Product Description

Illus. in black-and-white. With an extraordinary gift for suspense, McKissack brings us ten original spine-tingling tales inspired by African-American history and the mystery of that eerie half-hour before nightfall--the dark thirty. "The atmosphere of each selection is skillfully developed and sustained to the very end. Pinkney's stark scratchboard illustrations evoke an eerie mood, which heightens the suspense of each tale. This is a stellar collection for both public and school libraries looking for absorbing books to hook young readers. Storytellers will also find it a goldmine."--(starred) School Library Journal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #277248 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-22
• Released on: 2006-08-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Amazon.com Review
These 10 spine-tinglers range from straight-up ghost stories to eerie narratives. The tales in this winner of the 1993 Coretta Scott King Award depict racism, haunting and vengeance in a manner that can be read out loud around a campfire or savored privately, offering middle readers (fourth through eighth graders) thoughtful exposure to important, though frightening, historical themes. One tale, set in the segregated South of the 1940s, tells of a black man's ghost avenging his murder by a white klansman. McKissack's prose is smooth and understated, and its sense of foreboding is powerfully enhanced by Brian Pinkney's black-and-white scratch board illustrations.

From Publishers Weekly
When I was growing up in the South, writes McKissack, we called the half hour just before nightfall the dark-thirty. Her nine stories and one poem, however, are far too good to be reserved for that special time when it is neither day nor night and when shapes and shadows play tricks on the mind. These short works-haunting in both senses of the word-explore aspects of the African American experience in the South, from slavery to the Underground Railroad and emancipation, from the era of Pullman cars to the desegregation of buses, from the terror of the Ku Klux Klan to '60s activism. Here, African Americans' historical lack of political power finds its counterbalance in a display of supernatural power: ghosts exact vengeance for lynchings; slaves use ancient magic to enforce their master's promise of emancipation. As carefully executed as McKissack's writings, Pinkney's black-and-white scratchboard illustrations enhance the book's atmosphere, at once clearly regional in setting and otherworldly in tone. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up-- Ten original stories, all with a foundation in African-American history or culture. Some are straight ghost stories, many of which are wonderfully spooky and all of which have well-woven narratives. There is a tale from slavery times; a story set among the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; and one from the 1940s segregated South, in which a black man's ghost brings revenge upon the white klansman who murdered him. Strong characterizations are superbly drawn in a few words. The atmosphere of each selection is skillfully developed and sustained to the very end. Pinkney's stark scratch-board illustrations evoke an eerie mood, which heightens the suspense of each tale. This is a stellar collection for both public and school libraries looking for absorbing books to hook young readers. Storytellers also will find it a goldmine. --Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Must-Have Book for Secondary Teachers
I am a middle school reading teacher who was given a copy of this book when it was first released. I fell in love with the stories as did my students! Each school year I start by reading "The Chicken Coop Monster" with every emotional fiber in my body. I require my students to write down the 10 rules randomly disclosed in the through out the story. This school year the book is completely worn out and I purchased another! No story will disappoint you in this book. This book leaves my students in awe as I read the stories each year! Equally pleasing is the art work by Brian Pinkney.

A must read book!
I read this book when I was in middle school, and I haven't forgotten it since! I remember sitting in my living room and being very frightened when I read that book. The most harrowing tale (and the one that kept me up at night) was the one about the gingi from the Nigerian legend. McKissack's uses wonderful imagery and diction to convey stories not soon to be forgotten!

Deserved the Awards
This book received lots of awards and well-deserved them. The stories are simply told in a very straight-forward narrative. They are not spine-tingling, but more likely to make the reader look over his or her shoulder or jump at a sudden sound. Each story is prefaced with a note placing it in historical context. These brief notes contribute greatly to the richness of the tales. Great for Summer evenings, wonderful for Halloween, perfect for long winter nights--these stories open up world of fascination and questioning of the real. Recommended for kids in older grades (middle school and up).