Common Sense Media Review
Scary, award-winning African American stories.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
The dark-thirty is the half an hour before it becomes totally dark and the monsters come out. Here then are 10 supernaturally-tinged short stories from the African-American tradition, which span the period from pre-Civil War to modern times. Each begins with an author's note and contains a black-and-white scratchboard illustration by Brian Pinkney. Stories include a man lynched by the KKK who exacts revenge from beyond the grave, a Pullman Porter trying to avoid the final all-aboard, a woman who refuses to believe in the evil spirit haunting her family, and a woman denied a bus ride whose ghost keeps on trying to ride.
Is It Any Good?
Most of the stories in THE DARK-THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL are gripping. The supernatural element will draw in young readers, and the historical context may lead them to want to know more about the periods in which the stories are set. Veteran author Patricia McKissack has a straight-ahead prose style that grabs the reader from the start of each story. She does best with the stories that arise from a melding of history and tradition, rather than, say, the silliness of a story such as "Boo Mama," which involves a secret utopian civilization of Sasquatches. Brian Pinkney's scratchboard illustrations are striking without interfering with the reader's own visualization of the scenes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mix of historical violence and injustice with fantastical horror. What did you think of the mix here? Which did you ultimately find more frightening -- the supernatural stuff or the historical details?
This book received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award, which is an award celebrating African American authors and illustrators. Why do you think this book was chosen? Looking at the list of other winners, are there titles that you would be interested in reading?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Brian Pinkney
- Genre : Short Stories
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Alfred A. Knopf
- Publication date : October 22, 2006
- Number of pages : 122
- Awards : Coretta Scott King Medal and Honors , Newbery Medal and Honors
- Last updated : April 2, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate