The Halloween Tree

Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite writers, certainly has a way with words! I don't think there's any writer as adept at capturing the magic of childhood and the wild imagination of children quite like Bradbury, and this is certainly true of his slim novel The Halloween Tree. It begins with eight boys going trick or treating and being dismayed at the fact that their friend Pipkin can't join them right away. He says he's not feeling well, but he fully intends to join them at a certain haunted house he directs them to. Once they arrive, the owner of the house, Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, spirits them away on an adventure through the past to places around the world where they discover the origins of Halloween, but the boys soon realize they aren't just idle travelers, for their friend Pip has been abducted, and it is only they who can rescue him. The Halloween Tree is a rollicking thrill ride that fans of this ancient holiday are sure to enjoy.