The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

by Patricia C. McKissack

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679818634
• Release Date: August 1992
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 0.6" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

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!

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.

The new review

I read this book when I was in 6th grade with my class. We would read a story every day or week.(whenever we had the time) When it came time t read a story everyone would get real quiet.(which was surpising since I had a real bad class in 6th grade) The stories are spooky and also mysterious. You would start reading and you couldn't put the book down because you would just have to know the ending. This book was great!!!!!!!!How did you like my review?

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).

A great collection for young and old

I first read these short stories in Elementary school and I have re-read them every now and then since. The stories, and one long poem, are all top-quality that one remembers long after they have read them. They are haunting, magical and captivating especially "The Gingi" and "Boo Mama."Not only are the stories imaginative, the unique illustrations add to the mood the tales create so that you will become completey absorbed.Highly Reccomended.