Carrie and her best friend Zora are both nine and living in Eatonville, Florida, an all-Black community, just after the turn of the twentieth century. Zora is convinced a quiet older man in their town has the power to transform into a killer gator. Her already active imagination is further fueled by a book of gator myths and lore, and she convinces Carrie and their friend Teddy to help her investigate. Then a homless Black man is found murdered. Is it the work of the killer gator, or something even more sinister? It’s Zora’s habit of listening in on adult conversations and asking questions that eventually helps her piece together what happened, which has nothing to do with magic or myth and everything to do with racism beyond the borders of their town. This swiftly paced story is spun from elements of the childhood of Zora Neale Hurston, who would grow up to become a masterful storyteller—something foreshadowed here. Clarification on fact versus fiction in the story would have been a welcome addition to the end matter about Hurston, which includes a brief biographical sketch as well as a timeline of her life and selected bibliography. But that doesn’t detract from this captivating mystery featuring terrifically appealing characters and a strong sense of place and time. (Ages 9–12)

Winner of the 2011 John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award!

Racial duplicity threatens an idyllic African American community in the turn-of-the-century South in a dazzling debut inspired by the early life of Zora Neale Hurston.

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.