3 spine-tingling stars!!Although The Halloween Tree is a perfect read for this holiday, I was still left slightly disappointed. I picked up this book on the hopes that it would frighten the living daylights out of me or at the very least have me shaking like a leaf. Sadly, that wasn’t the case here hence the 3 star rating. To be fair, there was a time when the hair on my arms did stand on end but I blame the cold draft in my house for that. *shifts eyes*This is a perfect book for children and generally anyone who wants to learn about the origins of Halloween. It’s full of adventure and features some great scenes that are artfully presented. The Halloween Tree tells the tale of eight boys, who set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween dressed in various costumes – a skeleton, a mummy, a ghost, a witch, a gargoyle etc. They reach a haunted house in a dark ravine, complete with tall dark windows, spiral towers, a Marley door knocker and an enormous tree covered in pumpkins ”hung high and on every branch. A thousand smiles. A thousand grimaces. And twice-times-a-thousand glares and winks and blinks and leerings of fresh-cut eyes.”The boys are absolutely delighted as you’d expect. However, there are no treats here I’m afraid. Only TRICKS!! The mysterious owner of the house, Moundshroud plays the ultimate trick on these unsuspecting boys. He leads them into the depths of the past to learn the history of Halloween. Yes, you heard right. Learning! *GASP* That has got to be the worst nightmare for any child. Fear not, it’s not as worse as it sounds. The boys travel through time on kites that growl and roar or get whisked away to a distant land on broomsticks. From ancient Egyptian sarcophaguses to gargoyles atop Notre Dame in France to the catacombs in Mexico, the boys witness and learn how each place celebrated this day. Not only that, this is also the story of how these boys try to save their friend Pipkin in the process.One of the best things about this book is the beautiful prose. I loved it. Bradbury truly captures the spirit of Halloween in such short sentences. Take these for example: “Suddenly the day was gone, night came out from under each tree and spread.”“The wind outside nested in each tree, prowled the sidewalks in invisible treads like unseen cats. Tom Skelton shivered. Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve. Everything seemed cut from soft black velvet or gold or orange velvet. Smoke panted up out of a thousand chimneys like the plumes of funeral parades. From kitchen windows drifted two pumpkin smells: gourds being cut, pies being baked.”A thousand animals in congregation rumbled to be set free. Now free in fists and hands and fingers, whistling on the autumn wind, the boys raced off across the grass.My favourite quote has to be near the end when Tom asks, “…will we ever stop being afraid of nights and death?” I don’t want to spoil anything here so I’ll let you discover the answer to that question for yourselves. Pre-reading:As temperatures start to plunge and leaves start to fall, it's definitely that time of the year again. Halloween is only a day away and as a result, I'm spending the day reading the most spine-tingling books. If you don't see me on here, you'll know that I'm hiding somewhere under the duvet!
Reviewed by Marie Robinson for TeensReadToo.comOpening this book is like opening a present. Originally published in 1972, publisher Alfred A. Knopf has printed a new hardcover edition. The dust-jacket is beautifully illustrated, the book is of an unusual size. Everything about it says "special." Inside, I was not disappointed. Bradbury swept me away with his opening scene: "It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state. There wasn't so much wilderness around you couldn't see the town. But on the other hand there wasn't so much town you couldn't see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness. The town was full of trees. And dry grass and dead flowers now that autumn was here. And full of fences to walk on and sidewalks to skate on and a large ravine to tumble in and yell across. And the town was full of... Boys. And it was the afternoon of Halloween. And all the houses shut against a cool wind. And the town was full of cold sunlight. But suddenly, the day was gone. Night came out from under each tree and spread." This scene sets the tone for the entire book. THE HALLOWEEN TREE is as classic a Halloween story as A CHRISTMAS CAROL is for Christmas. It is about a group of boys, all friends, ages 11-12, who dress up for their annual night of Halloween mischief and go trick or treating. The boys find themselves at a particularly spooky mansion in a dark ravine, with a Marley-the-ghost door knocker and a gigantic tree covered with jack-o-lanterns. As the jack-o-lanterns light up one by one, the boys realize they are in the presence of a Halloween Tree, and that something very special is about to happen. The resident of the house, the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud, takes the boys on a fantastic journey through traditions of Halloween past. This story is part history lesson, but the history is provided in such a compelling way that your average reader won't even realize he or she is learning something. Perhaps the only downside to this story is that it is so dominantly geared toward a male audience. All of the major characters are male. Though, being female myself, I could get lost in the spookiness of the narrative. Bradbury uses his trademark short sentences which are short on exposition but long on crafting a mood. The story is spooky without ever being scary, and is sure to delight kids of all ages.
What do You think about The Halloween Tree (1999)?
I'm a big fan of Ray Bradbury. My favorites of his are Fahrenheit 451, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. When I saw this available at the library I was so excited to have another Halloween themed book by Bradbury. This one will need another read. There were a few things that I was a little confused on. The thing I love about Badbury's writing is that it has this timeless feel to it. I picture the scenes in this book like they have walked out of a Norman Rockwell Painting. He does a great job with explaining a scene or setting with amazing detail without being boring or beating you over the head with words. I have read books that get so involved with trying to explain what the grass looks like that I loose interest. Bradbury doesn't have that problem. This is another book about a group of boys who are out for fun and mischief on Halloween night. Dressed in their best costumes they go house to house trying to get as much candy as possible. They begin there night gathering together to go out as a group but they are missing one of their friends. This is where the mystery begins. Heading to his house the boys arrive to find not a single decoration out and there absent friend isn't even read to go Trick-or-Treating. While waiting for him to get his costume together the boys head to a house they haven't been to before. When they arrive they find a man with a few screws loose and a tree full of Jack-o-Lanterns that light themselves and more on the branches. This book was great, it really helped get me in the Fall and Halloween spirit. This was a fun story and I am so glad I stumbled on to it. Finally have something that I really enjoyed to add to the RIP challenge. A good while ago I read my fourth book that I pledged to read for this challenge. Now all my entries are just for the fun of it. If you are looking for a quick fun read to remind you of what it is like to be a kid on Halloween this is for you. Even if you are one who hates Halloween you could think of this as an almost cautionary Trick-or-Treating tale. That is why I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars.
—Chris
Picked up, on a whim, to read for Halloween. A good choice. The plot difficult to describe in just a few sentences. Probably the best way to put it is that this is the Halloween version of all of those "True Meaning of Christmas" stories. It's a perfect book for Halloween. It's also a quest narrative, of the race to save a friend variety.To say that certain aspects of the book are simplistic might sound like an insult. Maybe it would be better to say "uncomplicated". The characters are barely more than sketches, but also instantly recognizable. The underlying quest narrative is barely fleshed out, and all but forgotten at times. But the real point here is Halloween, and where the traditions and symbols of Halloween came from. That's where the book is really satisfying. Bradbury seems to have done his research here, and presents his points without judgement.A few words of warning: this is one dated book. The kids have a vocabulary straight out of Leave it to Beaver. (Was this current in 1972? I have no idea, but it doesn't sound authentic to my ear.) There is a complete and total absence of female characters. (I know that this is boys' fiction, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.) Neither was a major deal breaker for me, but it didn't help the book. For me, those two issues kept this really fun book from being a five star read.
—Sesana
This might have been the first book I ever read where I felt a deep personal connection - a feeling that someone else somewhere had been dealt the same problems I had. A sense of camaraderie, all from the fictional characters in a book.The theme of kids dealing with, battling with, the impending death of a friend, a fellow child, was a very personal one for me.I remember my dad giving me the book, wanting me to read it. He said he thought I would like it. I think he knew I needed it. There are many reasons why to this day books are a comfort and joy for me - this book is one of them.Creepy, exciting, adventurous, and emotional too. [I know this is not a great review - I don't think I can give a decent one without re-reading it (which I will do someday), but the emotional attachment I feel to this book has always stayed with me.]
—Kathy (Kindle-aholic)
