Kindle
$10.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$14.40
Paperback
$8.15
Buy new:
-9% $8.15
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$8.15 with 9 percent savings
List Price: $8.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, May 15. Order within 17 hrs 47 mins
In Stock
$$8.15 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$8.15
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$6.57
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, May 15. Order within 17 hrs 47 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$8.15 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$8.15
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Ray Bradbury
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Halloween Tree Paperback – January 1, 2001

by Ray Bradbury (Author), Joseph Mugnaini (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,928 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$8.15","priceAmount":8.15,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"15","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gqwHRkdg7tD0bCTdvswptRzpoeScmjv79V8Z6bHtu%2F0EKK0tk1DiI0TAL6yHwYFsufSK6AmwJvzS53s%2FvMaxyVlMlabpCfG3QaRjGsTtsnc1bPW4mcGJ8GuD0yfayqzIq4m2mOgzIgs%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.57","priceAmount":6.57,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"57","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gqwHRkdg7tD0bCTdvswptRzpoeScmjv7M2j9CZeSQri8Vbk6kVcBFAzNykwhsoOViAZECaPcAXRLTGwCAmjdo7tl4Fl6JuiyqIR2wY2N2ZG4bbavFEjcodiISZXQQSgCQBh2cMFblwI1r9MbyS74nJjW6ZkaPwXDubyj3cd1ni%2FEGOz%2FK%2FjuP5cESp8DVlPa","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Make storytime a little spookier with fantasy master Ray Bradbury as he takes readers on a riveting trip though space and time to discover the true origins of Halloween.

Join the shadowy Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud as he takes eight trick-or-treaters on an unforgettable journey to find their missing friend, Pip. Travel through space and time, from the tombs of ancient Egypt to the gargoyles of Notre-Dame Cathedral, all the way to the cemeteries of Mexico on el Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Is Pip still alive? And if so, can his friends save him from a ghastly fate before it’s too late?

"If you want to know what Halloween is, or if you simply want an eerie adventure, take this mystery history trip. You couldn't ask for better than master fantasizer Ray Bradbury." --The Boston Globe
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8+ years, from customers
  2. Print length
    160 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Lexile measure
    800L
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.34 x 7.63 inches
  7. Publisher
    Yearling
  8. Publication date
    January 1, 2001
  9. ISBN-10
    0375803017
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0375803017
  11. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Halloween Tree
$8.15
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Something Wicked This Way Comes: A Novel
$11.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The October Country: Stories
$7.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A fast-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin's. Enhanced by appropriately haunting black-and-white drawings."--Booklist

From the Back Cover

-moving, eerie...tale set on Halloween night. Eight costumed boys running to meet their friend Pipkin at the haunted house outside town encounter instead the huge and cadaverous Mr. Moundshroud. As Pipkin scrambles to join them, he is swept away by a dark Something, and Moundshroud leads the boys on the tail of a kite through time and space to search the past for their friend and the meaning of Halloween. After witnessing a funeral procession in ancient Egypt, cavemen discovering fire, Druid rites, the persecution of witches in the Dark Ages, and the gargoyles of Notre Dame, they catch up with the elusive Pipkin in the catacombs of Mexico, where each boy gives one year from the end of his life to save Pipkin's. Enhanced by appropriately haunting black-and-white drawings."--Booklist

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yearling; First Edition (January 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375803017
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375803017
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8+ years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 800L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.34 x 7.63 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,928 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury, who died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, among many honors.

Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, "Live forever!" Bradbury later said, "I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped."

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
2,928 global ratings
“When you reach the stars, boy, yes, and live there forever, all the fears will go"
4 Stars
“When you reach the stars, boy, yes, and live there forever, all the fears will go"
I read this as part of a group read with a bunch of book community friends on Halloween, and while it wasn’t my first Bradbury book, it was the first I’ve read aimed at a younger audience.THE HALLOWEEN TREE is about a group of boys that are out celebrating Halloween when one of their friends is whisked off, desperately needing to be rescued. The boys meet a mysterious, magical man that takes them across time and space to tell the origin stories of Halloween from different cultures and legends.I enjoyed this a lot, although it felt a bit rushed at times. I would have liked to spend more time in each little locale, because it was so interesting learning about the different customs and traditions. I loved that each boy’s costume tied into the stories, and I loved the descriptions and prose used throughout the book – magical and whimsical and pretty, it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland a few times. The edition I read had really neat illustrations as well, which was a really nice touch.I think I’ll be rereading this each year – it’s short and quick enough to get through in less than an hour, and I feel it’s one of those stories that I’ll get a little bit more out of with each reread.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

KB
5.0 out of 5 stars Bradbury
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
The title should say enough. This book is Bradbury.
The name Ray Bradbury, to me (and I’m certain many others) is synonymous with magical prose, unlimited imagination, nostalgia, a sense of wonder and awe, and an adolescent view of the world that never forgets how joyous the years of our childhood are, and how lucky each of us older readers is to have experienced our own magical years.
Bradbury. A man who weaves stories as if each word was a special ingredient to a recipe that would not quite be the same if it were replaced with another.
Bradbury. Who writes in some of the most unusual similes that I’ve ever read. Among his many gifts, this might be his biggest. Literally right this moment, I’m going to open my book. To page . . . 50: “Somewhere, a mummy dreamed, coughed in its sleep, unraveled a bandage, twitched its dusty tongue and turned over for another thousand year snooze.”
Let’s go to page . . . 66. “Darkness moved down the Mediterranean shores. From the tombs, like mist, the dead spirits wavered in soot and black plumes along the streets to be caught in the dark tar that smeared the porch sills. The wind mourned, as if telling the anguish of the trapped dead.”
Bradbury. The man can spin a sentence like no other.
I’ll be frank. This book was always going to be five stars. I love Halloween, and Autumn, and Bradbury is the best author for this season. Unless I found it unbearably boring or bad, this was destined to be five stars.
It’s not boring, it’s exciting, it’s smart, it’s nostalgic, it’s a story only Ray Bradbury could have written, and it’s a fantastic tale for this time of year. My one gripe is that a younger me didn’t first read this while in grade school.
19 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lisa Binion
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Halloween Family Story
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
Every Halloween Tom Skelton and 7 other boys would go trick-or-treating with Joe Pipkin. All of them are in their costumes playing in town when they realize that only 8 of them are present. Though their faces were all hidden by masks they knew who wasn't there. They could just tell he was missing. Joe Pipkin, the greatest boy who ever lived, the boy who never ever sat still was not with them.

The boys go to Pipkin's house. When he comes out, he is not his usual perky self. He tells his friends to go on, that he will meet them at the place of the Haunts. At a spooky house situated there, they meet Mr. Moundshroud and find his Halloween tree. Pipkin appears in the distance much later, but is whisked away from them by a dark something. Mr. Moundshroud takes them backwards on a journey through time and space to save their friend, Pipkin, from certain death and to learn the history and meaning of Halloween.

Part of their journey takes them through ancient Egypt, where they learned how death was part of everyday life, where Halloween seemed to take place each day.

The Grecian Isles are visited. There black molasses was painted on the doorposts so visiting ghosts would stick to them and not be able to come indoors.

They saw the festival of Samhain in England, as well as other festivals in different parts of Europe. In each place visited, their friend, Pipkin, would appear. All the time afraid that they will never see him again, they chase after him each time.

They chase him on to the Notre Dame in Paris, France, then on to Mexico. I'm not going to tell you how the story ends - that just wouldn't be right. There is no way that I could adequately convey to you just how unique this Halloween story is.

The ending is good and it is a suitable book for children of all ages. If one is easily scared, there is a slight chance it could be frightening, but only a slight chance. Only in one's imagination could the events in this story ever take place.

Each place they stop, creepy Mr. Moundshroud shares with the boys the unique customs surrounding death. Since Mr. Moundshroud represents death, he would know about every custom surrounding death at anytime in history.

The Halloween Tree was written by Ray Bradbury, a master of fantasy and science fiction. First published in 1972, it is a classic tale to be enjoyed by young and old alike.

I was surprised that I had never in my life heard of this tale, especially since I am such an avid reader. Ray Bradbury's unique description of events and surroundings is refreshing and easy to read. Families would enjoy reading the 145 pages of The Halloween Tree together.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mz. Pen
5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding!
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
How did this tome escape me for so many years? Having been a fan of Ray Bradbury for 40 plus years, I am surprised I missed this. Captivating prose as only Ray Bradbury could create. Whimsical, cultural, and imaginative. So much more than a Halloween story, but a great read at Halloween, none the less.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
HRS
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Summary of Halloween History, OK story
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
I've long enjoyed the video adaptation every Halloween, so I thought that I would read the book. And I like it, though I don't think I will be rereading it often.

The stories purpose is to tell the reader some aspects of the long and convoluted history that forms our modern understanding of Halloween traditions. And it does a good job of that, having a group of 8 boys dressed up in classic Halloween monster costumes being wisked to different time periods to examine how the people of those time viewed Halloween and how they connect to the costumes.

Their guide on this Journey is a Mr. Moundshroud who is rather entertaining in his speech and manner, and much more pleasant then his movie counterpart, with the book not really telling his true nature until the end.

The driving force of the book, the reason the boys are doing this, is to find their friend Pipkin who has been taken by death. And this is one of the book's weaknesses. Though the boys are traveling through time, Moundshroud makes it understood early on that they can't save Pipkin until they reach their final destination, so from that narrative point the adventure is incidental with only the end goal having any importance.

The other weak point of this story is the boys themselves. It takes the entire book to learn all of their names and they have virtually no personality. The majority of the time they lack individual dialogue and are written as just chanting a word someone else says or "Yes, Yes."

So to sum up, a pretty good book to explain to young readers where Halloween comes from. But not for readers who are looking for real character driven stories where the journey is as important as the end goal. If that is what you are after I would actually recommend the movie.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Elle
5.0 out of 5 stars Just as pictured
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book was bought as a gift but it arrived on time and in great condition
Report
Ana Cureño
5.0 out of 5 stars Recuerdos de mi infancia.
Reviewed in Mexico on February 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Me encanta esta historia, el libro llegó en perfectas condiciones y de forma rápida.
Report
Shirley Lopes
5.0 out of 5 stars A árvore do halloween
Reviewed in Brazil on January 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
O livro é pequeno, ilustrado, e muito fofo, descreve uma amizade muito bonita e conta junto com o desenrolar da história as origens do halloween
One person found this helpful
 Report
Moonbase Alpha
5.0 out of 5 stars The Halloween Tree
Reviewed in Italy on May 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Un classico della letteratura in tema "Halloween"!
Arrivato in perfette condizioni.
Report
B
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it ! ❤️🎃
Reviewed in Australia on December 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
If you enjoy Halloween and all that believes that comes with it you will enjoy this book. Very interesting and the drawings/pictures makes it even better
Report