Stone River Crossing

Review
By Booklist

“[Stone River Crossing] is a potent mix of history, folkways, and friendship, often wrapped in a gossamer web of magic realism. Tingle, a member of the Choctaw Nation, draws on the group’s own stories to spin a tale that begins slowly but builds and twists, until the tension and intensity will have readers at the edge of their chairs. Tingle does a particularly fine job depicting relationships. Lil Mo finds a wise yet funny "uncle" among the Choctaw, who helps him acclimate to a different way of life, while showing him how to see through new eyes. But other relationships are examined beyond the primary ones. Lil Mo has left behind a white friend, whose father, though one of the guards on the settlement, is not unsympathetic to Mo's family's plight. Even the maneuverings of the plantation owner are explored. The book soars, almost literally, when Lil Mo's soul is stolen by an Owl Man, a witch, whose dramatic machinations, along with those of other spirit-filled characters, give this an indelible glow.”