Moonshiner's Son [Paperback]

Carolyn Reeder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003 | Age Level: 8 and up

Twelve-year-old Tom Higgins is learning the craft of making whiskey. Even though Prohibition forbids the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, Tom is determined to be a good apprentice. He is, after all, a moonshiner's son. His father has raised moonshining to an art, and Tom wants nothing more than to please this rough, distant man.

Then a preacher comes to the wilds of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to rid Bad Camp Hollow of the "evils of liquor." This is when Tom and his father begin their campaign to match wits with the preacher and try to outsmart the law officers he calls in. Tom's father is eloquent in defense of a way of life long and respectfully lived by the Higgins family. But the preacher and his pretty daughter make a powerful case against it. And when drink causes a tragedy in the community, Tom Higgins is torn....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The accomplished author of Shades of Gray returns to the Blue Ridge Mountains for this Prohibition-era novel. Twelve-year-old Tom seems destined to become a moonshiner like his father. When a city preacher comes to the hollow with his daughter, Amy, Tom is drawn to her and feels torn: seeking Amy's approval requires rejecting moonshining. A wide cast of picturesque but sometimes sketchily developed characters personifies the struggle between old and new ways--unfortunately, many characters seem more like frames on which to hang competing concepts than like flesh-and-blood mortals. Some of the action seems forced, even melodramatic, and the epiphanies experienced by both Tom's father and Preacher Taylor are facile. Despite these limitations, the reader is drawn into the story, and Tom's concerns seem very real. Storytelling traditions are also celebrated here, and a strong sense of place and time adds resonance. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- In the hills of Virginia during Prohibition, moonshining is an accepted way of life for 13-year-old Tom and his father, June. The boy plans to follow in this chosen career until a Bible-thumping preacher moves into the area to rid the country of the evils of liquor. As he becomes friendly with the preacher's daughter, Tom begins to wonder about the negative effects of whiskey on their customers. Conflict builds between the mountain people and the outsiders--revenuers, the preacher, and an unscrupulous bootlegger. Another stranger, a folklorist gathering material for a book, finds his way into the hearts of the native people through his interest in their crafts and tales. Tom's pa is a renowned local storyteller and the boy has inherited the talent. However, a great deal of the tension in the story lies between father and son. Tom longs for praise and approval, which the man seems incapable of giving. This is a story with a strong regional flavor. The mountaineers are portrayed as self-possessed, dignified people who have much knowledge despite their lack of book learning. The characters are well-developed individuals. The plot moves along quickly and with enough suspense to hold readers' interest. They will identify with Tom's moral dilemma and his need for parental love. A good, readable addition to historical fiction collections. --Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1993 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 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689855508
• ISBN-13: 978-0689855504
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Moonshiner's Son Review, March 16, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Moonshiner's Son (Paperback)

Being twelve is hard but being twelve and making moonshine during the Prohibition period is even harder. That is what Tom Higgins has to deal with every day. He is the son of a moonshiner named June Higgins. They both live in what is known as Bad Camp Hollow, which is in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Then a preacher comes to talk about the evils of drink and then Tom

catches Amy, the preachers daughter, pouring salt on his father's mash which creates tension between Preacher Taylor and June. While avoiding all the revenuers and law enforcers that Preacher Taylor sent out, Tom and his father make and sell moonshine. Tom always thought that making moonshine was an art and he was proud of it until a drunk man caused a fire and almost killed Miz Brown. He had many doubts of whether or not he should make moonshine anymore until he came up with the decision to not make moonshine ever again. Then the day came when he had to tell his father. When he told his father Tom was beaten by his dad who regretted ever hurting the boy. At this point the father also made a vow to not make moonshine. Tom and his dad went on living making no more liquor. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how moonshiners felt about making their moonshine.

One thing about the book is that I can relate to this book in some ways. I am first of all about the same age as Tom. I have a father that is serious and I know how it feels like to be yelled at almost all the time. I try to make my father proud by doing stuff well like Tom.

A good element of the book is that it tells you the life of crime through a child's point of view. It tells how Tom felt about being proud of something his family has made for years. How he felt when being caught by the revenuers. He had also tricked a revenuer once.

It tells the danger of being a moonshiner and all the stuff they went through to make it. First they talk about how you should grow corn and then later grind it into stuff. They talk about how you should hide the still and how to hide it if a revenuer comes and inspects the houses. It also shows how when you get caught you have to pay a price.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Prohibition period and wondered how people in the mountains lived during this time.

J. Trejo

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Moonshiner's Son (Paperback)

Moonshiner's Son is a great book with an excellent story line. Tom Higgings is a moonshiner's boy. His dad's name is June Higgins,which is short for Junior Higgins. Tom's mother left his father because she didn't endorse the idea of moonshining when prohibition had forbidded it. Tom wants to be a moonshiner when he grows up but when Preacher Taylor moves to the remote hills of Virginia to setup a mission, he wanted to rid the hills of the "evils of liquor." The preacher also brought his daugher, Amy. Amy has an influence on Tom, no just any influence, but one like the Sun rising in the morning, if it didn't rise most people wouldn't go to work. When Tom meets Amy spoiling the mash in his father's still he feels a slight sensation that was different than others. Tom knows that the girl had to be rich,even though she wasn't, he didn't know that. Without Amy, this book wouldn't be as exciting. Amy persuades Tom that he shouldn't be a moonshiner when he grows up, especially after seeing what happened to Widow Brown, a beloved friend to Tom and his father, after some folks in a corn shuckling burnt down the barn after they got drunk drinking his fathers apple brandy. But Tom had to stick up to his father who expected him to be next moonshiner in the Higgins family. This would be the hardest thing that Tom would ever do in his life. This is the climax, without this event there would be no point in reading this book. But Tom didn't know what he would do if he wasn't going to be a moonshiner. But he knew that his dad was excellent at making chairs. Tom wanted to start making chairs. At the still his dad told him to keep it going but Tom had a knife and a block of wood. He sticks up to his father who slapped him and abused him for a few minutes. But Tom's dad soon realizes that moonshining wouldn't be the family tradition anymoreif Tom would teach his kid. He teaches Tom how to make chairs. This is an excellent part of the book. The characters in this book make it very exciting. There are events in this book that make it even more intriguing. But when the book reaches its climax, it is very thrilling. For people who love historical fiction, this is one of the best historical fiction books that I have read. Clearly, there are plenty of reasons to read Moonshiner's Son. One, it is very exciting. It is exciting that it is history. Two, it has plenty of action. If one important event in thee book is happening, another equally important is also. Three, it has a great risk taking stand that is exciting when at the climax. I have given a brief reccommendation for this book which isn't even as great as the book itself. Moonshiner's Son is a great book for people who enjoy fiction with a touch of history. It has a great introduction and an unpredictable ending. I would like Carolyn Reeder to write a sequel to Moonshiner's Son because I would like to know how Tom and his dad make out making chairs and if the emotions felt by Tom and Amy urge them to marry. Once again, this is very,very good book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Moonshiner's Son Chase Tingey A4, March 9, 2007

By 

Michael S. Tingey "Chase" (Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moonshiner's Son (Paperback)

I thought that the book "Moonshiner's Son" was a really good piece of historical fiction. It had very good characters and a very good plot. It is based during the Prohibition period when the making and selling of alcohol was illegal. The main character, Tom, is proud to be a moonshiner, but his new friend Amy is changing the way he thinks about making alcohol.