The Halloween Tree
by Ray Bradbury
Summary
Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin’s.
My Review
I got this recommendation from a BookTuber that I follow, who said she reads this book every year and that it’s a classic. I haven’t ever read anything by this author, and I went into it very blind. I really had no idea what it was about, but I thought I’d give it a try. After reading it, I found out that in the 90s, a short animated movie was created from this book. I do wonder if the movie is better than the book and would be better consumed in this format.
I listened to the audiobook. It was short and quick to get through, which was nice. The narrator did a wonderful job. He was extremely animated and had different voices for the different characters. It actually felt like I was listening to a Broadway play. It felt very theatrical and was delivered in a very dramatic way, which I found humorous. The writing was very lush and descriptive, which I also enjoyed.
The story, however, is where this lost me. I had a hard time following it, and it was kinda boring. I did finish it because I was interested to see how it would end, but it was pretty lackluster. There were eight boys in this group, and I felt like it was too many characters. There was a lot to keep track of, and I feel like the story may have been better with half that number of characters. But, I also realize that the number of boys coincides with all the different time periods they are taken to by Mr. Moundshroud.
What I did enjoy was the history lessons about Halloween. It was fun to travel through time and learn about how other countries and cultures celebrated Halloween throughout different time periods. Each costume that the boys wore was explained through this adventure to the past.
There isn’t any character development in this story, but I did appreciate the camaraderie and friendships within the group of boys. They all cared about their friend Pipkin and wanted to find and save him.
Overall, it was a weird but interesting read. It’s not something I would ever read again or recommend, but if it is considered a classic, I’m glad I have it checked off the list.