Moonshine [Hardcover]

Gary L. Blackwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

During the Depression, in the Ozarks of Missouri, thirteen-year-old Thad has adventures selling moonshine and fishing with a rich visitor.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-A coming-of-age novel set in the Ozarks during the Depression. Fatherless Thad McCune, 13, proudly without ambition, is happy to roam the woods around his small town. He hunts (with nothing but rocks and a good aim) and fishes, and supplements his mother's tiny waitressing salary by serving as an "agent" for a reclusive moonshiner. As long as he has his dog and his good friend Willa to share his adventures, life seems sweet, and it offers the possibility of even greater sweetness when Harlan James, an apparently wealthy tourist, takes an interest in Thad and his mother. Unfortunately, the local deputy is also interested in Ms. McCune and in Thad's daytime activities: he suspects that the boy is "whiskey running," a job that Thad has never mentioned to his mother. With these plot elements in place, Blackwood moves forward confidently and with great skill, creating a period tone that falters only occasionally, and a narrative that pulls readers forward. True, the climax and subsequent resolution are conceptually cliched, and a few events strain credibility. But the emotional components of the final pages-Thad's reaction to learning who his father is and his sense of betrayal when Mr. James turns out to be a federal agent-are honest and Blackwood's telling is sure. Likewise, Thad's ability to find a way to rescue James when he is injured as well as to help the moonshiner escape reveals his true "goodness." Like Huckleberry Finn, he eschews the letter of the law for his own innate sense of justice, thus taking his first steps toward "grown-up" responsibility within society rather than withdrawing and going it alone.
Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Thirteen-year-old Thad McCune excels at both kinds of "moonshine" --fabricating convincing stories and delivering illegal corn liquor to "touristers" in rural Missouri during the Depression. Abandoned by his father at birth, Thad and his waitress mother work hard to scrape by, so the liquor money helps. But Thad is soon warned by a deputy sheriff that he's under close surveillance. Harlan, an understanding tourister, becomes a father figure to Thad, and with his encouragement Thad undergoes a subtle transformation. When Thad offers to supply Harlan with whiskey, he sets events in motion that build to a gripping showdown at the secluded still. The story jumps off to a quick start, and despite exploration of several side issues, the pace never slackens. As Thad uncovers clues about his father, he and the reader arrive at the same surprising realization together. The deputy sheriff is broadly drawn, but all characters, even the bootlegger, are sympathetically presented. Containing similar story elements, this will be an interesting companion to Chap Reaver's Bill (1994). Linda Perkins

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761450564
• ISBN-13: 978-0761450566
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,421,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary L. Blackwood sold his first story when he was nineteen, and has been writing and publishing stories, articles, plays, novels, and nonfiction books regularly ever since. His stage plays have won awards and been produced in university and regional theatre. Nonfiction subjects he's covered include biography, history, and paranormal phenomena. His juvenile novels, which include WILD TIMOTHY, THE DYING SUN, and THE SHAKESPEARE STEALER, are set in a wide range of times and places, from Elizabethan England to a parallel universe. Several have received special recognition and been translated into other languages. He lives near Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moonshine and Old Fashioned Values, February 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Moonshine (Hardcover)

This book is a great read for all ages. While young readers can get a view of life in the past, oldsters can enjoy the vivid portrayal of simpler but harder times. The main character Thad deals with honesty, loyalty, work ethic, meaning of truth and growing up.

Set in the hills and hollers of Missouri, the book shows a poor but hardy people trying to make a meaningful life while facing hardships. While the main thread of the story is about revenuers finding stills and stamping out "moonshine", the real story is about what is takes to be a father, what it takes to be a freind. An added bonus in the book is a view of Ozark landscapes, superstitions, and culture of hill folks.

Despite some sorrows and heartaches necessary for a good story, the books ends on a lovely note of hope. This is a feel good story woven around a boy and his dog.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read from one of my favorite authors., December 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Moonshine (Hardcover)

I was drawn in by the charm but hardships of life in Thad McCune's backward Ozark town. This book made me feel differently about historical fiction and I now give it more respect. I had not realized what could be done with this sort of book.