Tim Tingle

Book of the Year in the Popular Culture category Finalist and Storytelling World Award WinnerIn the Native American tradition, a strong connection exists between the spirit world and the natural world. What happens in one has direct and often reciprocal impact on the other. In this collection, Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle draws from the rich heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes - the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations - and brings tales from the spirit world into our world. These spine-tingling stories not only entertain but provide a window into the native customs and beliefs of these still-vital communities. In "Eagle Slayer," calamity befalls a Cherokee village when one member violates tradition. The Seminole story "Hungry for Meat" illustrates the premium the once-migratory people place on respecting the remains of the dead - and the penalty for doing otherwise. And the Creek story "Two Friends" takes a horrifying twist on the teaching that we be true to ourselves: trying to be something else violates the natural order and brings a lifetime of pain and isolation. Owls, rabbits, deer, eagles - all of these spirits and more are here, shifting shapes in dizzying sequence and illuminating the values, beliefs, hopes and fears still embraced by the Five Civilized Tribes. These Native American stories will teach readers the importance of courage, resourcefulness and respect.

American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor - American Indian Library AssociationSaltypie is the sweet taste of Choctaw tears in this powerful picture-book memoir.Bee stings on the backside That was just the beginning. Tim was about to enter a world of the past, with bullying boys, sharp stones, and Indian spirits of long ago. But they were real spirits, real stones, very real memories.... In this deeply moving, beautifully illustrated family saga, Choctaw author and storyteller Tim Tingle describes his childhood and how he discovered his grandmother's painful history--from her orphan days at an Indian boarding school to hardships encountered in her new home on the Gulf Coast. But throughout these struggles, she kept her quiet, funny laugh and the love of family that held all the Tingles together. Tingle says, "Stories of modern Indian families rarely grace the printed page. Long before I began writing, I knew this story must be told." Seen through the innocent eyes of a young boy, Saltypie is the story of one family's efforts to honor the past while struggling to gain a foothold in modern America.

Everything is looking great for Bobby Byington and his best friend Cherokee Johnny as their high school basketball team prepares for an important game. But just when things seem to be going really well, someone tries to take the life of Cherokee Johnny's father. Bobby is determined to help his friend's family but feels useless until he gets some ingenious ideas that can aid the police. When the night of the big game arrives, Johnny and his family are allowed out of hiding so he can play. The action on the court provides a riveting backdrop for this suspense-filled adventure.

From the award-winning author of How I Became a Ghost, a tale of unlikely friendship and miracles. When Martha Tom helps Lil Mo and his family escape from the plantation across the river, it's just the beginning of a Choctaw adventure of a lifetime.Martha Tom knows better than to cross the Bok Chitto River to pick blackberries. The Bok Chitto is the only border between her town in the Choctaw Nation and the slave-owning plantation in Mississippi territory. The slave owners could catch her, too. What was she thinking? But crossing the river brings a surprise friendship with Lil Mo, a boy who is enslaved on the other side. Then Lil Mo discovers that his mother is about to be sold and the rest of his family left behind. But Martha Tom has the answer: cross the Bok Chitto and become free. Crossing to freedom with his family seems impossible with slave catchers roaming, but then there is a miracle--a magical night where things become unseen and souls walk on water. By morning, Lil Mo discovers he has entered a completely new world of tradition, community, and ... a little magic. But as Lil Mo's family adjusts to their new life, danger waits just around the corner. In an expansion of his award-winning picture book Crossing Bok Chitto, acclaimed Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle offers a story that reminds readers that the strongest bridge between cultures is friendship.

Ten-year-old Isaac, now a ghost, continues to follow his people as they walk the Choctaw Trail of Tears headed to Indian Territory in what will one day become Oklahoma. There have been surprises aplenty on their trek, but now Isaac and his three Choctaw comrades learn they can time travel. The foursome heads back in time to 1824 and Washington, D.C., to bear witness for Choctaw Chief Pushmataha who has come to the nation's capital at the invitation of his dear friend Andrew Jackson not knowing a deadly trap has been laid.

After Bobby Byington's unforgettable winning high-school season, Coach Robison recruits Choctaw players from several communities to play in a summer league. Coach selects the Panther as the team's mascot, saying, "To many Choctaws, young and old, the Panther is an elder watching over us, helping us when we are in need." As the team gels and moves to the national tournament, they find out they are up against more than other basketball teams. They must deal with racist taunts and unfair sportsmanship on the court. The situation comes to a head when, on the eve of a key game against a bullying opponent, two Choctaw players are arrested for robbery. Never doubting their innocence, Coach Robison asks, "Who can we trust, and how can we find the truth?"

Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold short story collection--written by some of the best children's authors including Kwame Alexander, Meg Medina, Jacqueline Woodson, and many more and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books--celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. "Will resonate with any kid who's ever felt different--which is to say, every kid." --Time Great stories take flight in this adventurous middle-grade anthology crafted by ten of the most recognizable and diverse authors writing today. Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander delivers a story in-verse about a boy who just might have magical powers; National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson spins a tale of friendship against all odds; and Meg Medina uses wet paint to color in one girl's world with a short story that inspired her Newbery award-winner Merci Su rez Changes Gear. Plus, seven more bold voices that bring this collection to new heights with tales that challenge, inspire, and celebrate the unique talents within us all. AUTHORS INCLUDE: Kwame Alexander, Kelly J. Baptist, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Pe a, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, Jacqueline Woodson "There's plenty of magic in this collection to go around." --Booklist, Starred "A natural for middle school classrooms and libraries." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred "Inclusive, authentic, and eminently readable." --School Library Journal, Starred "Thought provoking and wide-ranging . . . should not be missed."--Publishers Weekly, Starred "Read more books by these authors." --The Bulletin, Starred

A Choctaw boy tells the story of his tribe's removal from the only land his people had ever known, and how their journey to Oklahoma led him to become a ghost--one with the ability to help those he left behind.

"The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time we spoke of Skullyville." Thus begins Rose Goode's story of her growing up in Indian Territory in pre-statehood Oklahoma. Skullyville, a once-thriving Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the arson on New Year's Eve, 1896, of New Hope Academy for Girls. Twenty Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped. She is blessed by the presence of her grandmother Pokoni and her grandfather Amafo, both respected elders who understand the old ways. Soon after the fire, the white sheriff beats Amafo in front of the town's people, humiliating him. Instead of asking the Choctaw community to avenge the beating, her grandfather decides to follow the path of forgiveness. And so unwinds this tale of mystery, Indian-style magical realism, and deep wisdom. It's a world where backwoods spiritualism and Bible-thumping Christianity mix with bad guys; a one-legged woman shop-keeper, her oaf of a husband, herbal potions, and shape-shifting panthers rendering justice. Tim Tingle--a scholar of his nation's language, culture, and spirituality--tells Rose's story of good and evil with understanding and even laugh-out-loud Choctaw humor.Tim Tingle, responding to a scarcity of Choctaw literature, began interviewing tribal elders in the early '90s. His collection Walking the Choctaw Road was the Oklahoma Book of the Year. Tingle's children's book, Crossing Bok Chitto, garnered over twenty state and national awards, including Best Children's Book from the American Indian Library Association, and was an Editor's Choice in the New York Times Book Review.

The fearsome Chupacabra stalks the desert valley, while a grandson wanders far from the ranch. The woman who s just moved to the neighborhood wears strange sunglasses after dark. What could be behind them? A man picks up a hitchhiker only to discover that his passenger is not human. Kids of all ages will find chills and thrills in these tales of the weird, the macabre, and the mysterious, all collected from the lore and legends of the Lone Star State. In addition to Skinwalker, the authors most requested school concert story, this new volume adds spine-tingling twists on the account of La Llorona, the weeping woman, said to be the world s best-known ghost; the classic tale The Money s Paw; the story of The Screaming Banshee Cattle of the Night Swamp, and seven others. Told with humor and lively modern-day detail, these renderings by veteran storytellers not only please and entertain but preserve a wealth of folklore from a culturally diverse region of the country."