THE DARK THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

THE DARK THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL by Patricia C. McKissack. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

Celebrating Black History Month can take on many different forms. You can focus on important points in history, read biographies, study art, music, sports, etc. I happened to come across a book of ghost stories that I picked up for something different.

The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack is a Newbery Honor Book. Named for the thirty minutes before dark sets in and the ghosts come out, this book is a collection of your typical specter sightings generally because of abuse in life. Stories of runaway slaves, KKK, denying passage on a bus on a freezing night are some of the beginnings of these ghostly tales. Overall I found them to be tingly for the age group but not gory. However, there is one that gave me a red flag. I draw a line between ghosts and evil spirits. One story, entitled The Gingi, is about a lady who brings home a small statue that is inhabited by a very evil witch. All kinds of strange things start happening in her home. She uses a talisman to try and protect her family. This definitely pushed me too far. I don't believe in ghosts, because I believe in once dead always dead - soul goes to either Heaven or Hell. However, I very much believe in spiritual warfare around us which has a very evil side and a very clear good side. That would be my difference between them!