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. (Ages 8–11)

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!