The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, Gris Grimly (Illustrated by)

Just exactly what could happen to you if you went to the most haunted house in the neighborhood on Halloween night?  It's all by itself down in a ravine, there are no neighbors, and it's a particularly dark night.  Sounds just like a Bradbury setting, doesn't it?

Knopf Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 4th and would make a great Halloween treat for young readers who like a thrill.

Bradbury has always good about setting a mood and tantalizing you with might happen and what does.  It was one of his greatest skills and it shows in this new edition of an old classic with new artwork.

The boys are missing one member who is sick and they are worried about him.  When they think they see him, they follow him.  The odd fellow they meet who has a tree full of carved pumpkins out in back of the haunted house lights up his pumpkins.  They are amazed to see their faces on the pumpkins...

Pip gets carried off and the others decide they must go after him.  After all, he wasn't feeling well and they're concerned.  The odd man they met agrees and creates a big kite.  They act like they are the tail of the kite and off they go.  They travel through time and through all kinds of Halloween celebrations.  From the days of the druids to Mexico's celebration of the Day of the Dead, they see them all and keep trying to rescue Pip.

You'll learn about the various Halloween traditions over the ages as well as being scared a bit by the story.  Anytime I start a Bradbury book, I know he's going to scare me.  He's good at that.  Even I learned about some Halloween traditions I didn't know existed.  Why don't you read it?