The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

Synopsis

“On a Halloween night, eight boys are led on an incredible journey into the past by the mysterious “spirit” Moundshroud. Riding a dark autumn wind from ancient Egypt to the land of the Celtic druids, from Mexico to a cathedral in Paris, they will witness the haunting beginnings of the holiday called Halloween.”

-Synopsis from Goodreads

Review

The Halloween Tree is such a fun, imaginative and inventive story. It is perfect for this time of year and short enough to be read in one sitting. I loved the story of Tom and his friends journeying through time with the guidance of the mysterious Mounshroud as they search for their friend Pipkin.

“…there was the tree. And it was such a tree as they had never seen in all their lives. It stood in the middle of the vast yard behind the terribly strange house and this tree rose up some one hundred feet in the air taller than the high roofs and full and round and well branched and covered all over with rich assortments of red and brown and yellow autumn leaves…

…the tree was hung with a variety of pumpkins of every shape and size and a number of tints and hues of smoky yellow or bright orange. ‘A pumpkin tree someone said’.”

-from The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

Their travels take them all over the world where they learn about the origins of Halloween. This book is pure fun, and was a delight to listen to on audio. The narrator did an excellent job of giving each character a unique voice and adding an element of intrigue and spookiness.

I can easily see this being a book I read each Halloween from here on out. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, seasonal read.