Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner 2011!
Endorsed by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust
Whether she's telling the truth or stretching it, Zora Neale Hurston is
a riveting storyteller. Her latest creation is a shape-shifting gator
man who lurks in the marshes, waiting to steal human souls. But when
boastful Sonny Wrapped loses a wrestling match with an elusive alligator
named Ghost -- and a man is found murdered by the railroad tracks soon
after -- young Zora's tales of a mythical evil creature take on an
ominous and far more complicated complexion, jeopardizing the peace and
security of an entire town and forcing three children to come to terms
with the dual-edged power of pretending. Zora's best friend, Carrie,
narrates this coming-of-age story set in the Eden-like town of
Eatonville, Florida, where justice isn't merely an exercise in
retribution, but a testimony to the power of community, love, and pride.
A fictionalization of the early years of a literary giant, this
astonishing novel is the first project ever to be endorsed by the Zora
Neale Hurston Trust that was not authored by Hurston herself.
Also includes:
*an annotated bibliography of the works of Zora Neale Hurston
*a short biography of Zora Neale Hurston
*a timeline of Zora Neale Hurston's life
It is with sheer genius that Bond and Simon have created something for
readers young and old -- there are familiar references, like the
'Brazzles, ' for true Zora-philes, as well as revelatory and wondrous
information for those readers as yet uninitiated in the masterful
storytelling of Zora Neale Hurston. This is a grand and accessible work
that educates, informs, and entertains, and one that I am personally
grateful was written for all of us. --Lucy Anne Hurston, niece of Zora
Neale Hurston
