Scan barcode
liannarey's review against another edition
4.0
An other great read from Ray Bradbury! It was a quick read, but by no means did it lack in any category.
andrew_bolick's review against another edition
5.0
The Halloween Tree was a story I first experienced in its cartoon, cinematic incarnation. It was a seasonal, autumn, right-of-passage viewing for each year of my youth, and a film I've been meaning to watch again aside my children.
With that nostalgia in mind, I finally got around to reading Bradbury's text. It is an absolute masterpiece of rhythmic language and flow, serving a feast of imagery within every time period which Mr. Moundshroud ferries Tom Skelton and company in their rescue of Pipkin.
A quote of Lewis's goes, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." Whether or not Lewis is completely correct in that comment, The Halloween Tree is a story which - I think - bears out access and rereading for just such age spans.
With that nostalgia in mind, I finally got around to reading Bradbury's text. It is an absolute masterpiece of rhythmic language and flow, serving a feast of imagery within every time period which Mr. Moundshroud ferries Tom Skelton and company in their rescue of Pipkin.
A quote of Lewis's goes, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." Whether or not Lewis is completely correct in that comment, The Halloween Tree is a story which - I think - bears out access and rereading for just such age spans.
kylasedai's review against another edition
4.0
I quite liked this - there were parts that seemed to drag a bit (which, given my love for Bradbury, seems odd - but then again, I was tired and read it all in one sitting, so it could be my fault) but I really enjoyed the story.
My husband showed me the movie this past Halloween, and it was good, but.... as usual, the book is better. I can understand why the movie cut the number of kids down to 4 - they all kind of blurred together and I couldn't remember their names and only Tom got any real characterization - but I enjoyed the extra parts of the book that came with the other kids' costume choices.
Overall, the book gives a better statement of the "purpose of Halloween," and I think this will be one that gets re-read during Octobers to come.
My husband showed me the movie this past Halloween, and it was good, but.... as usual, the book is better. I can understand why the movie cut the number of kids down to 4 - they all kind of blurred together and I couldn't remember their names and only Tom got any real characterization - but I enjoyed the extra parts of the book that came with the other kids' costume choices.
Overall, the book gives a better statement of the "purpose of Halloween," and I think this will be one that gets re-read during Octobers to come.
obsidian_blue's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely book. Bradbury takes us through the history of Halloween via following a group of boys who just want to save their friend. I thought the story was lovely. Bronson Pinchot does the narration and he does a great job of portraying not only the boy's dialogue but that of Mr. Moundshroud and Pipkin.
"The Halloween Tree" takes place on Halloween in a small mid-west town. A group of boys are eager to go Trick or Treating and are off to pick up their friend, Joe Pipkin. When something dark steals away Pipkin, the boys follow and encounter a Mr. Moundshroud who takes the boys through different times and places to see the origin of Halloween and how it has morphed through the centuries. In the end, the boys are given a choice. Of course from what readers follow before the choice, it seems as if we all know how they will choose.
I loved all of the boys in this one. Of course the main boy I would say is Tom Skelton. Though many in the story seem to think of Pipkin as the leader, or the best boy, to me that was Tom. He loves Halloween and he and the rest of the crowd decide they will do what is necessary in order to follow and bring Pipkin back.
I loved the character of Moundshroud and in the end we have Tom asking who he is really. Who do you all think he was?
The writing was quite dark at times I thought. This book really is written for middle school kids and I wonder how many of them would take this book? That said, I read horror books at the age of 11/12 so who knows if this would be too much for middle school kids. Reading through how Halloween first came to be and watching it as it morphs was pretty cool. I think my favorite part was the ending when the boys get to Mexico and see how Muerte de los Días is celebrated and how death is not seen as the end. Just a natural part of life.
The flow I thought worked nicely. The book at times seemed to be flying by. I listened to this one and was shocked when I got to chapter 19.
I read this book for the "Halloween" square.
"The Halloween Tree" takes place on Halloween in a small mid-west town. A group of boys are eager to go Trick or Treating and are off to pick up their friend, Joe Pipkin. When something dark steals away Pipkin, the boys follow and encounter a Mr. Moundshroud who takes the boys through different times and places to see the origin of Halloween and how it has morphed through the centuries. In the end, the boys are given a choice. Of course from what readers follow before the choice, it seems as if we all know how they will choose.
I loved all of the boys in this one. Of course the main boy I would say is Tom Skelton. Though many in the story seem to think of Pipkin as the leader, or the best boy, to me that was Tom. He loves Halloween and he and the rest of the crowd decide they will do what is necessary in order to follow and bring Pipkin back.
I loved the character of Moundshroud and in the end we have Tom asking who he is really. Who do you all think he was?
The writing was quite dark at times I thought. This book really is written for middle school kids and I wonder how many of them would take this book? That said, I read horror books at the age of 11/12 so who knows if this would be too much for middle school kids. Reading through how Halloween first came to be and watching it as it morphs was pretty cool. I think my favorite part was the ending when the boys get to Mexico and see how Muerte de los Días is celebrated and how death is not seen as the end. Just a natural part of life.
The flow I thought worked nicely. The book at times seemed to be flying by. I listened to this one and was shocked when I got to chapter 19.
I read this book for the "Halloween" square.
flynfreako's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
ladyomni's review against another edition
3.0
The story was good and a little spooky. A fun Halloween read. A little real at the end with each of Pipkin's friends having to make a big decision about their own lives to save his.
logickat's review against another edition
3.0
A spirit of Halloween takes some boys on a mystical adventure through time to discover the history and meaning of Halloween. Interspersed is the suspense of what is happening to their friend, Pipkin. This was definitely a weird story. It took some time for me to get into, but by the end I enjoyed the connections and interesting details of the different cultures.