Full Text Review(s)
"The storyteller’s voice is clear in this short, enticing anthology. Readers/listeners will be quickly drawn into the creepy (but not too creepy) tales, each of which shares a strong female protagonist. Tales of revenge, justice, survival, and salvation weave in the supernatural and the macabre in well-written entries ranging from five to 12 pages in length. Some characters, plots, or settings are based on old fables and handed-down stories adapted for a new audience. The only story that may not be appropriate for the younger end of the recommended age spectrum is "Rosie Hopewell," in which allusions to child and domestic abuse explain the justice a young girl (and her accomplice, who remains very much in the background) wreaks on her abusive father. The brevity of the tales makes this a perfect choice for reluctant readers, particularly girls, to read, and also a great read-aloud for teachers who don’t have much extra time to read to classes. Recommended."

"Gather around a fire somewhere to share these creepy tales of women rubbing against the netherworld. These eight original tales and retellings all possess the uncanny feeling common to new takes on familiar traditional motifs, and they are enlivened by a voice so penetrating that it seems to be in the room rather than just on the page. From beastly men who get their just deserts, to bold women who brook no sass from inhabitants of this world or the next, to lonely children who find playmates among the green world, the tales explore themes of justice, courage, betrayal, vengeance, love, and just plain spookiness. The most moving is "Sea Child," wherein a mother grieving for her drowned son hears the wail of a child over several nights; she finally finds a young mother who has not allowed her own death by drowning to prevent her from caring for her infant until someone from the living world heeds the baby’s call. Another mother protects her fortune from beyond the grave, ensuring that she find a female successor more worthy of its prize than her wastrel husband and son. Other tales find young girls taking care of business in various ways that usually result in the utterly just dispatch of their oppressors. While the focus of the stories is on strong women, there is no intrusive feminist message hampering the storytelling here—each of the tales finds its narrative arc naturally and without ideological coercion, with just a well-timed shiver here and there to let readers know that unseen hands of justice in the universe are not idle."

*"This collection of eight Gothic tales features strong and resourceful women and girls who take their fates in their own hands and mold their destinies through wit, courage, and intelligence. From the proud housekeeper in "Skulls and Bones, Ghosts, and Gold" to the dedicated sister in "Rubies," these protagonists will stop at nothing to right wrongs and serve justice. With the exception of the final tale, the stories are set in the past, enhancing the mysterious, moody, otherworldly tone that weaves from one selection to the next. Ghosts and spirits play major roles in these tales that are perfect for reading aloud on late, moonless nights. Del Negro’s strong storyteller’s voice is perfectly pitched; her conversational tone initially sets readers at ease and then delightfully startles them with perfect, sometimes shocking, conclusions. Readers will applaud for Rosie, who outlives her cruel father, and little Jane, who finds sanctuary and fantastical friendship in an enchanted garden. A comprehensive author’s note provides information about the traditional tales or folkloric motifs that appear in the selections. Natale’s full-page pencil illustrations add to the eerie mood. Gather all grannies, aunts, mothers, sisters, and daughters–and assemble the menfolk, too. This collection is sure to thrill all readers and listeners who appreciate spirited stories." STARRED REVIEW

*"You could read these seven tales alone to enjoy their spooky twists and turns, but it would be a shame. Del Negro’s mesmerizing storytelling begs to be shared aloud; its deceptive informality ("And even if you could make a pact with the devil—and I’m not saying that you can’t—"), dramatic timing, and challenge to figure out "what really happened" are sure to grab listeners. What was that cat that brought strawberries in November, strawberries that could force a rash promise to be kept ("The Bargain")? Who was stealing the milk from the doorstep of a bereaved mother ("Sea Child")? What befell the bully whose victim lived, in an otherwise ordinary neighborhood, in a mysterious, hedge-wrapped mansion ("Hide and Seek")? In a scrupulously detailed note, the author explains that these are "original tales or retellings based on traditional folkloric motifs," noting, for example, that "Rubies" is "very loosely based" on a ballad, versions of which can be found online at a site she "last accessed on October 31, 2006," while "The Severed Hand" closely resembles Joseph Jacobs’s "Mr. Fox." Natale’s full-page art is appropriately equipped with fierce visages, looming shadows, and grasping hands." STARRED REVIEW

"Written for telling aloud, these seven original tales or recast folktales range from a tender tale of two mourning mothers, only one of whom is alive, to an utterly terrifying version of the serial-killer tale "Mr. Fox." Natale’s art adds atmospheric touches."

"Including both original tales and retellings, this collection of seven stories (there’s one two-parter) features diverse female protagonists determinedly facing challenges and perils—from human bullies to ghosts. More eerie than scary, the tales of bravery, revenge, grief, and redemption share a gothic sensibility that emphasizes that things are not what they seem. In "Rosie Hopewell," for example, a folksy narrative is used to convey the frightening story of a girl who confronts her drunken dad for killing her kitten, after which he mysteriously disappears. In the more traditional, somewhat gory "The Severed Hand," a woman discovers her fiancé’s horrifying secret life and acts to save her own. The descriptive narratives relate the extraordinary events with almost casual straightforwardness, occasionally enhanced by repetition and punctuation. The black-and-white illustrations, though somewhat stock, evoke bygone times. Good for reading aloud to older children, the stories will add shivers to storytimes in the library, at home, or by the campfire."

"A slim volume of seven stories, ranging from shivery to downright chilling, meant to be told or read aloud. Del Negro uses traditional folklore motifs in these brief tales, but grounds them in precise language. There’s a version of "Mr. Fox" called "The Severed Hand" and an inventive use of The Green Man figure in the last story, "Hide and Seek." There, a mean girl called Little Debbie gets her scary comeuppance. In the "Sea Child," a mourning father rescues a lost babe with the help of its ghostly mother; in "Rosie Hopewell," a drunken and abusive fathers gets his due, possibly from a drowned kitten. The language is cadenced and carefully chosen, and Natale’s black-and-white illustrations are properly spectral and modestly elegant. Teens young and old will enjoy these gothic tales."