Meredith Kiger, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
The author has written a reminiscence of her younger days in Nashville, Tennessee, enjoying the “tall tales” of her grandfather and other occasional visitors to his front porch. Young children often take literally those humorous or scary tales told by adults, and they obviously remained large in the author’s memory. While the nine short tales included are purely fictional and embellished upon from the originals, they provide a comforting look back at a time in African American life when the oral tradition loomed large. Readers will identify with some of the shady yet humorous characters and stories as similar to ones told in their own families. Wonderful for reading aloud, these serve not only as entertainment but inspiration for others to write down family stories told in the oral tradition. Occasional black-and-white drawings illuminate the characters. 2006, Schwartz & Wade Books/Random House, $18.95. Ages 8 to 11.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2007)
Author Patricia C. McKissack recalls spending many evenings during her childhood listening to “porch lies”—stories of deception and delight spun on the porch of her grandparents’ house for the entertainment of all who were present. McKissack draws on those stories and those times for inspiration and setting in this collection of nine original tales that contain what she describes as “the essence of truth.” That truth no doubt lies in the follies and forces of human nature that reveal themselves in the actions of McKissack’s lively, colorful African American characters. Whether in control or at the mercy of often outrageous circumstance, they will delight readers and listeners with their wits and determination, and offer a few surprises along the way. Each story features a striking black-and-white illustration by Andr Carrilho. CCBC Category: Fiction for Children. 2006, Schwartz & Wade Books / Random House, 146 pages, $18.95 and $20.99. Ages 8-11.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 15))
The author of The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural (1992), illustrated by Brian Pinkney, mines a lighter vein with nine original tales that hark back to yarns from her Tennessee childhood. Opening with reminiscent scene-setters, all feature human "slicksters and tricksters" able to get what they want with charm, like con man Pete Bruce-who scores a generous portion of coconut cream pie from an undeceived cook-or despite bad reputations end up performing some worthy deed, as does chauffeur Lincoln Murphy, who excavates a prematurely buried employer. Other tales feature appearances from Frank and Jesse James, helping to rid sharecroppers of a white predator; from Ralph, king of the ghosts; and from the Devil himself, who makes a young musician the same so-tempting offer once made to bluesman Robert Johnson at a certain crossroads. Capped by blues harmonica player Cake Norris's two-part odyssey up and down the ladder to Heaven, these tales all lend themselves to telling or reading aloud, and carry the common theme that even the worst rascals have saving graces. (author's introduction) 2006, Schwartz & Wade/Random, 160p, $18.95. Category: Short stories. Ages 10 to 12. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jodi Kearns, Ph.D. (Library Media Connection, January 2007)
It became common to see-gathered on the porch of McKissack's grandparents' home in Nashville Tennessee-family, friends, and neighbors, and to hear hootin' and hollerin' at the retelling of homemade tall tales. Her family called them "porch lies" and this breed of story inspired generations of African-American children to become clever listeners so that they might themselves be able to spin a porch lie for the veranda cohort. This anthology of porch lies retells 10 stories inspired by these homespun yarns that were generally preserved for oral storytelling. Each story is introduced with a few sentences of background for characters, settings, and storytellers, and each is dedicated to the people who helped shape the stories from voice to print, some even by the original teller. A single caricatured b&w drawing complements each tale by properly capturing a still-frame summary. This collection is a sheer delight to read and could encourage teachers, students, and parents to imaginatively compose tales of a similar genre (i.e., oral and dramatic fabrication of wily characters) in the tradition of this family's porch lies. Recommended. 2006, Schwartz & Wade Books (Random House), 160pp., $18.95 hc. Ages 9 to 14.

Loretta Gaffney (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 2))
Turning to folklore and family storytelling as her inspiration for these original stories, McKissack offers ten humorous, often subversive tales featuring clever, silver-tongued protagonists, skilled at using their charm and their wits to get their way and to get out of trouble. Memorable characters include Pete Bruce, who tricks a baker into feeding him an entire coconut cream pie by questioning her culinary skills; Bukka Black, who pretends to be legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson in order to boost his career and finds himself in trouble when the Devil himself is fooled; Aunt Gran, who enlists the aid of outlaws Jesse and Frank James in order to stave off racist harassment; and Dooley, who wins a lying contest by telling the best (and possibly the shortest) lie ever told: “I aine never told no lie before.” Crackling dialogue fuels humorous plots, making this collection perfect for a classroom readaloud; the consistency of tone links stories across various frames and narrators. The collection would also make a great curricular tie-in with units on African-American history and folklore, or trickster tales generally—it would pair well, for example, with Julius Lester’s Uncle Remus retellings or with an examination of Coyote stories. Carrilho’s stylized digitally produced caricatures reflect the exaggerations of the stories themselves, and his affectionately broad draftsmanship adds a warm and familiar quality to the figures. Readers who loved The Dark Thirty (BCCB 12/92) will relish this similar mix of folklore, history, and expert storytelling. An author’s note explains the family tradition of tale telling on the front porch that inspired the collection and provided its title. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 146p., $20.99 and $18.95. Grades 4-8.