Princesses, Superheroes & Colonel Mustard: Halloween at Mentor Public Library

We take Halloween seriously at Mentor Public Library.

We believe that, at least once a year, a grown person should be able to dress like their favorite Clue character.

We believe that an awesome child who wears an equally awesome costume deserves to be rewarded with candy (if it's OK with their parents or guardian.)

We also believe in sharing some of the photos we took of awesome kids in their costumes for you to enjoy. (Once again, we get parental approval first.)

So without further prologue, we present Halloween 2013 at Mentor Library.

Stop me if you've heard this one. A princess, a jedi and Batman walk into a library...

Rowan makes for an adorable ladybug.

Sam, I mean Batman, checks for candy.

It's a Lord of the Rings family! Jedidiah as Frodo, Josie as Arwen, Sadie as a fairy and Adelaide as Lady Galadriel.

What does the bear say? You'll have to ask Ava Marie.

Madeline emulates Tinkerbell.

A Power Ranger and Spider-Man? Now that's a super team-up!

Brayson tests his heat vision. Or his x-ray vision. Or maybe it's just his superhero stare down. Either way, we don't want to make this Kryptonian angry.

And in case you're wondering what our reference staff dressed as...

Ms. Peacock, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs.White and Mr. Green.

For more Halloween fun, check out our Facebook page or this video of our annual zombie walk.

Trick or Treat on Halloween at Mentor Public Library

Halloween costumes are kind of like wedding dresses.

Your children put a lot of effort into picking the right one, but then they only get to wear it once.

If your kids want to get an extra use out of their costume (or if they just want to get a jump start on Trick or Treating,) they can wear it to the Mentor Public Library on Halloween and get candy.

(Don't tell the kids, but we'll let them have candy even if they don't wear a costume. We just prefer when the kids dress up, because it's more adorable.)

See, more adorable.

We'll be giving away candy all Halloween (or, at least, until we run out.) You don't have to register or anything like that. Just bring your kids and get some candy.

You can also check out a book or a movie while you're here, if you want. We are a library, after all.

We love Halloween at Mentor Public Library, so most of us here will probably be in costume too.

I think this photo is from last year's Halloween, but who knows for sure? Maybe it was just a Wednesday.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Anime Club Hosting Costume Contest this Saturday

Perhaps I'm biased, but I think the Anime Club at Mentor Public Library is pretty incredible.

They do fun stuff (like make candy sushi) and they often do it while in costume as their favorite anime characters.

We've seen cosplay from Naruto, Vocaloid, Black Butler and more pop up at Anime Club, so we thought it would be fun to have a costume contest.

The contest will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at our Main Branch. All teens are welcome.

And you're not limited to anime either. You can dress as your favorite video game or comic book character too. (It's not a bad excuse to bring out your Halloween costume early.)

Just be awesome and be who you want to be.

To get ready for the contest, some of us at the library broke out our finest Portal costumes, Wonder Woman lassos and Totoro hoodies for a video.

We hope you enjoy it.

Visit the Mentor Public Library website for more info on the Anime Club costume contest.

Zombies Are Invading Mentor Public Library

Zombies are invading Mentor Public Library next Friday and the fun is going to be infectious.

Too corny? I can try again.

Teens will lose their minds at our Zombie Apocalypse party.

Still too much? How about I cut out the puns and just tell you what's going to happen?

We're celebrating our second annual Zombie Day from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 at our Main Branch.

Teens can come to the library that afternoon and “zombify” themselves. (Most of them will have the day off from school for NEOEA Day.)

After getting made up as undead, the teens will skulk the stacks of the library during the our zombie walk.

Teens who come to Zombie Day should dress for undeath. Being a zombie is never a cleanly enterprise.

They'll also be zombie games and snacks. (Not brains--at least, I think not brains.)

Zombie Day is open to all teens. However, the library asks that they register beforehand. They can sign up by calling Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 215 or by visiting the library’s website.

Zombie romps: The only sort of party that's supposed to bite.

Make a Scarecrow with your Family at Mentor Public Library

When was the last time your family did something together?

I'm talking about all of you.

Not just you and the youngest kids, who are always looking for something to do anyhow. I'm talking about spouses, grandparents, emotionally detached teens and maybe a cousin or two.

Wouldn't it be nice if you all got together again? Maybe you could do something fun and make something that you can keep as a memento.

How about a scarecrow?

What sweeter remembrance of family togetherness can there be than something that scares birds and tiny trick-or-treaters?

Rally your relatives and make best scarecrow ever during the Scarecrow Lane program from 2 to 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Mentor Public Library’s Read House.

We will provide clothes, straw and the other raw materials needed to make a scarecrow.

Then your family will make and dress them. If you want, you can also bring your own clothes to dress the straw man. (What else were you going to do with that canary yellow suit?)

Afterward, all the scarecrows will guard the walkway between the library’s Main Branch and the Read House from now until Monday, Oct. 28.

Then, beginning on Oct. 7, people can visit the scarecrows and vote on which is their favorite. Voting will end on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and the most popular will be announced Friday, Oct. 25. The family that makes the winning scarecrow will win a surprise.

After the voting, your family can take the scarecrow you made home and use it as a Halloween decoration.

The Scarecrow Lane program is open to any family. However, the library requires them to register beforehand. Also, space is limited so families should sign up as soon as possible.

People can register by calling Mentor Public Library (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

You should do it. It will be fun for the family -- all of them.