Hot Stuff

        Overnight fun: Slumber parties are a highlight of girlhood. And every one needs the perfect theme, fantastic games and delicious junk food to be successful. Pajama Parties: Wacky Charades and Pajama Parties: Truth or Dare (Workman Publishing; $7.95 each) are perfect self-contained party kits every girl needs to make hers the best sleepover ever.

        Inside each Pajama Parties book are 50 whimsically illustrated card versions of two favorite games: charades and truth or dare. One charade example lets players depict a favorite cartoon character at the dentist. An example of truth or dare is revealing your single most embarrassing moment in school. In toy stores now.

Shelf Help

        Spooky good time: This month's Family Life magazine is all about Halloween. One of the best sections is “Cute (and Quirky) Costumes,” with instructions on how to make inventive costumes like “bathing beauty,” complete with a mock tub and balloons as bubbles, and “road warrior,” a black shirt and sweat pant set covered with traffic signs, miniature cars and bright tape. Another don't-miss is “8 Things To Do With a Pumpkin,” with suggestions on carving, making wreaths and decorating small gourds to hang as ornaments around the house. On newsstands now.

Family Fun

        Have a howling good time: The Cincinnati Museum Center's annual BooFest scares up some fun activities for families this month. Stroll through the Haunted Neighborhood, where favorite children's characters wait with tricks and treats. After gathering goodies along the path, kids can ride around a track full of tricks on the haunted train ride at the BooFest Carnival. Kids can also show off their Halloween spirit in the photo area. Children ages 4 and younger can enjoy Toddler Thursdays in a well-lit area that includes toddler-friendly characters.

        BooFest runs weekends in October. Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28. Toddler Thursdays are 2-7 p.m. Oct. 11, 18 and 25. $6.75 for adults, $5.75 seniors, $4.75 children 3-12, $2.75 children 2 and younger. 287-7000, (800) 733-2077 or www.cincymuseum.org.

Mark Your Calendar

        Keeping friends: Baku the crocodile and Taki the monkey are back in the follow-up to Harriet Arrington's 1997 book The Heart of a Friendship. Meet Ms. Arrington at 11 a.m. Saturday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Norwood as she discusses and signs her new book, Friends Again? (Pelican; $14.95). In the book, Baku, Taki and Queen Monkey have an exciting adventure in the jungle, ultimately learning what it takes to be a true friend.

        Contact Shauna Scott Rhone by phone at 768-8511; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: srhone@enquirer.com.

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