I have just finished a book that was recommended to me by a friend and fellow blogger, Kat. It’s a small book and could be finished off in just a half day if you have that to spare, but it took me three smaller sessions.
To me, Ray Bradbury is a sci-fi writer for adults, creating dystopian nightmares. I’ve read Fahrenheit 451 and The Illustrated Man and loved them both for that aspect. This, on the other hand, is a children’s story.
A children’s story that demands to be read aloud, with a very poetic musicality. There is alliteration and rhymes in lines, and a sing-song galloping rhythm. The whole style reflects the energy and zeal of the group of boys dressed in makeshift Halloween costumes ready for trick or treating high japes.
In one vast swerve, one doglike trot and ramble, they circled round and down the middle of the cobble-brick street, blown like leaves before a storm.
It was published in 1972 but feels older. The boys have an innocence similar to Kay Harker in The Box of Delights, or the children in Swallows and Amazons, even though they’re at the beginning of their teens. That doesn’t detract from it but I wonder if today’s readers need to be a couple of years younger in order to get into the spirit of the book.
This is the story of Halloween and some of its origin stories. The boys swoop across time and space with the help of a strange creature called ‘Mr Moundshroud’. In my head, he is a cross between Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and ‘The Gentlemen’ from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (you might need to look them up!).
They are ostensibly going in search of Pipkin, their dear friend and the best of them. But the idea of an incredible adventure is a big pull too. Their search takes them from Illinois to Egypt and countries farther still. It takes them to the depths of history, when the Sphinx was brand new and Romans hadn’t yet marched in England. The ceremonies to mark the dead and the beginnings of Winter are witnessed up close and fleetingly as this rollercoaster must end before midnight.
And before Halloween ends they must also make a Faustian deal to finally save their friend…
I really enjoyed the book, and without a suitably aged child to read it aloud to, I had to be content with the child in me. And that will have to do.
theleadlesspencil 
Beautifully written, Rita. Your post encapsulated my feelings for this wonderfully whimsical book. I love your image of Mr. Moundshroud. Please tell me your reference to “The Gentlemen” means you have a soft spot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That episode is one of my favorites…super creepy and well-done.
I am now more inclined to read more of Mr. Bradbury’s work. I will be including your review in my upcoming blog post about my Halloween Readathon as well as a mention in my next chat with Kelsi. We’ll be discussing the Halloween Readathon and our feelings about The Halloween Tree.
The other two Ray Bradbury books I’ve read are very different. One is a novel, a dystopian future (Fahrenheit 451), and the other is a book of short stories (The Illustrated Man). Both excellent though.
And yes, seen the whole of Buffy.
Twice!