Mr. McFadden's Hallowe'en

by Rumer Godden

A young girl and her pony befriend a dour farmer on the Scottish border.

Genres: Halloween, Fiction, Childrens

127 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 1975

About the author

Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selina Russell and her shaggy pony Haggis befriend a cantankerous old farmer in this wonderfully evocative children's novel from the pen of Rumer Godden. Set in the Scottish border country, the story unfolds in the small village of Menoock, when Selina's Great Aunt Emily has left a bequest of twenty thousand pounds to build a park for the people. This good fortune leads to strife however, when solitary Mr. McFadden, the owner of the only piece of land that could work as the site of the park, won't sell his land. Angered by his stubborn refusal, the people of Menoock turn their back on him, and the Russell family are caught up in the conflict, owing to their kindness to the old man, after a bad accident occurs. Things come to a head one misty Halloween, as Selina sets out to deliver some of that holiday to her friend, who never seems to have experienced it...

Published in 1975, Mr. McFadden's Hallowe'en is another one of those marvelously engaging tales from Godden, whose children's books I usually find outstanding. I read the book in one sitting, and found everything about it appealing, from the cast of characters both human and animal—stubborn Haggis, with a mind of his own; beautiful, intelligent Lady; obstreperous but eventually friendly Big Wullie the gander—to the beautifully-realized setting, so wonderfully described. I loved the details about a traditional Scottish Halloween, with the carving of the turnips (a precursor to our North American pumpkin jack-o-lanterns), and the gathering of treats. The story itself tugs at the heartstrings, especially if the reader has a weakness for tales about oddballs and misfits finding their own people. There's sub-plot where abandoned Tim finds a home, of course, and Selina herself is a misfit, but the eponymous Mr. McFadden, despite his brusqueness, is the one whose transformation is most satisfying. There were elements here I found disturbing—the village's behavior toward Mr. McFadden, and the elder's boys' treatment of Selina on Halloween night—but they felt somehow true, in context. All in all, a lovely little book, one I would like to add to my personal collection, and reread in future.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mr. McFadden, would you give us each a turnip?"

"What on airth would ye be da'en wi' a neep?"

"I think you know," said Selina. "You know it's Hallowe'en."

"Hallowe'en," echoed Tim. His eyes were bright as he thought of it.

"Never heard of it," said Mr. McFadden.

"You have," Selina was unperturbed. "There's no one in Scotland who hasn't and you know what we do with the turnips." Tim could not be expected to know. "Because he hasn't been here," said Selina. "We hollow them out," she told Tim. "Hollow and scoop them out--that's hard work; then we cut holes for eyes and a mouth, little ones for nostrils if we can. Some people give them paper teeth and red rag tongue. On Hallowe'en night we put a lit candle in them or a night light and carry them as a lantern or put them on gateposts. They look horrible," said Selina with a shudder of pleasure, and she told Mr. McFadden. "I'm sure you did that when you were a boy."

"Certainly not. Neeps were for eating not nonsense."

"It isn't nonsense; they frighten witches and ghosts away."

"And spunkies," said Tim. "Didn't you dress up like Selina says," he asked Mr. McFadden, "dress up as a witch or a ghost or a cat, something frightening? Selina says when it's dark we'll go round to people's houses and they have to let you in--even me," said Tim. "Then we sing a song or ask a riddle. Selina's going to teach me one day and I'll get nuts and tablet," Tim said that reverently.

Tablet is homemade fudge.

I have to thank Melanie Bettinelli at The Wine Dark Sea for bringing this book to my attention. Hers is one of the very few "mom blogs" I read because she consistently brings books and literature into her posts, always with intelligent and interesting commentary. Her commentary on this story is mingled with observations of her oldest daughter's reactions and reflections on children's literature. Be sure you check it out.

Like Melanie, I also love Rumer Godden's children's books just as much as her novels for adults. Godden has a knack for incorporating local culture, awkward and unappreciated people, and interesting plot with a lovely prose style. She is unafraid to have her characters behave naturally which means that a story's crisis points will often leave readers feeling very uncomfortable because they recognize the behavior so well and dread the consequences thereof. Godden also is good at avoiding the "nice" sentimentality which can pervade children's books. Her world is always very real.

The plot, briefly, is that Selina lives in a small Scottish village where Hallowe'en is celebrated the old way, which leads to some fascinating details. She is awkward and so is her pony, Haggis, who she chose precisely because she recognized their similarities. It is Haggis who always drags her during daily rides to stand in the middle of local curmudgeon Mr. McFadden's turnip field. The story takes off from there.

Adults won't be as surprised by a lot of the plot turns in this books because they have seen it before, naturally, but I admit to surprise and worry over the Hallowe'en trick that is played on Selina.

The animals in this book become characters we also care about. Lady the dog, Wully the fierce gander and his wives, and Haggis the pony all have their own contributions to the plot as we learn their ways and understand what their reactions mean when they occur. Just as in real life.

I haven't made this story sound nearly as fascinating as it is so please just believe me and give it a try. I picked it up from the library last night, intending to give it a brief look over. I wound up getting sucked in and reading the whole thing.

I'm going to have to add this to my used store book list so that I can have a copy to go on the shelf next to The Diddakoi and The Kitchen Madonna. As it is, my local library branch is going to wonder what's going on when they receive the big stack of children's books by Rumer Godden that I requested last night. Who knew she wrote so many? And I want to read them all.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obvious and earnest and cliched, in my jaded opinion. More innocent readers will probably love it. After all, books like Because of Winn-Dixie are very popular.

Godden baffles me. I love The Mousewife, which is also earnest etc. Maybe I love it so much because of the illustrations by William Pène du Bois, and because it's short, actually a simple fable instead of a whole story. Other Godden that I've tried seems very subtle, even *L*iterary. Maybe there's some subtlety here in Selina's story that I'm missing.

I did love the Scottish brogue and other atmospheric details, though I wouldn't go so far as to say that rural Scotland is a character in it's own right.
---
Reread by accident (found in an LFL). Didn't remember that I'd read it until I came here to review it. Opinion stands even more firmly because, also forgettable.

[Laura Bang · Rating 5 out of 5]

[11/1/20] A perfect Hallowe'en (re)read for 2020.

[11/1/14] Lovely story about some misfits who fit into each other's lives in all the right ways. Which is a pretty standard basic story, but Godden tells it beautifully, set in the rural Scottish borderlands, with wonderful use of Scottish brogue (there's no glossary so you're on your own if you don't know what the words mean, but they're clear enough in context) and a nice look at local traditions (such as carving turnips for Hallowe'en). Most of all, what a wonderful cast of characters! I love Selina and Mr. McFadden and Tim and of course Lady and Haggis too.

[Kathryn Blankenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a GREAT Halloween read! I have a Rumer Godden children's book collection and picked up this book as I enjoy "seasonal" books to read to my children at the appropriate times. I had to employ a bit of a Scottish accent to read this, as the story takes place in Scotland and some of the wording reflects this. My children just loved it. It's a particularly lovely story for girls, although my sons really liked it as well. My daughter, as I picked her up from school, asked me to start reading it again as soon as we got home, as she hadn't been able to think of anything else. I loaned it to a friend who read it to her three daughters, and they loved it. My friend said she thought it might be her new favorite book. She then asked to loan it to one of HER friends, whose children loved it as well.

Again, it's a great book to read to your kids at Halloween time, and I'm sure it will become an annual tradition with us. There is such an excellent moral to the story, without being preachy. It's a great book on many levels. Rumer Godden had a gift. I highly recommend it! I really wish someone would make an audio version. It would be wonderful to hear that Scottish Brogue and just listen to the magic of the story.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book. I was a little nonplussed at how much little girls suffer at the hands of bigger boys. I have really come to find " boys will be boys" a lazy distasteful excuse. Not that the phrase shows up in the book, not exactly.
Anyway, the themes are multilayered and so interesting to discuss with my daughter. It has its Halloween spookiness, but most of the story is concerned with themes of community, and who or what makes a bad neighbor...
Enjoyable, different from most, and with serious Christian themes throughout.
And lots of hardened Scots people.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much about this that I loved: irrepressible Selina, her pony named Haggis, the food descriptions (champers = “potato and cheese all mashed together and put in the oven”), the Scottish setting, and a goose named Big Wullie! The basic plot: Selina befriends a crusty old farmer when her pony keeps “planting” himself in said farmer’s turnip field. But there’s so much more to the story than that.

Selina is kind of a misfit, and both her mishaps and her soft heart for outsiders are endearing. The story’s exploration of what it means to take care of others, even when you and they are misunderstood, is full of complexity, depth, and heart. There were a few events for which the resolution seemed too simplistic/glossed over, but even with that—this was like a warm hug. And I now really want some sausage and “champers” (“potato and cheese all mashed together and put in the oven”)!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was to be one of my Halloween reads for October but I did not get to read it until November. It is wonderful story for children or adults. It teaches tolerance, kindness and perseverance and for this reason, it is just as good a story to read near Thanksgiving although it is based around the Halloween celebration. It may take a bit of time to become accustomed to the Scottish accent but it does not take away from the story.

Recommended

[Bethnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childrens book with a story about friendship and childhood in rural Scotland. I found it gripping at times, horrifying at others, but really wonderful and I loved the dialect and record of old Scottish customs around Hallowe'en.

[Heather McCloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story and like all of her other books, an uncommon story. That’s what made her books great to read, because they were imaginative stories.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Rumer Godden's lesser-known children's books, so I didn't know what to expect when I checked it out of the library. From the very first page, it captured my heart. The misfit heroine, her animal friends, the Scottish backdrop...I loved it all. The heartwrenching climax reduced me to a blubbering mass of jelly. Nobody depicts the cruelty of children as unswervingly as this writer. She puts her young heroes and heroines in the path of real danger, laying their vulnerability bare. For some readers, this is too much, but for me, it is validating.

Anyway, if you can handle an atmospheric children's story with dark overtones, you'll enjoy Mr. McFadden's Halloween. Pick up a copy on www.abebooks.com.

[louisa]

Found this reading the shelves in the Education Resources Center. Slighter, and less ambitious than many of the other books in my recent Halloween themed push, Mr. McFadden's Hallowe'en was still deeply moving and involving. Something akin to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Godden doesn't reach, but somehow despite that, or because of that, she achieves something wondrous.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet little book. Excellent use of Scottish dialect to bring the curmudgeonly McFadden (as well as Selina, Timothy, and Haggis and Lady) to life.