Summary: Herculeah Jones is a young private detective wanna be. As the daughter of both a police detective and a private detective, Herculeah can't help but get caught up in solving a good mystery. When Herculeah's private detective mom asks her to go to Hunt House to read to old Mr. Hunt, she can't imagine what mystery awaits for her to solve. She has heard rumors about Hunt House that her friends tell. Herculeah learns that Mr. Hunt is a stroke victim, so he can only answer "yes" or "no" with a blink or two blinks from his eyes. As Herculeah begins reading a scary story, a book Mr. Hunt chose, she realizes the book has the same black tower in the story that Mr. Hunt has attached to his house. Herculeah can tell that things are not quite right in the house. It is up to her to solve the mystery with her best friend Albert who goes my the name of "Meat." Check-out this book in your local library and help Herculeah solve the mystery of the black tower.
Citation:
Byars, B. (2006). The black tower. New York, NY:
Penguin Group.
My Impression: Herculeah Jones is a fun, like-able character who can't help but stick her young nose into a good mystery. Not to mention Herculeah's hair begins to frizzle when trouble is in the air. Hunt House makes the perfect setting as the mystery unfolds. Byars does an excellent job allowing the mystery to unfold without giving away too many details or being too predictable. Readers are sure to enjoy the edge-of-your-chair mystery that awaits them within the pages of The Black Tower.
Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal
"Gr 4-6 --Herculeah is back in another exciting adventure. Here, she is reading to her mother's friend, a lonely stroke victim who cannot speak, and becomes involved in a family feud and mystery involving money and murder. Against her friend Meat's better judgment, she keeps going back to the house and puts her own life in danger. A fast-paced plot and well-developed, likable characters keep readers turning pages. Fans of the series as well as those new to it will enjoy the suspense that Byars is so famous for building.
KEY: * excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre; Tr: Hardcover trade binding; RTE: Reinforced trade binding; PLB:Publisher's library binding; BD: Board Book; pap.: paperback; CIP: Cataloging in publication."
Tokarz, K. (2006, December 1). [Review of the book The black tower, by
B. Byars]. School Library Journal, 52(12), 35. Retrieved from http://
www.schoollibraryjournal.com
Booklist
"As usual, Byars wastes no time plunging Herculeah Jones into a new mystery, this one taking the girl sleuth to an old mansion with a dark tower that piques her curiosity. Best friend Meat, once again plays the comedic role of timorous but devoted sidekick, while the plot spins out in a series of increasingly suspenseful scenarios that lead the unstoppable Herculeah right into the arms of a villain. Kids need not have read previous adventures in this series to appreciate this one, which, like the others, delivers breathless adventure moderated by amiable comedy."
Zvirin, S. (2006, October 15). [Review of the book The black tower, by
B. Byars]. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/
Uses within the Library:
1. Build a Black Tower: Build your own black tower in your library using appliance boxes and smaller cardboard boxes. Have students write their own ending for the story and display their work around your own black tower for others to read. Create a display of all Herculeah Jones mysteries to encourage children to read others.
2. Book Challenge: Challenge students to read as many other Herculeah Jones mysteries within the month. For each story they read and summarize, the students receive a ticket to enter in a drawing for a prize. Find a local business or PTA willing to donate gift cards or other prizes to be given to the winners.
Book Cover: Book cover courtesy of the Mansfield Public Library.
Retrieved from http://www.mansfield-tx.gov/departments/library/
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