Ozark Ghost Stories

By: Richard Young - editor, Judy Dockrey Young - editor

Narrated by: Richard Young, Judy Dockrey Young

Length: 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Scary stories help children face fear and master it, by portraying the elements of conflict in clear, good-versus-evil terms with good triumphant in the end. This appeals to the strong moral sense of children.

Parents are sometimes concerned that violence or gore in scary stories will be bad for children. This is not so; they provide hope through happy endings, and offer the child both positive and negative examples of behavior. With their imaginary violence, scary stories teach moral principles, good social behavior, courage, heroism, and hope.

The stories is in this collection include: "Old Raw Head", "Frozen Charlotte", "Mary Calhoun", "Blood in the Root Cellar", "Old Walleyes", "Pennywinkle!", and "Vanishing Rider."

For Adults and Young Adults

©1992 Richard Alan Young and Judy Dockrey Young (P)1992 August House Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The Youngs' stories accurately reflect the culture they are derived from and offer the hearer a vivid picture of that culture." (Teresa Pijoan, Storyteller)

Stories are hit and miss

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. About half the stories aren't very good, but they're told in such an overly dramatic way that I listened to them anyway.

a blast from my past!

I have been searching for this audiobook for the longest! I used to listen to it when it was just a cassette tape at my library. I was a small child the last time I heard these stories. These brought me back. They were lovely.

Where's the rest?

There's more to the book. Where's the rest of the stories from the hard copy?

Good ol’ ghost stories

i was raised near the ozarks so these stories were like a trip home. the performances were spot on with the area’s accent. the stories are traditional soundin’. i highly recommend this collection for those that aren’t familiar with the hill country style and verse. the stories are tame compared to modern stories but that doesn’t take a single lick of bite from ‘em! check it out!

Autumn Stories

Another perenial favorite of our little autumnal addicted family. These stories are slightly different from your usual "ghost" stories because there is a lot of the Ozarks flavor in them. They are enchanting. The short story format is perfect for keeping children occupied in the car while running errends. The writing is crisp and vivid. The narration is transporting, you can smell the woodsmoke and hear the rustling of the wind in the trees. I would definitely recommend this story.

Interesting Stories

Interesting stories from the Ozarks. Most of these I heard while growing up, but still enjoyed listening to them again.

Great listen-classic

Remember listening to this with my sisters as a child, so eerily spooky and I love the narration! Takes me back!

old memories

I know Richard and Judy, and as always their voices took me back to SDC

I'm a grown man.

I haven't heard anything original since I was a kid. This was great. The end.

Nostalgia

I used to listen to this audiobook as a child, on summer vacations to Arkansas from North Carolina. It brings me back to shivering under my blankets in a wooden cabin, thinking about the thing in the potato cellar, unable to sleep, even next to the crackling fire. My siblings and I used to murmur "Pennywinkle" to unsettle each other.