This Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award Winner from beloved author Patricia McKissack offers a “stellar collection” of “ten original stories, all with a foundation in African-American history or culture” (School Library Journal).
 
In that special half-hour of twilight—the dark-thirty—there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing and breathtakingly original, these tales are inspired by African American history and range from the time of slavery to the civil rights era. With her extraordinary gift for suspense, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
 
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
An IRA Teachers’ Choice

PATRICIA C. McKISSACK was the author of over 100 children's books, including The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, which was a Newbery Honor book and a Coretta Scott King Award winner. She also received the Coretta Scott King Award for A Long Hard Journey: The Story of Pullman Porter and Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.

View titles by Patricia McKissack
Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous picture books, including The Dark-ThirtyHip-Hop Lollipop; Let's Clap, Jump, Sing, & Shout; Dance, Spin, & Turn It Out; and In the Time of the Drums. His many awards include two Caldecott Honors, a Coretta Scott King Illustration Award, four Coretta Scott King Illustration Honors, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and frequent collaborator, Andrea Davis Pinkney. View titles by Brian Pinkney
  • WINNER | 1996
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • WINNER | 1994
    Kansas William White Master List
  • WINNER | 1993
    Coretta Scott King Author Award
  • WINNER | 1993
    Newbery Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1992
    Coretta Scott King Author Award
"...a stellar collection..."--School Library Journal, starred review

"These original, short and ghostly stories, which come with brief historical introductions placing them in the American South, are grand for reading aloud."--The New York Times Book Review

About

This Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award Winner from beloved author Patricia McKissack offers a “stellar collection” of “ten original stories, all with a foundation in African-American history or culture” (School Library Journal).
 
In that special half-hour of twilight—the dark-thirty—there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing and breathtakingly original, these tales are inspired by African American history and range from the time of slavery to the civil rights era. With her extraordinary gift for suspense, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.
 
An ALA Notable Children’s Book
An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
An IRA Teachers’ Choice

Author

PATRICIA C. McKISSACK was the author of over 100 children's books, including The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, which was a Newbery Honor book and a Coretta Scott King Award winner. She also received the Coretta Scott King Award for A Long Hard Journey: The Story of Pullman Porter and Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters.

View titles by Patricia McKissack
Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous picture books, including The Dark-ThirtyHip-Hop Lollipop; Let's Clap, Jump, Sing, & Shout; Dance, Spin, & Turn It Out; and In the Time of the Drums. His many awards include two Caldecott Honors, a Coretta Scott King Illustration Award, four Coretta Scott King Illustration Honors, and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Brian lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and frequent collaborator, Andrea Davis Pinkney. View titles by Brian Pinkney

Awards

  • WINNER | 1996
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • WINNER | 1994
    Kansas William White Master List
  • WINNER | 1993
    Coretta Scott King Author Award
  • WINNER | 1993
    Newbery Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1992
    Coretta Scott King Author Award

Praise

"...a stellar collection..."--School Library Journal, starred review

"These original, short and ghostly stories, which come with brief historical introductions placing them in the American South, are grand for reading aloud."--The New York Times Book Review

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