Hook Moon Night: Spooky Tales from the Georgia Mountains [Hardcover]

Faye Gibbons (Author), Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Drawing on the shivery tales she heard in he r childhood, master storyteller Faye Gibbons spins 7 hauntin g stories of the supernatural. '

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5. On an early summer evening in the Georgia mountains, an extended family gathers on the front porch. Grandpa sees a hook (crescent) moon that reminds him of a story and what follows is a series of tales about "haints" in the mountain folklore tradition?live burials, Indian ghosts, quilts that show the future, necklaces that bring bad luck, etc. Gibbons skillfully weaves these stories one into the other by ending each tale with comments from other porch occupants. Of course, these comments remind listeners of another story and a new chapter begins. This careful blending of dialogue and narrative creates a safe environment for readers to experience the scary elements of each haunting tale. The author gives familiar folklore themes a fresh twist and, through the use of language, characters, and setting, introduces readers to this mountain culture. The "lessons" of the stories?kindness, caring, sharing, suffering the consequences of one's actions?are apparent but not heavy-handed or intrusive. While these tales don't "tell" as well as the selections in Richard and Judy Dockrey Young's Favorite Scary Stories of American Children (August House, 1994), they are good read-alouds and can be recommended to independent readers.?Molly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

While visiting his grandparents, Mike sits on the porch with them and other relatives one dark night, listening to their stories about ``haints'' and other backwoods phenomena: a boy chosen to be a teacher by a ghost, a quilt that shows pictures of the results of wishes, and a necklace that brings bad luck. Gibbons (Mountain Wedding, 1996, etc.) gives the stories the atmosphere and feel of those told on hot summer nights--loosely structured, meandering narration, vague endings, only modestly creepy--and pulls readers in with vividly imagined scenes and a persuasive intimacy: The stories all happened ``hereabouts.'' It's difficult to conjure up the power of oral storytelling on the page, but in many ways, Gibbons succeeds. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Short stories. 8+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688145043
• ISBN-13: 978-0688145040
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,841,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Scary, December 10, 2011

By 

pollyp - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hook Moon Night: Spooky Tales from the Georgia Mountains (Hardcover)

Hook Moon Night is a true delight for anyone young or old who loves a good ghost story. Gibbons weaves her magic with down to earth southern tales that always satisfies. The conversational cadence makes it a great read aloud. Hook Moon Night is a collection of tales told on the porch on a dark night. The Indian Graveyard is a particular favorite of mine. It is a tale of what happens when two boys disturb an Indian grave. One boy violates it further by actually taking jewelry from the grave with the intent to sell it. The night doesn't pass before the boy encounters a force which threatens to take his life.

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific collection, April 14, 2001

By 

gaylelbf (Montgomery, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hook Moon Night: Spooky Tales from the Georgia Mountains (Hardcover)

These spooky tales are skillfully woven together. As a Georgia mountain family gathers together at night on the front porch, the traditional ghost stories are told, one gracefully transitioning into the other. Many of the tales are eerie like the one of the woman who was buried alive. But my favorite was the one of the ghostly teacher who inspires a lame boy to learn and to teach. The black and white drawings are especially evocative and haunting. This is a terrific collection of ghost tales.