2026
Frankfurter Buchmesse Frankfurt Book Fair
For decades, Frankfurter Buchmesse has been one of the biggest meeting places for the international publishing world. What started in 1949 with around 200 publishers has grown into a global event where publishers, authors, agents, media professionals, and creative industries come together to share ideas, make deals, and discover what is next for books and storytelling. Today, the fair is considered one of the world’s leading places for printed and digital content.
The fair is valuable because it brings so many parts of the publishing world into one place. It is not only about books on shelves, but also about rights, translations, new partnerships, technology, and the people behind the stories. The 2026 Frankfurter Buchmesse will take place in October, with Czechia serving as the Guest of Honour under the theme “A Country on the Coast.” The programme will include more than 100 literary and cultural events, with 75 Czech authors expected to take part.
With so many countries, voices, and ideas meeting in one place, Frankfurt has become a space where a book can travel far beyond where it first began. That makes this fair a special place for authors who want their stories to reach new readers and new parts of the world.
Among the stories making that journey is Spike the Halloween Puppy by Dawn M. Gambone. The book follows a young girl named Susie, who feels embarrassed after her classmates laugh at her family and their belief in witches. Her mother, Sarah, responds by sharing a family story about Wicca and a frightened puppy named Spike. Through Spike’s experience, the story explores fear, friendship, understanding, and the idea that something unfamiliar does not always need to be feared.
A Life Filled With Stories, Teaching, and Personal Experience
Some writers find their stories in quiet moments, while others carry them with them for years before putting them on paper. Dawn M. Gambone brings a life filled with different experiences into her writing, from growing up in Philadelphia to building a family life in Hawaii and later returning to school to study English.
According to her biography, Gambone met her husband, GeeGee, while attending South Philadelphia High School. They eventually moved with their eldest son to Hawaii, where they opened a deli called The Philly-sophical Deli. Years later, Dawn returned to school and earned her BA in English. It was during a Children’s Literature class that she wrote Spike the Halloween Puppy, a story that would later become her published book.
When a Frightened Puppy Learns There Is Nothing to Fear
The story begins with Sarah, a mother who notices that her daughter Susie is upset after her classmates laugh at her for saying that her family is made up of witches. To help her daughter understand her family traditions, Sarah tells her a story passed down through generations about Spike, a little puppy who was adopted by a witch close to Halloween. The Halloween setting gives the story a fun but mysterious feeling while introducing readers to the family’s Wiccan traditions.
Spike becomes the central character as he struggles with fear and believes the witch wants to use him as a sacrifice. As he spends more time with her, he slowly learns that she is not someone to fear and that she wants to become his friend. His experience becomes an important part of the story, while Sarah plays the role of a mother helping Susie understand something that others may not know or accept. Through both stories, the book shows how fear can come from misunderstanding and how learning the truth can change the way we see others.
Spike the Halloween Puppy is about friendship, understanding, family, and accepting differences. Spike learns that his first impression of the witch was wrong, while Susie learns that being different from her classmates does not mean her family is wrong. The book also introduces Wiccan traditions through a simple family story instead of making the subject feel like a lesson from a textbook, giving young readers a friendly way to learn about something they may not know much about.
Let Spike's Story Find Its Way to You
A little puppy, a family story, and a Halloween misunderstanding come together in Spike the Halloween Puppy, creating a children’s story about fear, friendship, and learning to understand what we do not know.
Spike the Halloween Puppy
Discover Spike’s story and see how a frightened puppy finds friendship where he least expects it.