All week long mysterious things had been happening in Mary's classroom. The children were painting and pasting, cutting and carving.
Mary kept rattling a chain, and Jonas kept tapping his teeth.

Now was the night they had been waiting for! They were having a Halloween sleepover party at school.
Mary and her friends brought in mattresses and blankets and pillows to make their beds

Then they all went to the sinks to brush their teeth.
"Did you hear what Jonas said?" asked Sebastian. "He's not afraid of ghosts."
Mary shook her head. "I am," she said. "But my father taught me a trick so I won't be afraid."
"What kind of trick?" Nikki asked.
"One night, when I was too scared to fall asleep, he took me out on the balcony and gave me a star," Mary said.