SCARECROW [Paperback]

Richie Tankersley Cusick (Author)

Book Description

The victim of a car accident in the Ozark hills, Pamela Westbrook awoke to find herself in the care of the Whittakers, a quaint, hard-working family on an isolated farm. Charmed at first by their gentle customs, Pamela soon discovers the eerie rituals and dark traditions behind their old-fashioned ways.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671690205
• ISBN-13: 978-0671690205
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,481,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for 17 and up, November 27, 2004

By 

Lyn (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SCARECROW (Paperback)

I found this book in the Young Adult section of my library, but when I started reading it, I wondered why it was there, because it seemed like it was more for an older audience. The main characters in the story are adults (not old, though), and it wasn't written like many of the other books I have read by Richie Tankersley Cusick. However, I found myself getting into the story and really liking it, even though it didn't have romance in it (at first). This book is actually creepy and gory (somewhat), and scary, and a little sad.

The main character, whose husband and son died, and she is still really sad about it, for some reason is at a farmhouse in the Ozarks in the middle of nowhere (I think she crashed her car)with a strange family. The little six-year-old girl can tell the future, a young boy is treated terribly by his mother for no reason (when you find out the reason, you'll be very surprised!), and the father seems controlling. Every year the family makes scarecrows, but he orders them all to be burned at the end of the year, which the main character finds very strange. There is also the mother's sweet, much younger sister, who is very normal and wants to get out into the real world, where she has never been (the family really is cut off from all other people), but her sister forbids it. When it is time for all of the scarecrows to be burned, the younger sister hides hers and doesn't burn it, because she so desperately wants a guy friend.

The main character begins to really get freaked out when she realizes that the family does not want her to leave their home, and she knows she is in danger.

This book is very well written, with great detail. All of the elements are woven together neatly, and the ending will amaze you. All of the answers to why this family is so strange will reveal themselves. I strongly recommend this book, also if you have strong, um, morals (?) this might not be a good book for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I just finished this book yesterday...., January 31, 2000

By 

Gillian Hall (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SCARECROW (Paperback)

Wow, where do I begin? Since I have all of RTC's books except for two, I was on a crusade to locate and purchase "Scarecrow". I finally got my greedy little hands on it,and read it in one day. Gosh...you know, I really liked this book, it was well-written, and the characters are very, very memorable. But it's a very DARK tale..that's the only way I can think of describe it. It had almost a nightmarish feel to it, like a bad dream that you are relieved to wake up from in the morning. Pamela begins to figure how wrong everything is at the Whittaker's farm, and how the Ozark wilderness keeps them completely shut off from the world. The members of the Whittaker family are unforgettable: Seth, the strong, silent, angry husband that has plenty to hide. Rachel, the sweet and kind wife who seems to just want a happy family...or does she? Franny, the oldest daughter, who is willing to do almost anything to escape the simple life of the farm. And Micah, the strange, silent son who seems desperate to communicate something to Pamela. And finally, Girlie, the youngest child who has eerie, unnatural powers that no one should be cursed with. Something horrible, something evil, is going on in this remote area, and Pamela has been tossed right into the middle of it. NOTE: I would NOT recommend this book for younger readers. This really is an adult book, and there are some scenes that are probably just for teens and up. Thanks!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 23, 2003

By 

Midnight "Midnight" (Alabama, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SCARECROW (Paperback)

This is a VERY good book. Will keep you in suspense until the very end. I've read almost all of Tankersley's books, but this one shocked me the most.
The characters are well done and the storyline is fantastic. This book is a lot more mature than her other books. Anyone who likes anything else that she's written definitely needs to read this one.