Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and other Wily Characters

by Patricia C. McKissack, André Carrilho (Illustrations)

Side-splittingly funny, spine-chillingly spooky, this companion to a Newbery Honor–winning anthology The Dark Thirty is filled with bad characters who know exactly how to charm.

From the author's note that takes us back to McKissack's own childhood when she would listen to stories told on her front porch... to the captivating introductions to each tale, in which the storyteller introduces himself and sets the stage for what follows... to the ten entertaining tales themselves, here is a worthy successor to McKissack's The Dark-Thirty. In "The Best Lie Ever Told," meet Dooley Hunter, a trickster who spins an enormous whopper at the State Liar's contest. In "Aunt Gran and the Outlaws," watch a little old lady slickster outsmart Frank and Jesse James. And in "Cake Norris Lives On," come face to face with a man some folks believe may have died up to twenty-seven different times!

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Folklore, Childrens, African American, Audiobook, Middle Grade

160 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2006

About the author

Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).

Reviews

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to me by the lovely Miss Bird when I was investigating our 398.2 in the library for my folklore unit. This was unique- in art and tales alike- but not like... gripping.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this 2006 beauty tucked away on our library shelves and I took it home to see if the stories inside were engaging enough to bring back the age old art of storytelling on the porch before electronics..this story is a loveletter to those times--when all that existed was long-winded old people with nothing but time on their hands to construct something to delight and enjoy those listening...
Overall there are about ten stories overall and two that I really feel stand out:

When Uncle Pete Bruce Came To Town--this was a true slickster tale that was about four pages long and told of a man with a sly tongue that came to town one day playing games..

Change--this one I could see being told around the table somewhere as a semi-true story and I could actually see someone trying this..its all about a $100 dollar bill and how breaking that bill down became super complicated and ultimately a great story..

The other ones I won’t really comment on but will say that they taught me about storytelling and passing down wisdoms and laughter to overcome adversity and hard times...Its short enough to finish in a day but also just enough and there are some beautiful illustrations..Will have to pull this one off the shelves a little more it’s a treasure.

[Christine Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Late elementary

Format: Audio Book (Unabridged)

Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2007), Notable Books of the English Language Arts (2007)

This collection of trickster tales, inspired by African American oral traditions, are recreated by the author, who remembers the tales being told years ago on her grandparents front porch. The book is read by three African American narrators, two female and one male, who create colorful and lively representational voices for the friends, family, and neighbors who stop by to spin an entertaining tale. Enjoyable and amusing storytelling!

[Ashley Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid. Telling porch lies was one of the first things I lost in my grandparents’ struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. This book brought it all back. I can’t remember the stories about the devils and katydids but these stories make me feel so close to them. Truly another classic from this author.

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A set of ten fun stories from the wonderful Patricia McKissack. The kids loved every one, but the last, a two-parter, Cake Norris Lives On, was probably our favorite. McKissack is a master at weaving hilarity and interesting historic details into her narratives, and these stories are no exception.

[Megan Horkavy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun and flavor! So glad I read this juvenille story collection as one of my Black History Month choices. It has been on my shelf for a year, and now I know that I am glad it is in my collection. The illustrations and the short stories, or "porch lies", were a perfect coupling.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a charming, lovely put-together of folk tales. It was an absolute joy to read. I love reading it over and over and over again.

[Zenobia Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me cracking up. I really enjoyed these stories.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of trickster tales inspired by African-American storytelling traditions. A good choice for reading aloud to a classroom (grades 2-4) during a folktale section.

[KM Turnage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic creating memories of simpler times.

[Vanessa Dargain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of depression-era tall tales that remind me of Mark Twain's
classic carpetbagger short stories . But the language of these tales are more easier to read and understand than UNCLE REMUS' pidgin english .
Good read aloud book . Lots of snickering guaranteed .

[Jessica LeBaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and other Wily Characters
Patricia C. McKissack
This chapter book is full of fictional stories that are based on the stories the author was told by her elders. The stories are written so that they embody the myths, legends, heroes, and spiritual and social beliefs of the African American culture. Each “porch lie” is about a character that is clever and witty, and not the best person, but the stories are spun so that they are entertaining and memorable. The stories also have background information about each fictional character before the story itself begins, which really draws in the reader. The stories and the characters within them are all founded on family and friend relationships.
I enjoyed these stories, and I feel like they introduced a lot of African American culture. However, I didn’t really like that the people in the stories are all considered to be bad, because I don’t think it paints a good picture for African American people. I think it could get some people thinking that the people within this culture are bad, depending on their previous beliefs to reading this book as well as the beliefs of their families, elders, and peers. The stories were also pretty long and winding, which may make them seem daunting for the reader. As a reader, I would have wanted to know more about the author's experiences with her family's stories, instead of the fictional stories based on the fictional stories that she was told as a child. It makes me wonder how similar her stories are compared to the ones that she was told.

[Michaela George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Critique:This book hold a collection of different tales all comprised into one book. These tales incorporate the author’s perspective to how the tales were told, but then goes into further detail of the story. This is a captivating book that hooks the reader into the tales. The story includes humor, wit and a little bit of life lessons learned along the way. The Tales all have a meaning behind it and a lesson to be learned in the end. These are great types of books that you can read in your classroom. Having these tales that you could read each day is a great daily activity. All of the tales have lessons that you could talk about after.


The book starts out with memories from the past being told on the front porch of a family in the south, where African American history is shared. While there is some exaggeration to the stories since it is coming from the author’s memory, these stories are very detailed and put together well. One story that really stood out to me was the memory of them on the porch listening to the radio on the game where the first African American was playing in the MLB. And of course we all know that is the famous Jackie Robinson. While this specific criteria is rather harsh, these tales do prove the famous stories of African American people that overcame huge obstacles and proved the world wrong.

[Alex Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and other Wily Characters is a book full of a collection of stories the author's grandparents told about the past. Many of them may be true or they may just be tall-tales. The tales are mostly about african american people, and they hold a little bit of history in them. Some of them are really humorous. I think this is a good book for 5th grade and up, or it would be great for parents and kids to read at night as a family. Some of it was confusing for me because I didn't know if it was the author actually speaking or the main character of the whole book when the words were italicized. Also each of the stories seemed to have a different child listening to what is being told so that was confusing for me. This book holds pieces of African American culture in it. There were also lessons in each of the different stories. The illustrations were kind of different, but I found them entertaining also. I think children will find the stories and the illustrations to be funny.

[Elizabeth McQuillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read aloud with my kids, both for laughs and some discussion of morals. I could imagine sitting on the porch hearing the old folks talking! Also enjoyed the book on CD during a road trip.

[Anna Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories based on the myths, legends and historical figures that appear in the African American oral tradition. The book allows readers to think about the tales they may know that were handed down in their families through generations. The book goes through many different peoples stories and shows that not everyone will have the same experiences even if they are from the same culture. The book has a prominent theme of relationships, whether it is family, friends or a significant other. Its shows that everyone has a history and everyone can make an unlikely friend. This book can help spark the interest of young readers to look into African American cultures and the history behind it because it is a fun and interesting way to present the information. I really enjoyed reading all of the short stories, and this book could easily be integrated into an African American unit in a class.

[Tom M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a somewhat tricky book to rate. On the one hand, I love good storytelling through different voices in an audio book. The readers for "Porch Lies" do a wonderful job giving distinct personalities to each of the parts they voice. McKissack's stories of tricksters and other colorful characters are each fun, with dips & dives & twists & turns. In short, they're each well read and fun to listen to.

The downside, for me, was in the writing of some of these stories. The stories had many off points for me, moments where the writing just didn't hang together well or where the story did an odd, unexplained tangent or something that just didn't make logical sense to me. In this regard, the stories almost felt transcribed rather than skillfully written.

Still, entertainment won out through the fourth (out of five) starts that I gave this audio book.

[Mallori Allphin]

Patricia C. McKissack’s collection of entertaining short stories about “porch lies”, or tall tales filled with exaggeration told from various people from her past, are gathered into this charming and thoroughly entertaining book. Each rendition is introduced in first person from the way the author remembers it being told, and then takes off into the tale itself. These stories are humorous and witty, and are sure to have any reader hooked. This book could be used in the classroom for several different lesson plans. Many students have a role model that could be a parent or grandparent that makes up stories to tell them. They could share with the class their favorite story and why and even come up with their own story to take home and tell their family. This book sparks student’s imagination. It is important to create creativity inside a classroom so that students keep an open mind.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whippoorwills, lightning bugs, and homemade peace ice cream trigger memories of my childhood summers spent at my grandparents' house in Nashville, Tennessee....Skipping up five steps placed me in my favorite spot—the porch swing. There I could read for hours or listen to someone tell a story about sneaky foxes or things that went bump in the night.

"Pete Bruce was the worst somebody who ever stood in shoes."

"Ma'am, I do believe you got Miz Opal Mary beat by a country mile."

"Boy, don't you know you can't b'lieve everything a honky-tonk woman tells you?"

[Rll52013_andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wholly original and definitely filling in a gap between more traditional trickster tales of the south like Uncle Remus' Tales and more modern-day fare. The more modern setting is very clear and the illustrations really accentuate the unique flavor of the stting and storytelling. I had no idea these were an outgrowth and continuation of "The Dark Thirty." I love how she sets up her characters and setting and builds suspense for each very believable tall tale!! They also have an urban legend type of style!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories, or Porch Lies, which the author created based on the tall tales she heard as a child. Each story is engaging, most are funny and all were unique (at least to me!)My favorite was Aunt Gran and the Outlaws- a tale which features a surprisingly cunning old woman who comes face to face with Frank and Jesse James. This book would make great bedtime reading stretched out over a few days. And the audio makes for great family listening.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection of stories! "Porch lies" is McKissack's term for stories and tall tales told while lounging on the porch of an evening. My favorite was the one about Aunt Gran and the James brothers, but they were all good. I don't recall much being made of this book when it came out, which is a shame, because it's really good.
She does know how to spin a yarn! Recommended for a readaloud on the porch.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled across this book is a box of books a friend was getting rid of and I am LOVING it. They are stories told in the tradition of African-American storytelling or "porch lies"...basically tall tales. They are so fun...you feel like you are sitting on a porch swing, sipping lemonade, listening to the crickets come out and being wrapped up in an excellent story!

P.S. Finished the last book...loved it from start to finish! Great storytelling!

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

So...I wanted to love it more and....it's probably my fault I didn't. I listened to it in the car. The readers/performers were terrific! The stories are terrific. I'm glad I know a little more about "po'ch lies!" However, I guess it's just my own attention span...I couldn't get lost in these stories. I have the same problem when I listen to some story tellers live. You would think that a shorter story would keep me occupied, but I struggle.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love McKissack's books, they are always fun, interesting and well written. This one is one of my favorites. The tales vary in tone,some are funny, some are scary, some are thoughtful. All are excellent. Think of it as a Hershel series for African Americans and you've got the idea. (Hershel is a legendary folktale character in Jewish folklore)

[Alixis Waltrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Porch Lies is a book based on African American folk tales. The author used some porch stories she heard growing up and tweaked them into her own fun and creative stories. There funny tricksters and also some good moral lessons behind each porch lie. I enjoyed reading the stories the author created!

[Desiree Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I've read it numerous times!! It's a great book to read by yourself to children. Each tale has a lesson to be learned. I highly recommend it.

Great book! I've read it numerous times!! It's a great book to read by yourself to children. Each tale has a lesson to be learned. I highly recommend it