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Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old




*Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters* by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Andre Carrilho- young readers book review
 
Also by Patricia McKissack:

Never Forgotten (Junior Library Guild Selection)

Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt
Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters
by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Andre Carrilho
Grades 3-5 160 pages Schwartz and Wade August 2006 Hardcover    

A couple of years ago, my son and I journeyed to the local public library with a specific goal in mind: "finding books to chill us to our bones," as he put it. The collection we discovered was The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack. The night was cool but bright with a glowing harvest moon that peeked through our windows as we cuddled up to read the tales that McKissack offered. Wide eyes, oohing sighs, and shudders were our responses, and neither of us was disappointed with our choice. When I told my son that we had a chance to review a new book, Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters by that very same author, he proclaimed, "Well, I guess we'll be up to it; I'm even bigger and braver now!"

The Dark Thirty earned various awards, including the Newbery Honor, the Coretta Scott King Award, and acknowledgment as an ALA Notable Children's book, and Porch Lies is absolutely as promising. Imaginative, whimsical, and serious as demands, this book teaches a child to look for the subtexts that lay beneath stories that seem impossible even as they ring true. From the very beginning, the narrative voice of the text is one that begs to share secret after secret, bringing the children who read and hear these tales closer and closer to understanding careful reading, active listening, and creative storytelling. Furthermore, shadowy illustrations by Andre Carrilho seem to share secrets of their own, and the characters featured in each illustration are expressive, telling stories in their way as well as the tales do in words.

"Whipporwills, lightning bugs, and homemade peach ice cream trigger memories of my childhood summers spent at my grandparents' house in Nashville, Tennessee," my son reads the first line as I watch, listen, and learn. Turning to me, his face pensive and hopeful, David says, "Now, this is going to be a good book." Further on, McKissack defines porch lies as "tales of humor and exaggeration told to listeners of all ages gathered together on the porch," and I imagine families and friends brought together to communicate in a good-ol'-fashion way over stories and laughter. Perhaps that is the grandest goal of McKissack's Porch Lies.

Ten stories are included in this collection, and each is more entertaining than the one before it. The author tells us that the porch lies she remembers best from her childhood are about "sly and devilish" Pete Bruce, an acquaintance of her granddad. Sure enough, tribute is paid to that rascal in the first tale, "When Pete Bruce Came to Town." Pete Bruce, it turns out, is "Nothing but an ol' confidencer," but his cons come with a lesson on flattering and bringing smiles, so there is a moral to be found in the telling. Other tales include "Change," "The Devil's Guitar," "Aunt Gran and the Outlaws," " By the Weight of a Feather," "A Grave Situation," "The Best Lie Ever Told," The Earth Bone and the King of the Ghosts," and "Cake Norris Lives On, Part One" and "Cake Norris Lives On, Part Two."

Through each of these stories, McKissack takes her readers, young and old, on a journey of discovery where elderly women such as Aunt Gran hobnob with wily outlaws like Frank and Jesse James, humble high school band directors resemble mythical talents like Robert Johnson, children learn that even ghosts have reputations to protect, and the best lies are rewarded with big gold medals. And if it's true that the best lies win medals, then this collection is sure to garner a few of its own.

Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

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