Front Porch Stories: at the One-Room School [Paperback]

Eleanora Tate (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Twelve-year-old Margie Carson loves hearing  stories. And her daddy loves to tell them. One hot  summer night Daddy, Margie, and her seven-year-old  cousin Ethel troop over to the old one-room school  for round of special storytelling. Daddy tells the  girls about the time Aunt Daisy was chased by a  scary, eight-foot-tall shadow one Sunday night in her  backyard...about the flood that nearly washed away  the whole town and left a catfish on a neighbor's  pillow...stories about rocks that bite and walnut  wars...stories about Mary McLeod Bethune and the  time Eleanor Roosevelt came to town...ten wonderful  stories in all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A hot summer night in the tiny town of Nutbrush, Mo., proves "duller than dirt" for 12-year-old Maggie Carson--until her father starts to regale her with stories of his childhood. These tales, centered in the one-room schoolhouse for the town's black children, comprise the 10 stories in this collection based on Tate's own childhood. The loosely connected episodes, which range from village ghost stories to an account of a local flood, lack the overall narrative development and the fully fleshed-out characters necessary to support a whole book. Although Tate's ( Just an Overnight Guest ) evocative language conjures up rural southern life, her book is further flawed by somewhat heavy-handed exposition and stilted dialogue that at times borders on the saccharine. Because of Tate's framing device--readers see Maggie sit on the schoolhouse porch as she listens to her father--the tales lack a certain immediacy. The text also contains an important, but rather pedantically delivered, message about segregation in America. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-11.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- It's a steamy night, and Margie is so bored that she is letting mosquitos bite her, and she can hardly summon up the energy to give a good scare to her cousin Ethel, who lives with the family. This changes when her father decides to burn some rags over on the porch of the old one-room schoolhouse. The smoke will drive away the mosquitos, and the porch is the perfect place for him to tell stories. It's the end of boredom for both Margie and Ethel, as they hear about the ghost that threatened Aunt Daisy, about how Eleanor Roosevelt visited town and nearly ran Daddy down, and about the time a possum got into the school. Along with these stories, the girls (and readers) learn about how it was to be black in northern Missouri in the years shortly before integration was legislated. Tate's characterizations and setting are convincing. One can almost hear the father's voice and smell the burning rags. The stories read aloud well, and some would even tell well. Additionally, information about black culture and pride is imparted. This is a great choice for use with social studies units that touch on the Civil War, Reconstruction, or race relations. Gentle, funny, and poignant in turn, this evocative book will gain satisfied readers and listeners. --Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent, WA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440409012
• ISBN-13: 978-0440409014
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,541,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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