Max & Allison's Daughter Is Queer In The 'Hocus Pocus' Sequel Book & It's Kind Of The Best

If you grew up in the '90s, chances are very, very high that you got spooked each and every Halloween season when you watched the classic kids film, Hocus Pocus. Here's a refresher in case you haven't seen it in a while: The movie follows Max Dennison, who has recently moved with his family from California to Salem, Massachusetts. On his first of school day he learns the local tale of the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches who sucked the souls out of children to stay young forever. Creepy, right? The witches were apparently sentenced to death centuries before, and Max doesn't believe the superstition that a virgin lighting a black flame candle could bring the witches back from the dead. But on Halloween night, virgin Max accidentally brings the Sandersons back from the underworld... and his crush, Allison, and his little sister, Dani, both get caught up in the supernatural adventure with him. The night that follows includes hilarious hijinks, talking cats, zombies, and the quest to destroy the witches once and for all.

Fans of the film will also remember that there was a pretty solid ending. Spoiler alert: The witches were finally destroyed and Max, Allison, and Dani seemingly lived happily ever after. In the 25 years since the film's release, fans have been content to watch the marathons on TV every Halloween season, and I know I have never really wondered what exactly happened to our rag-tag bunch post-end credits. But apparently, there is plenty more story left to tell, because Disney-Hyperion, a publishing house owned by Disney, released a Hocus Pocus sequel in book form, and the novel follows married couple Max and Allison's 17-year-old daughter, Poppy.

In the book, which is set 25 years after the events of Hocus Pocus, Poppy finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest death-defying scheme.

Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel, A. W. Jantha and Matt Griffin, $9.03, Amazon

And even better, the book is decidedly more diverse than the original film. Part of Poppy's crew includes a popular black girl from her school named Isabella, and another boy from school named Travis. And according to a piece in Autostraddle, Poppy's got some serious romantic interest in Isabella that results in at least one unambiguous on-page stomach flip and it sounds fricken' adorable.

Purist fans don't have to worry, either: the sequel definitely includes appearances from all of your favorite characters including all three Sanderson sisters, Max, Allison, Dani... and maybe even Thackery and Emily Binx. And for under $10 you'll get both the novelization of the original Hocus Pocus film and the new sequel. Basically, you (and your inner child) need this book in your life before the crisp nights of fall and all the fun of Halloween arrive.