This post is sponsored by DiamondLinks. All opinions expressed are my own.
I have read many stories about how the holiday Halloween came to be. The Legend of Mr. Ween is a book that gives us another idea as to how the holiday was created.
The story is set in Boston September 1905. A stranger named Hal Ween comes into town and notices that when people drink an elixir called Rosstein’s Extra Incredible Elixir that they become very violent and unruly. What the people of the town do not know is that Mr. Ween has seen this type of behavior before in other places and that he has skills to deal with it. The elixir has been tainted by people who are following a mysterious being called Sinclouder who feeds off people who are exhibiting anger, depression or sadness. The only way to defeat Sinclouder and his legion of bloodghosts and other goons is with positive energy, creativity, confidence, and a smile. One of Hal’s biggest tools in defeating this enemy is the use of pumpkins. He carves smiling faces into the pumpkins and lights them with a candle. This causes Sinclouder to leave the bodies of the people he has possessed and allows them to return to normal. By doing this it allows Hal to save the town.
When I first started reading this book I had so many questions. I honestly still have them. I wish we had more information about Hal’s background like how did he come to learn everything that he learned. I also want more information of how he first came into contact with Sinclouder. Where did he discover him. Those questions weren’t really answered in the story. But I get it’s a short story so it wouldn’t be a short story if all those details were added. I also wish the author had gone more in detail as to how he discovered how to beat Sinclouder.
Now what I love about the story was how Hal was able to get all of the townspeople together. I also love that the way to defeat Sinclouder wasn’t violent at all. It was actually a really cute way to defeat such a negative being and it helped to save the people. I also liked how the people were able to return to their normal selves. I thought that the use of positive energy and a smile was just really good. I also like how the pumpkins came into play. The town naming Halloween as a holiday in honor of Hal was really sweet too. He deserved it after all he did.
Over all I thought the story was really good. It held my attention. I didn’t figure out it was the story of Halloween until the end. I thought it was a really great read. I can see myself reading this to my class since they are older. Definitely not for anyone under the age of 8. I wouldn’t want kids this young to have nightmares.
If you want to read the story The Legend of Mr. Ween click here.
