The Halloween Tree

The book had a little tearing on the binding but other than that it was in good condition. The story is different from the animated film. I enjoyed the interesting history the story brings to the readers.

I love reading this book to my kids each Halloween. The story is nostalgic and brings back the excitement of my own best childhood memories. This book is a vehicle for my kids and I to meet back in a common place, free of time or place.

If you love Halloween night and find thrill in the thought of visiting old spooky houses then this book is for you. Ray Bradbury delivers a great story full of imagery for those who enjoy trick or treating...

A terrific book for young and the young at heart. Fast paced and wonderfully graphic in it's poetic presentation, it is difficult not to finish in a single sitting. Had to buy a copy for myself and as a gift for my niece. Simply stunning

I love Bradbury's writing and this is typically good stuff. My take on it, however, is that it is a Halloween book for adults thinking back on Halloweens of their lost youths. I can't actually imaging a 21st century 9 or 10 year old boy (never mind a girl - there are none within the book) wading through Mr Bradbury's clever sentences. The idea of visiting death rites through various cultures to explain the origin of the holiday that we know today is a good one, but I just don't feel the storyline will be compelling enough to pull a child along. Despite the subject matter, it feels cerebral to me rather than visceral. I got a kick out of the bargain the boys made with Moundshroud. Having reached an age where I can expect a visit from Mr M in the reasonably near future, if I had been there, knowing then what I do now, I wouldn't have hesitated for an instant to contribute.

The whispers in certain chapters for dramatic effect are annoyingly quiet. You couldn't even hear the narrator. This wouldn't be a big deal, but I played it for my class as we read the novel together. It was pointless because the students couldn't hear the​ playback unless they sat right next to the desk.

I'd ordered this particular book from this particular seller because the cover shown is the edition of the book I had specifically wanted - instead I was sent a cheap flimsy edition with the cover of the book an image of the movie - not at ALL what I was looking for. While the book content itself was the same, I had gotten the book for the illustration, and being sent the wrong edition completely defeats the purpose. I was extremely disappointed.

This is the first Bradbury book I have read. The cover art is very cool, I think that is my favorite part of the book. I like the first couple of chapters where the boys are meeting up and getting ready for Halloween night, and I like the last two or three chapters at the end when they make their deal with the mysterious Moundshroud, and afterwards when they go home. The story feels like a mess to me though. Bradbury repeats a few words over again in a few sentences, I guess to show how kids think or something. Whatever, it just feels like it tries to be more than a story. Maybe thats how Bradbury writes, I don't know, but it feels like the story wants to be poetic. Thats the best I can come up with to describe it. Example being the repeating of words two or three times such as "on the horizon Pip's body floated away on the wind, gone gone gone." That is not actually in the book but thats what I am talking about. Then there are quite a few fragments and really short paragraphs and other things that make the story seem more like it is being poetic. It reminds me of stuff like 'Ode to a Greecian Urn' and what not, like its wants to be more epic than what it is. The action and descriptions are hard to follow sometimes. This is happening and thats happening and this is going on in the wind or in the shadows or what not, that I just don't know what to follow. The idea is great. I think it could have been a better story without all the fast paced this is what Halloween is and where it came from story that we get in this book. There are eight boys in the story but more or less only three really ever talk or get mentioned in detailed. There is just way to much going on. This book might be great for kids 10-13, granted I am much much older I thought this would be a really good story, given all the hype that goes along with the name Bradbury. I don't really ever like to mention to much of the story because I don't want to give to much away. Books are better when you don't know what is going to happen, so please forgive me if I have been to vague. Just sharing a few of my opinions.

After more thought and a negative reply to my review, I have decided to say what I really feel about this book. This story is Bradburys ideaology on death. He believes that from the caveman to modern man, the Egyptian to the Druids, Romans, and Christians that they have all been looking for safety from the dark and safety from mans biggest fear, death itself. From how the Egyptians dressed their dead into mummies and prepared their resting places, to Mexico and their Day of the dead fest, man is just looking for a way to ward off, deal with, and react to death and the possibility that there is nothing after life. Bradbury wrote in one of the chapters of the Halloween Tree that all the gods of the past and present are made by man to cope with the dark and death. Now that is not word for word how he put it but it is pretty close. If I did not know better I would say Bradbury does not believe in anything such as a higher power. Which is fine, that does not bother me. To each his/her own. But that is why this book is not better. It is not a story on Halloween, but the authors thoughts on death and how man has delt with it through the ages. However he does say in the book when Jack Skeleton ask Mr. Moundshroud "will we ever stop being afraid..." Moundshroud replies "when we join the rest of the stars in the sky, we will not be afraid no more". So there is something after death just not what the Egyptians or Druids, Romans, Christans believe. This book is no classic. However it was a good idea, when it was about kids on Halloween night, with a Halloween tree, the freaky Mr. Moundshroud, and Pip's ghost or spirit whatever. Not when it became Bradbury's history lesson on Halloween and his ideaology on death. There is one or two sentences, and a couple of paragraphs that are really good, but I think the book is a miss unless you are a 10-13 year old that does not know any better. Please note this is just my "hollow criticism".

Bought as "New" - Definitely NOT new! Torn back cover, and generally not in perfect condition. I'm admittedly a little neurotic about the condition of my books, but I am frustrated at false advertising. Just be aware!

I really didn’t know what to expect with this slim volume, but it was lent to me and came highly recommended by a friend. I love Bradbury and teach him in class as often as I can (and when I don’t, his stories are usually swapped with another author whose holds the same level of affinity with me, Vonnegut). The Halloween Tree was a spooky, special surprise from the master of mashing together the literary with the commercial bizarre – and this piece not only works, but it works on several levels and is totally appropriate for anyone ages five to ninety-five.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and beyond the fact that this is clearly a whimsical love letter to the holiday, it also weaves in a variety of other culture’s traditions to create a marmalade of spooky and unsettling moments. Add in a very stranger-things plot line of a missing friend, some familiar imagery offset with new horrors, and a captivating cast of characters, and what remains is a beautiful little book with fine illustrations that has probably had Tim Burton gnawing at his fingernails for the rights his entire adult life.

A wonderful book that is truly something special to savor in October (at the very least), but also the entire year round if you’re pleased with the random shivering your bloody beating heart or have a couple little not-just-hallow’s-eve goblins running around like I do.

Eight mid-western boys head out on a great Halloween adventure: to visit an old (and presumably haunted) house on the outskirts of town. Their big problem--they are supposed to be nine boys. Pipkin, the boy who found the house and is their favorite, is missing. Maybe he'll meet them at the house? The house is tall, gabled, brimmed with railings and lightning rods and chimneys. Around back is a gigantic tree with hundreds of candles and pumpkins decorating it. The boy meet the home's owner, Mr. Moundshroud, who wants to give them both a trick and a treat for Halloween. He takes them on a journey through time from the pre-historic dawn of man to the Mexican Day of the Dead. Each visit brings them close to Pipkin but not close enough. Each place brings out new ideas and images of how humans have celebrated Halloween throughout the years, even before there was a proper Halloween.

Bradbury's lively, poetic prose is as enchanting as ever. He evokes the boy-like wonder of exploring pyramids and climbing Gothic cathedrals. The adventure through time and over the earth is just as delightful as when I read this story in my pre-teens.

As an adult, I find an even deeper appreciation of it. The arc from pre-historic fear of the dark and ancient Egyptian fear of the sun's death to the modern celebrations of the Day of the Dead show a slow, gradual maturing of humanity's relationship to fear, death, and darkness. The Mexican feast is as much a celebration as a shiver. It has both the treat and the trick of Halloween blended together in the candy skulls that the boys eat. Bradbury gives a Eucharistic resonance to the boys' sacrifice at the end to save Pipkin. The moment is charming and I am sure I completely missed it as a child. Like Tolkien's The Hobbit, this is a book written for children that can be appreciated by adults.

Highly recommended for Halloween reading that blends into the Feast of All Saints (the reason for the autumnal season, as it were). As readers might guess, Julie and Scott at A Good Story is Hard to Find have discussed this book

Halloween!
Death mask, masquerade.
Why everything was so?
"Tell life or a purse"?
What for us you reserved?
In pumpkin, in pumpkin here a candle.
She smiles.
What in the cellar? Wine jug?
Treat you wholly.
Youth! You look.
And around one flowers.
It is pleasure of old times.
"You will sleep, what dreams"?
Well! And life goes forward.
Bears changes.
How many for memory us waits?
Let today the world bear.
Beauty queen.
Look after all at it you.
After all last dreams.
Were also and are gentle.
And prayers here reached.
Your grandmothers toasts.
Gallery!
[...]
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The Halloween Tree is an oldie but a goodie, and another fine example of the beautifully descriptive writing of Ray Bradbury. The story follows a group of kids who travel through time and space with a mysterious stranger, learning about Halloween in an attempt to rescue their kidnapped friend. It explores Halloween traditions from many different cultures and times.

The Halloween Tree is a short story, and a very quick read. I listened to the Audiobook version narrated by Bronson Pinchot, but I have to say I didn't care for his characterization of whispered conversation. This is a spooky book, and there's a lot of whispering, but during the narration, Pinchot drops his conversational tone all the way down to a soft whisper, making it extremely difficult to hear unless you are listening through headphones. I missed a significant amount of dialogue that I had to interpolate from context. It turned me off a bit.

Otherwise, the story is a good spooky story, told in a breakneck style similar to A Christmas Carol, where everything has to happen in one night, and the impossibilities of that are thrown to the wind, much like our intrepid hero-children. it's not a visceral horror story; it plays more to the fear of misplacement and being a stranger in a foreign land. All in all, it's a good story, and a quick read.

"The boys gathered round the skylight window and stared down a stairwell which opened out at various floors to various times and histories of men and skeletons and dreadful musics played on flute bones."

In elegant, enviable language and with boundless imagination, Ray Bradbury explores the history of Halloween through the ages in 'The Halloween Tree.'

A story of a group of thoroughly American boys from a tiny Illinois town, ready for their annual All Hallows' romp of candy and scares, that turns into something much more. They discover prehistoric man's fear of the dark and Egyptian mummification rites, Druid rituals and the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, and all the curious ways we have honored and appeased the dead through time and culture.

Their tour guide in this journey is the delightfully creepy and roundly-named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, a man who appears to them first at the door of a house with the words "No treats - Only trick!" Moundshroud shows the boys the ominous Halloween Tree, a tree of a thousand pumpkins, perhaps more, each glowing its own unique glow, and spirits them away to save their lost friend Pipkin from an unknown fate.

The language of 'The Halloween Tree' is a wonder unto itself, sure to delight a reader of any age. I was struck especially by the description on the first page: "Night came out from under each tree and spread." And - "Way off, toward the horizon, something dark frittered and danced and slithered away in the cold star air." And - "The whole graveyard was one swarm of candleshine..." It's the kind of fanciful, rich prose that reads like poetry from a master wordsmith.

In the vein of Dickens' 'Christmas Carol' (referenced specifically in Bradbury's book) or Neil Gaiman's 'The Graveyard Book,' 'The Halloween Tree' is the journey of young minds coming to understand what Halloween is, and where it comes from. It's a richly-imagined tale about boys who learn, in these pages, the first glimmers of the idea that they won't live forever...and that some things are worth sacrificing for.

But mostly - and most importantly - 'The Halloween Tree' is just a wondrous tale, well-told and long-remembered.

There is, perhaps, no more magical time for young boys than Halloween night. For this particular group of eight boys in a small, midwestern town, All Hallow's Eve is about to take on a whole new meaning.

These boys know the routine: dress up as your favorite monster, and plunder the town for all the treats you can get. This Halloween is going to be a little bit different, however. Maybe it's because they are another year older, or maybe some other force draws them, but this year they decide to approach the spookiest house in town, a rambling old mansion just on the edge of the town limits. Unfortunately for the boys, their bravery doesn't get them very far at the front door, but it is what stands behind the house that captures their imaginations.

The sprawling back yard of the house has many trees, but only one, the biggest of them all, is decorated with candles and pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. It is the Halloween Tree. They are so entranced by this unexpected vision that they almost don't notice what begins to rise up out of a pile of fallen leaves, but notice it they do. It is a skeleton, rising up as if from the very earth. The boys' terror lasts only a moment, however, as they quickly realize that it is only a costume, but what lies beneath the costume may be even more terrifying. Moundshroud is the name: Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, and he is about to take these boys on the journey of a lifetime.

We all know that Ray Bradbury is a master storyteller, and what better author to take us on a tour of the origins and customs of Halloween? Moundshroud takes the boys, and the reader, on a whirlwind tour through time and space, exploring the many cultures and traditions that came together making Halloween one of the most imagination stirring events on the modern calendar. From the mummies of ancient Egypt and Greece, to the witch hunts throughout Europe, and to the more modern traditions of the Americas, Bradbury explores it all, almost from the very beginnings of recorded history.

This is only my second audiobook narrated by Bronson Pinchot and I like him a lot. Actually, I liked him a lot after the first one, but he did an excellent job on The Halloween Tree as well. If you're a television fan from way back, like me, then you may remember Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous on the show Perfect Strangers. If you dig a little deeper, you may also remember him as the effeminate shop-keeper in Beverly Hills Cop. Those were my only memories of Pinchot as an actor, and so I was a little surprised the first time I heard him narrate an audiobook. Obviously, his voice sounds nothing like those parts he played. Once you get over the initial shock, however, I think you'll like Pinchot just fine.

The Halloween Tree is a wonderfully spooky tale, and a pretty good history lesson as well, all seasoned by Bradbury's unusual and stirring prose. I love the way he phrases things, like "Night came out from under every tree and spread." He just has a way of describing things that not many authors can manage. And where exactly is the line between historical fact and Bradbury's fiction? Who cares! It's Halloween after all, and if you can't let your imagination run wild at Halloween then you seriously need to get in touch with your inner child. This is a fun book, and what do you know, it's out just in time for Halloween!

The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury (fantasy - 0664 - December 3, 2015)

"The Halloween Tree" first published in 1972 is a fascinating overview of Halloween's cultural myths told with wit and the verbal magic of Ray Bradbury (1920-2012). The story concerns the world traveling adventures of a gaggle of young trick-or-treaters and Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud sole inhabitant of a haunted house. Marketed as a children's book I have no reservations recommending it to adults.

The pleasure derived from this book is greatly enhanced by the numerous exceptional drawing by Joseph Mugnaini (1912-92).

This is a book that it's difficult to believe Ray Bradbury wrote. Simplistic, foolish and not even slightly interesting. Not for adults, and not even for children. It does not have a beginning, a middle or even an ending. As much as I adore R. Bradbury's work, this is a very boring book.

First let me say this is a re-read for me but it has been many years since I have read this book. This is the classic Halloween read. It follows eight boys on Halloween night that go on an adventure trying to save their friend Pipkin. They learn all about the creatures that their costumes depict. I don't want to give away any more as to not spoil it. I recommend this book for all ages. There is also a cartoon Halloween film adaptation for this book and I recommend it as well.

I love this book. I read it to my nephew's and niece's. I read it when I was little after I happened to see the t.v. movie that they did on the book. And I went and searched for it at my library. I love to read it around Halloween or even sometimes when left gets a little down. I bought the book again and even bought the movie. Now that the store offers the DVD of it. I am excited to be able to read the book with them and watch the movie this year and for many years to come.

I read this book every October because it's the perfect Halloween book. It's taken me a couple of readings, but I now finally realize that The Halloween Tree is the equivalent for Halloween what A Christmas Carol is for Christmas: an enchanting journey into the history of Halloween where one leans much and is changed by it.

A group of eight boys are on their way out to trick or treat on Halloween, all in different costumes - skeleton, mummy, gargoyle, etc. - and head over to the final friend's house, Pipkin. Pipkin is sick, doesn't look well at all, but is essentially the leader of the group and has never missed a Halloween, so he tells them to go on ahead to a specific house and he will catch up with them.

The house turns out to be the quintessential Halloween mansion, with many rooms and black windows. Beside the mansion they find a great and ancient oak with many branches and hanging from those branches are many carved pumpkins, swinging in the breeze. This is the Halloween tree, and as the boys watch, each of the pumpkins light up. At the door they ask for trick or treat, and the man on the other side tells them not treat, but trick. Terrifyingly, he appears from a pile of leaves. He is tall. He is skeletal. He is Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud.

After the boys get over the initial terror, they are invited on a journey by Mr. Moundshroud. They see Pipkin being taken into the past, weakened by his sickness, and it is up to Moundshroud and the boys to rescue Pipkin from time. And so the boys begin their journey, forming the tail of a giant kite controlled by Moundshroud and they pass back through time and visit the Halloweens of history: Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, medieval Britain, Notre Dame, and El Dia de Los Muertos.

It is an incredible story where one learns the history of Halloween seen through the eyes of many different cultures, told in the unique style of Ray Bradbury. Afterward you will feel as if you've actually experienced many different Halloweens and be all the more ready to experience your own on October 31st.

Originally written on October 12th 2007 ©Alex C. Telander.

For more book reviews and author interviews, go to BookBanter: [...].

Opening 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.

Reviewed by: Marie Robinson

In one of his finest works, Ray Bradbury explores the origins of Halloween, the imaginative spirit of youth and the strength of friendship in his quick, breathlessly paced Halloween Tree. The story is simple: on Halloween night, eight trick or treaters set out with a dashingly grim Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud (who may or may not be the grim reaper himself) on a journey across time to learn the secrets of Halloween night, and more importantly to save the soul of their dear friend Pipkin, whom they saw snatched up in front of their eyes by a dark shadow of death and blustered away to who knows where. The boys learn about the strange origins of their favorite holiday, and at the great climax discover a courage and selfless love within themselves they never knew they possessed.
This book is at once a chilling supernatural tale, an interesting lesson in Halloween's beginnings, and a glorious exercise in elegant, soaring prose that is nearly poetry in its dark beauty. Moundshroud is a fascinating tour guide, and the boys are all eager listeners. With the exception of the skeleton boy Tom, none of the children are truly fleshed out characters, but that's perfectly fine for this story. Bradbury seems to want his readers to be Moundshroud's sole audience. Moundshroud leads us across a supernatural dreamscape paved with Bradbury's lush, descriptive words, and we should feel his glowing green eyes upon US. Bradbury knows this, and he delivers us a beautiful story, meant especially and solely for us, the readers. For anyone who loves Halloween, or appreciates a touch of magic in everyday life, this is a perfect book for both adults and children.
When asked whether their night was a trick or a treat, the boys answer 'both!' They are entirely right.

There were some great concepts and I could understand what the author was attempting to do, but the way he went about it was boring and made the characters feel irrelevant. To me, this was generated more towards kids, but a kid could not follow the basic idea, nor would one care to IMO.

Jaco and the Lantern: and Other Horrific Halloween Tales

This story of eight Halloween costumed lads and their journey through land and time in search of a friend is perfect for the holiday, as it not only entertains but educates as well. Whether it be Celtic customs of old or a skull shaped cookie in Mexico for Dia de Los Muertes through this tale young readers can understand that Halloween is not, nor has it always been, just celebrated with candy and masks. Bradbury allows for the overshadowing of death to linger but not suffocate (which would scare children) and so doing correlates the celebration of the harvest with the end of life. He then deftly clarifies that this celebration of the end of life reaffirms the prospect of living itself, and that there is nothing demonic in that. I would recommend this for more intermediate readers (8-12) as many of the ideas and descriptions would quite possible be too much for a child younger than that. But whether you're 8 or 80 this tale will intrigue and entertain. Nearly perfect. So wait 'til the leaves start to turn, settle down with a nice mug of hot cider by a roaring fire, and allow Mr. Bradbury to take you to The Halloween Tree.

Never being a rabid fan of science fiction Ray Bradbury never appealed to me as a novelist.In fact, I don't read science fiction at all.Growing up with Star Trek and The Twilight Zone were my main exposures to this area and aside from Campbells 'Who Goes There' which manifested itself into The Thing, I've never read much of the genre.The Halloween Tree intrigued me as a novel and its briefness and the unique subject matter always stuck in my mind.I knew it was considered a childrens book but I read it anyway,so what, right?In the few short hours it took to read it I can honestly say it was an enjoyable read and it was, dare I say,FUN!It involves a mystery to solve with a ragtag group of kids ala Scooby Doo but with a little more class.It is a good little story which I understand was made into a sort of video cartoon thing but I cant find it anywhere.If done right this could probably make a good movie what with all the special effects available today.The gist of it is a journey throughout various cultural representations of Halloween in search of their missing friend and the kids follow instruction from a mysterious old man who lives in a mysterious old house with a mysterious old tree with pumpkins and such hanging from it.VERY mysterious ehh? He even goes by the name of Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud of all things. If that doesn't whet your appetite for a good old fashioned Halloween tale than nothing will.All kidding aside, this Halloween night adventure is pure enjoyment and as I say, fun.Just that and nothing more.Encourage the kiddies to read it or read it to them for discussion at the dinner table or at bedtime when the nights get cold.Read it for yourself to help remember your own innocent past and youthfull,nocturnal excursions on Halloween night.Bradbury departs from his usual here but his heart's in the right place.I think you'll enjoy it.

I remember watching this cartoon movie around Halloween called The Halloween Tree. Such a creepy children's cartoon. Come to find out it was based on Bradbury's short story of the same name. I had no idea! I'm a huge fan of Bradbury and am progressing through his works. Bronson Pinchot was a fabulous narrator and I got chills listening to this audiobook. Such a dark, dark tale. Deliciously scary.

THE HALLOWEEN TREE is a book that is geared for younger readers (in the 10 year old range would be about right, I'd say), but is generally satisfying to anyone who picks it up. For an adult, it can be easily read in an afternoon. The characterization is not deep, but Bradbury has a way with language in the book; he is evocative and nostolgic in the way that only he can be. He effortlessly conjures up images of male youth, complete with faux bravado and the sense of mystery that surrounds events like Halloween. He gives a respectful, multicultural view of Halloween, and it's roots in many cultures. Toward the end of the story, he gives our boys a choice: will they sacrifice part of themselves for the good of another? It gives the story some moral grounding and resolves the plot nicely. But the real draw is the poetic use of words--it's a great way to get kids interested in reading, and not a bad diversion for those of us who are a bit older as well.

"Halloween Tree" recaptures the surreal spookiness of a child's Halloween with the knowledge of an adult. One of Ray Bradbury's relatively few books for children is a wildly imaginative ride, with a strong subtext about friendship and death itself.

Eight young boys congregate to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night; the only one missing is Pipkin, the universal favorite (Bradbury devotes an entire chapter to singing Pip's praises). Pipkin does show up, but he acts strangely and isn't wearing a costume. When they show up at the House, a haunted edifice, they find the sinister, skeletal Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud and an enormous tree hung with jack-o-lanterns -- a Halloween tree. Pipkin appears nearby, and then is carried off into the darkness.

To save Pip, Moundshroud takes the boys on a strange trip through time and space, through history and across the world. He shows them the death-related rituals that spawned Halloween: Egypt's mummies, the Celtic Samhain and its lord of the dead, the Christian All Hallows Eve, the Mexican El Dia De Muerte, and others. Through time and across the world, they chase Pipkin and try to save him -- but what can they do against death?

Halloween books are generally the realm of the under-eight crowd. At a certain point in life, it's just hard to recapture that magic -- it's like a darker version of Christmas. But Ray Bradbury, who has been captivating people with his dark-edged fantasy for years, presents a uniquely gothic, uplifting story in this book.

Ray Bradbury's deft touch keeps this particular story from becoming too leaden and heavy-handed. Kids will be fascinated by the origins of Halloween, a holiday now relegated to candy and costumes; the descriptions of different cultures and what helped shape the Halloween we know today are handled excellently. He also does not become judgemental about any of the cultures, such as ancient Romans, Celts, and Christians, but merely presents how civilizations rise and fall, and how their traditions linger on.

None of the boys are really developed too intricately, and remain simply young brave boys who are willing to go through the fire for their friend. Mr. Moundshroud is alternately sinister or kindly: considering who he turns out to be, the sinisterness is not surprising, but he also sympathizes with the boys and allays their fears. The writing is excellent, almost dreamlike, with the sort of delightful overkill that characterizes really good spinechillers. The descriptions of the House and the Halloween tree are the best examples of this.

"Halloween Tree" succeeds in being a good fantasy, a good spinechiller, a good glimpse back in history, and an excellent story about friendship all in one. A wonderful read, and not just for Halloween either.

You might want to dismiss this as one of Bradbury's lesser works because of the simplistic plot and writing style but that would be a mistake. What we have here is one of his most important books and one of his best. Taking cues from Dickens, Bradbury writes a timeless tale of Halloween that isn't carried along by dovetailing plottwists or dense knotted prose but simply a quest to save someone and the boundless exuburance of children. I literally finished this while waiting for a class to start and when I had a few pages left and class started I sat there and finished the book. Once you start reading it you can't stop, the momentum of is one of constant motion. And it's not a kids book, sure the themes of innocence are there but also are the more serious topics of death and darkness, as seen through the filters of a child. For all it's length it's a perfect book for the most part and one that deserves to be read every year together with a bunch of people. On Halloween of course

The May, 1963, issue of _Fantasy and Science Fiction_ was a special Ray Bradbury issue, with two new stories by Bradbury and a critcal essay and a bibliography by William F. Nolan. (These were the days before bibliographies were widely available to readers.)

The cover was by Joseph Mugnaini. It showed a portrait of Bradbury in the foreground, surrounded by some of his literary creations: the Illustrated Man, the burning man from _Fahrenheit 451_, the villainous M. Munigant playing on a thighbone fife, the gentle Uncle Einar with his beautiful pea-green wings, Icarus, the Picasso centaur, and various Martians in and around a Martian city.

If ever there was an artist born to illustrate Bradbury's fiction, it was Joe Mugnaini. He has done covers for Bradbury's books and interiors for many of his stories. He did the animation for a short 1962 film of "Icarus Montgolfier Wright". And he has done the illustrations for _The Halloween Tree_ (1972). They are of things that Bradbury loves: masks, old haunted houses with Marley doorknockers, skeletal figures, pterodactyl kites, giant moons dominating the sky, flying broomsticks, and-- of course-- the skeletal Halloween tree.

It has been frequently said that Bradbury is much concerned with childhood. It might be more accurate to say that he is much concerned with boyhood. And so it is in this novel. On Halloween night, eight boys go in search of their comrade, the "best boy in the world," who is sick and in mortal danger. They are guided on this trip through time by the sinister but strangely helpful Mr. Moundshroud. On their quest, they learn about the history and the meaning of Halloween:

"There it goes, boys. The heart, soul and flesh of Halloween. The Sun! There Osiris is murdered again. There sinks Mithras, the Persian fire. There falls Phoebus Apollo all Grecian light. Sun and flame, boys. Look and blink." (77)

Halloween, then, is related to our primeval fear that the sun will not return. We know that it will... _But what if it doesn't_? This is a great book to use with kids to teach them lessons. Those costumes that you wear-- mummy, witch, skeleton, gargoyle-- what did they originally mean? Where did they come from? Mr. Moundshroud is a captivating teacher, and he provides plenty of surprises along the way.

Finally, there is Bradbury's style of writing, of which this is just one sample:

But they were already crowding up the path. Until they stood at last by a crumbling wall, looking up and up and still farther up at the great tombyard top of the old house. For that's what it seemed. The high mountain peak of the mansion was littered with what looked like black bones or iron rods, and enough chimneys to choke out smoke signals from three dozen fires on sooty hearths hidden far below in the dim bowels of this monster place. With so many chimneys, the roof seemed a vast cemetery, each chimney signifying the burial place of some old god of fire or enchantress of steam, smoke, and firefly spark. Even as they watched, a kind of bleak exhalation of soot breathed out of some four dozen flues, darkening the sky still more, and putting out some few stars. (18-19)

Is it quite in the same league as _The Martian Chronicles_ (1950) or _Fahrenheit 451_ (1953)? Well, no. But then, few books are. _The Halloween Tree_ is an excellent book, with prose that reminds you of how homogenized the writing is of most authors today. Order some extra copies today.

Halloween is fast approaching. A recent conversation with a stranger in the lands beyond Avalon regarding the holiday and its origins have made me decide to review another old book that some may have overlooked. The book is called THE HALLOWEEN TREE and was written by Ray Bradbury.
This book tells the story of a group of small boys and a dangerous adventure they all share one Halloween with a spooky character named Clarence Clavicle Moundshroud. Much of the tale is taken up by the search for a missing friend. But while the plot is simple and originally aimed at younger readers the book has a second level.
The second level concerns Halloween and its history. But it also touches on similar celebrations in other cultures, such as the Mexican Day of the Dead, and the common origins for these festivals. While the story is entertaining it manages to keep you from realizing just how much you are learning when reading the book.
THE HALLOWEEN TREE was adapted for television at one point but I feel that production just doesn't hold a candle (or jack-o-lantern) to the book.

Bradbury manages to capturethe sensation of five boys tumbling through Halloween, on the precipice between life and death. All to educate themselves, have a righteous romp and to save their friends life. Excellent Halloween read. Would have been even better to read aloud to a gaggle of boys.

I love the vintage feel of this story. It's very similar to my favorite Bradbury book, Dandelion Wine. His use of language is intoxicating, and this short novella is no exception. This story was written for elementary readers, but I'm not sure that children will appreciate the beauty of the writing. I would describe the story as a Halloween version of A Christmas Carol. There are not exact parallels, but it has that kind of feel. In trying to help their dear friend Pipken, eight boys travel through history with the mysterious Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud to try to rescue him. Along the way, the boys learn how other cultures have contributed to what has become known to us as Halloween.

This is a great book; however, this particular version of the audio book is the unabridged reading of the book itself. It is not the theatrical dramatic version by the Colonial Radio Theatre, with the full cast, music, and sound effects. Still a good book, but if you're looking for the radio theatre production, it is ISBN-10: 1433232162.

By far one of the strangest books i've read, in stylistic way that is. This book was very vague and abstract in its descriptions of things and actions of the characters. It was hard getting into at first but once one gets used to the way Bradbury wrote this one, it turns out to be very enjoyable.

The best way to describe this book in my mind is that it is a christmas carol but for halloween. It follows this group of boys traveling through time to find out the truth about halloween and to find their missing friend. This will be a book I'd try to read to my future kids and know that they will not understand a word but will appreciate it as they grow up.

This is the perfect Bradbury book to introduce him to "tweener" children. It is the story about a group of friends that has one of them suddenly fall sick and is dying. Death shows up and offers a deal to the healthy ones for the life of their friend. That is one part of the story. The other is that Death takes the boys on a trip through time to show how other cultures have celebrated "Halloween" or other of the same type of holidays. It is a joyous romp through the book and actually celebrates life with a serious subject. The deal that Death cuts with the boys is also a great way to discuss with your child what is important about friendship and life. Great book for both adults and "tweeners".

An often ignored work of genius from the Master. Bradbury's Neo-Pagan/Quantum Reality view of the universe is presented here in a truly spellbinding allegory.
However one interprets the metaphorical journeys and the symbols of eternal recurrence, you cannot fail to be impressed by the man's vision and passion for Life and Truth.
While briefly flying through the equivalents of Halloween in different cultures, Bradbury also subtly honours the millions who were slaughtered under the tyranny of the Old Church during the Inquisition. As he clearly shows, our only real enemy is bigotry and superstition.
This wonderful book can be a learning experience for adults and children alike and is certainly one of RB's most original and exciting pieces. A modern classic.

True this is is a kid's book but I was highly pleased by it. It was an honest and indepth look at life and death; using how people celebrated and look at death from all different centuries and customs. But also too, it celebrated friendship. The group of boys were willing to do what they could for their dying friend. So this book maybe a children's book but it deals with topics that all people of any age can relate to.

Also, I really want to commend the language used. It is poetic with a big wallop of nostalgia, which this being the second Bradbury book I've read, I think is hallmark. It really captured the innocence of Halloween night to a group of boys and also captured other things as well.

It's a wonderful little story, like the subject line said.

I had high hopes for this book, having seen all the laudatory reviews and looking forward to a good story about the origins of Halloween. But having now read it, I have virtually nothing good to say about it. It's factually inaccurate in its description of history. And it's full of overwrought descriptions of scenes while being underwhelming in character development and plot. In fact, even the main characters are one-dimensional cardboard cutouts and the plot makes absolutely no sense at all. I won't give away the ending, but there's no explanation for the story other than as an unfair trick carried out just because the protagonist can, with no concern for the characters involved and with an inappropriate reaction by the characters. I think this story would mostly bore a child and leave an adult wondering why it was written. Best pass.

The Halloween Tree is a seasonal prose adventure poem wrapped around a loose history lesson and spelled out in candy corn. Share this with every mid-grade reader in your life, particularly all the spooky ones.

I do have to say that this is probably one of my favorite Ray Bradbury stories. You can see his love for Halloween and what it means when you are a child. Showing the different celebrations of the season through history and cultures and telling it as a grand adventure of a group of friends as they search for their sick friend. This book is not just for children. Buy it and read it and relive the joy and wonderment that you had as a child. Read it to your kids or nephews and neices.

I own this DVD and watch it at least 3-4 times a year. I will have to watch it again soon, because I was sure there were three boys and a girl that were going out trick-or-treating.

I loved the book and now love the movie, and Leonard Nimoy makes the movie even more special. There is more here than meets the eye as friends look into themselves to see their relations with the mystical Pip. We see what makes a leader great with empathy and forgiveness and a special warmth that encourages others to be empathetic and giving too.

It has been a halloween tradition in my house to watch the cartoon movie "the halloween tree" and i have grown up on that story. About 5 years ago i found this book at a book fair and decided to read it that halloween. I couldnt put it down and to this day i read it every halloween night while passing out candy. I have to say mondshroud still gives me the chills from the movie and the book. I love this book and always will so if you like farenheit 451 and something wicked this way comes you will LOVE this. and lets be honest who doesnt love mummys, ghosts, goblins, and trick-or-treating?

I came across this book in the 8th grade when I had to do a book report on something in the science-fiction genre. It was the cover art that caught my eye. The book was truly fantastic. Nobody writes like Ray Bradbury; his ability to command the written word is truly incredible and he exhibits this skill superbly in this book. Young and old can appreciate this tale, of a group of young boys soaring through times and cultures examining the truth behind Halloween. You can read this book over and over again and glean new things from it each time. Truly one of Bradbury's best.

Ray Bradbury's THE HALLOWEEN TREE is a great choice to read aloud to kids ten and up during the autumn season. The lyrical language lends itself to being read aloud and the slim volume has some interesting discussion points. The story is even at least somewhat educational as it traces the history of Halloween and how other cultures have dealt with death. Some striking black and white illustrations help set the dark mood. Great introduction to Bradbury for upper elementary, middle school and beyond.

Every year, every single October, I reread this book which my parents gave to me when I was a young child. It is lyrical and evocative of the time when we were children and thought of Halloween as magical. The streets of the town as Halloween begins, the haunted house where Moundshroud lives, the ancient rituals we are led through by Bradbury, the travel through time and history, the underlying message that death will eventually come for us all -- it is ominous yet strangely comforting to read every time. It is not like his other books, but it is a must-read for all of his fans.

What started as very fun, and interesting became a vehicle to bash Christians, and brainwash children against religion. It refers to witches as anyone with half a brain, while Christians were monsters that attempt to kill everyone. It also said that druid gods were replaced by roman gods, and then the Christians came in with "Their gods". Unfortunately for Ray Bradbury, there has, and always will be one true God.

On a race through history, 8 boys must learn the secrets and origins of Halloween night in order that they might save the life of their friend, who has been stricken ill on Halloween. Ray Bradbury weaves an imaginative story that creates a rather simplified but no less interesting history of Halloween night. With his usual imagery, Bradbury really creates a story with eerie and sometimes scary nature that is Halloween night.

I've known this book forwards and backwards since I was twelve, and I use this book in my literature classes around the month of October to spark the interest of my students. For those of you who know Bradbury's work, you will be amply satisfied with his brilliant storytelling and narrative about a group of young friends in search of true meaning of Halloween. This book never fails to amaze, and the look of astonishment on the faces of my students when they read the book is priceless. My caveat is this; the reading level of this book may be listed at 9-12, but the comprehension level is more middle-school to high school; however, I highly recommend this book to all ages. I have enjoyed this book for years, and I still enjoy it to this day.

On Halloween night, a group of boys find themselves missing their leader, the most remarkable young Pipkin--and so, at the bidding of the ghastly Moundshroud, undertake a journey to discover the true meaning of Halloween and to rescue their friend. The Halloween Tree overlaps Bradbury's nostalgic and speculative writing, finding a home next to From the Dust Returned and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Its atmosphere is equally dark and magical, but its style is repetitive and twee with a cloying atmosphere of Americana; the result is a frenetic, creative, stylistically wearying book which frequently butchers aspects of Halloween which it intends to explore--the heart is there, the multicultural aspects are not. The Halloween Tree is a mixed bag, as is all Bradbury in this style: as much as I want to love it, I have no appetite for the nostalgia for the youthful white boys of middle America which overshadows the atmosphere of Halloween that Bradbury conjures with mixed success. Not one I personally enjoyed nor recommend.

The Halloween Tree is an exiting book because it tells about the adventures of Halloween. There are nine boys that go out on a search of the past of Halloween. They meet a mysterious man named Moundshroud. He takes them to observe the many differnt ways that people celebrate All Hallow's Eve or as we know it Halloween. I would suggest this book to anyone that likes to read about adventures.
Nicole

This is a great book to read at Halloween time, for young and old alike. It captures the feeling of being a kid in a small town on Halloween and going trick or treating. Of course, the trick and the treat is that we are taken back through time to see how Halloween began: from ancient Egypt, through the Celtic Samhain, up to Bradbury's day. For anyone to whom Halloween is a special time of year, this is a book to read.

Some of Ray Bradbury's stories display a fascination with the misunderstood macabre, an interpretation of darkness from the eyes of a child. This book is one of those contrasts in dark and light, hope amongst doom. The spindly and spooky Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud whisks these young boys away on a strange and lovely Halloween adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

This is my favourite children's book of all time! Bradbury's riveting tale of a Halloween in which a group of boys set off on a quest to rescue their friend in a netherworld of time travel and ancient ritual is simply breathtakingly beautiful.
Mr. Bradbury's poignant, yet reassuring vision of death and what it ultimately means in the long ribbon of time will stay with me always. Surely that is why writers write.

The only book I have ever read a dozen times and can still enjoy from cover to cover. I feel honored to be able to share it with my daughter who is nine this year (the age I was when I first read it). I don't beleive the reader is ever disappointed -- the first time through or the twentieth.

Ray Bradbury captures the spirit of Halloween like no other writer! The story revolves around adolescent boys who take a wondrous journey through time, and in the process bond during their mission to save their good friend Pip. I highly recommend this book for ALL ages.

I first tried to read this book when I was around the suggested reading age (about 12 years old). Now that I'm 18 I finally tuly appreciated this masterpiece. Never before have I seen the true essence of Halloween captured on paper so perfectly. Life and death, night and day, Autumn and Summer, courage and friendship, Halloween and all it's components are presented to the reader in fantastic imagery that will transport you back to those Halloween nights that we miss so much. The nights when you could taste the magic in the air. Bradbury is an artist and these 145 pages are his canvas. If you are a true fan of Halloween or want to become one this book is for you.

Ray knows what it is to be a kid. He never lost it, and that's why he could write so clearly to the imagination and heart of a reader. He's the best. I read this book every October. Now, I am reading 'THE OCTOBERS' by J.H. Reynolds and Craig Cunningham. Another great Fall read. I just love this time of year!!!

Review from a teacher: I was really looking forward to this book. It is filled with so many errors and run on sentences I can't even call it readable. I have never read a book in my life that compared everything to something else. The author has to use 3 to 4 adjectives to describe every single item. If he was writing this book he'd say ," the cover is delicately, haunting, wispy like the night when a cold wind blows north during the darkest night"....yea it's that bad. Every sentence is written that way. Avoid this book...sorry. I'm a Halloween fan and I love reading books to my son...this one won the prize for "How'd it even get published!" Award! Great cover art, horrible writing....sorry Ray. Final Grade: F-

On October 31 of every year since I've been 8, I have picked up the Halloween Tree and read it cover to cover. I never tire of the language or the story, and it has the same magic now that it did when I was 8.

Ray Bradbury writes a story around Halloween.I was impressed by the story , the illustrations and the journey the kids take to find and save their friend
all while learning the origins of halloween.This is a book you should save and read on Halloween.

this book is a classic from start to finish. i read it every year to start my halloween celebrations. ive gotten my daughter to read it and someday my grandson will too. anyone who gives this 1 star is a moron and should go back to coloring books.

It's a rare occasion where I read a book twice. But ive never read a book a dozen times, except one. "The Halloween Tree" is a great read for anybody, and helps debunk all those morons who say that Halloween is evil.

I really thought I would like this one, but I really had to force myself to finish it. I loved _The Martian Chronicles_, _The Illustrated Man_, and even _Dandelion Wine_ but I really hated this. It reads like a poetic history lesson for 3rd graders. There were no big surprises, no new ideas, just Halloween investigated one culture at a time by kids.

Read it if you're under the age of 10 when it could still be captivating or if you have no idea about the history of Halloween and enjoy stories with young kids as the main characters.

I thought the plot was implausible, events contain historical errors, but the book is still a fun, short read, particularly for tweens and early adolescents. RB always leaves me wanting to read more or keep writing. There is a lot of magic in these pages.

A cute kid's book and brief history of Halloween around the world(though I do wonder about the historical accuracy hmmm...). It was also weird that this was a male-only space the whole time. Easy to read and I'm sure any kid who loves Halloween would love this book. It just did nothing for me as an adult.

The Halloween Tree has a trite and predictable storyline. The characters were one dimensional. The prose style Bradbury elected to use was hyperbolic to the point of a saccharine mania. The central theme of the story was to travel back in time to find the true meaning of Halloween. Unfortunately, the history of Halloween he presented was not accurate. Samhain was not a grim reaper-like god; rather it was a pagan festival that is the basis of the Halloween tradition. Bradbury also got the myth of Osiris mixed up with that of Ra. Bradbury either did not check his facts or, as in The Martian Chronicles, decided not to let the facts get in the way of a "good" story. While some may argue this book was written as an allegory so accuracy is moot, I would say allegories work best when their weakness are not such an obvious distraction.

This is a juvenile book that does not work well for the adult reader. It is not in the same league as the Dicken's A Christmas Carol. I hesitate to recommend it for kids but some may enjoy its simple storyline and it gives a superficial overview of how death has been viewed throughout history.