978-1-58838-105-7
1-58838-105-6
$12.95 paperback
5 3/8" x 8 3/8"
250 pages
Junebug Books |
. . . a little
like Huckleberry Finn. . . . it gives a taste of simple life in a South
that is long gone.
— St. Petersburg Times
Moore has written an appealing tale of countryside youthful
activities reflected by the author’s mature memory...Cracker’s
Mule may be enjoyed by good readers of the protagonist’s age. But
as Harry Potter has shown, a well-written work can attract an
adult audience. Moore’s book...will appeal to those who appreciate
reading about a time rich in Southern tradition.
—First Draft, the Journal of the Alabama Writers Forum
Cracker’s Mule is a sweet coming of age story suitable for young
adults as well as their parents.
—Southern Scribe
Moore has succeeded instead in creating something that’s simply a
pleasure to read. Half idyllic summer and half adventure, this is one
novel that will appeal to adults and children alike. Even kids who are
not currently interested in Southern history or country living will find
themselves quickly embroiled in Cracker’s tales of fishing, animals,
family, and community . . . Fans of other coming-of-age tales, such as
Huck Finn, A Horse and His Boy or Sounder will enjoy this
one as well. For a taste of a country summer and growing up Southern,
you can’t do much better than this one.
—www.needcoffee.com
Inspired by his own childhood, Billy Moore spins a folksy down-home
yarn about a boy's eleventh summer at his grandparents' farm and the
cantankerous and loveable characters who challenge and support his
emerging maturity. Following a livestock auction, the boy, Cracker,
takes home a stone-blind mule, opening this tale of misadventure which
includes a bull-headed dog, a duo of ornery mules plus the sightless,
"Mr. Sam." Told with an ear for old-timey repartee and
southern wit,Cracker's Mule is a fun read, filled with boyish
good humor and true grit.
—Rosemary Pendery, author of A Home for Hopper, a New
York Times Most Notable Book
A wonderful look back at the rural south of the 1950s. You will love
the narrator, Cracker. You'll even get attached to his mule, Mr. Sam. A
warmhearted story of an innocent time.
—Pat Cunningham Devoto, author of My Last Days as Roy Rogers and
Out of the Night That Covers Me
Cracker's Mule warmed my heart and took me back to a earlier
time. Good reading!
—Faye Gibbons, author of Some Glad Morning, Mighty Close to
Heaven, and King Shoes on Clown Pockets
Cracker’s Mule is not to be hurried through. It is a book for
savoring the rich experiences of an eleven-year old boy’s country
summer in 1950s Alabama. Cracker’s love for a spunky little red mule
that happens to be blind; his loyalty to a rascally bulldog named Ring;
his skill at outwitting green trout in the creek and cottonmouth
moccasins on the creek bank; and his growing understanding of his place
in family and community will appeal to all ages.
—Aileen Kilgore Henderson, author of The Summer of the Bonepile
Monster, winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature
& Alabama Library Association Award, The Monkey Thief, New
York Public Library Best Book for Teenagers, and Treasure of Panther
Peak, New York Public Library Best Book for Teenagers
Cracker’s Mule is a warm-hearted, richly textured story of a young
boy, Cracker, and his love for a blind mule, a faithful dog, and his
devoted, hard-working grandparents. Reminiscent of books like Cold
Sassy Tree, the novel vividly recreates a time, a place, and a way of
life—the rural south of the 1950’s. It is Cracker’s voice that
captivates the reader as he describes his own yearnings to move past
childhood to adulthood and observes the grown-ups around him with
honesty, tenderness, and humor.
—Marya Smith, author of Across the Creek and Winter Broken
During the polio scare of the 1950s a boy's parents send him for the
summer from his small-town Florida home to the refuge of his
grandparents' farm in rural Alabama. He settles into country
life with Papa and Bigmother. The locals nickname him Cracker,
after the term for Florida cowboys. One day he and Papa go to a
livestock auction and Papa lets him buy a small mule. The mule
turns out to be blind and Cracker must suffer ridicule while caring for
the animal he comes to love. Over the summer Cracker teaches the
mule to respond to his voice and together they learn to plow. The
summer passes with lazy days of fishing in the local creek mixed with
frightening episodes involving poisonous snakes. In this idyllic
setting, Cracker makes the transition from boy to young man.
about the author
Billy Moore is a native of Florida, but spent much of his youth on his
grandparents' farm near Opp, Alabama. He teaches history at South
Walton High School and Okaloosa Walton Community College. He is a
graduate of Mississippi State University and Rice University, where he
also studied novel writing and served as assistant football coach.
He and his wife, Dee, live in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. |
