A classic in every sense of the world, Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree is surprisingly my first exposure to his writing. Feeling like a haunting truly Halloween horror story, my first instinct upon finishing The Halloween Tree was to read it again.

The story opens with a familiar scene: a group of young boys meeting up for trick or treat on Halloween.  As they get underway, they notice that one of their members is missing, Pipkin. What ensues is a trip throughout history to learn the history of Halloween and save Pipkin. While Bradbury does distinguish these characters (for example, there's a brilliant line about how lucky one kid is to have a last name that sounds like skeleton), the ambience is far more of a focus. As the kids reflect  at the end of the tale, their adventure is both a trick and a treat. It's spooky and atmospheric in equal quantities, making it accessible to someone as easily frightened as me.

With even pointed references to a "Marley Knocker," The Halloween Tree is almost a retelling of A Christmas Carol. In this tale, our young trick-o-treaters meet an etherial guide who takes them through history to learn the true meaning of Halloween. Although these children are not opposed to the season like Scrooge, morals are still learned and real sacrifices are made.

Moundshroud's speech to the children to carefully consider giving up a year of their lives to save Pipkin is chilling.

Although I got a lot out of this audiobook, I wonder if a physical reading of the story would change my experience. In addition to getting to look at some beautiful art, my mind wanders less when I read, which might allow me to better absorb the prose of this masterpiece.