Advance Praise for Whistling Past the Graveyard:

“It’s not easy to keep such a young narrator convincing for more than 300 pages… author Crandall manages it well. Readers will take to Starla and be caught up in her story.”—Booklist

“Fans of … coming-of-age tales set in the 1960s such as Saving CeeCee Honeycutt will enjoy the ride.”—Publishers Weekly

“Starla . . . storms her way into your heart in a most unexpected way.”—Julie Borgan, Bookseller, Blue Willow Bookshop

“Little Starla has a problem, her sassy mouth put her in a situation from which she escapes after learning that life is not what you might wish it to be. Great setting in a south that is changing as America learns that work needs to be done to make life for all citizens what they want it to be.”—Catherine Carpenter, Bookseller, Cate’s Books & Stuff

“This amazing, uplifting, beautiful book and its unforgettable characters… evokes such an important time in this country and emphasizes our continuing need to keep moving forward in our humanity. I will hold Starla and Eula in my heart and mind for a long, long time.”— Debby Creasy, Bookseller, Pomegranate Books, Wilmington, NC

“Fall in love with spunky Starla Claudelle . . . This wonderful novel will be devoured by bookclubs and will cause every parent who finishes it to immediately find and hug their children.”—Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction

“Eula builds Starla’s confidence and self-worth and tells her a child is filled with gifts waiting to be found. I loved her innocence and humor . . . Her child point of view of life; things are either good or bad. I loved her spunk, sass and loyalty she has for the people in her life.”—Lisa, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I enjoyed this book tremendously! The story and the writing grabbed me from the beginning and kept my interest to the end. I have several friends who I know enjoy books with good psychological character development. The author made me care about Starla and the inner growth she experienced as part of her journey.”—Claire, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I can’t say enough how much I love this book and how deeply it touched me. To go along the journey through Starla’s eyes was truly remarkable. I feel like I want to read the book again right now because I enjoyed it that much. Bravo to Susan for writing such an amazing novel.”—Allison, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I think this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The story line and characters will stay with me and I will reflect back on them when I need strength. Susan is a gifted storyteller not just a writer.”—Debra, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“This book kept me captivated. The characters were likeable and Starla has a wonderful, distinct voice. There are also little nuggets of wisdom that were beautifully stated.”—Jayme, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I really enjoyed reading this book. The author manages to draw you into Starla’s world immediately and you can relate to her struggles to understand what is not understandable. The dialogue is smooth and realistic and the dialect feels authentic without being distracting. The characters were well-developed and we learned a lot about what made them the way they are . . . Starla’s innocent point of view and her realizations over time about the unfair world are very reminiscent of Scout in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Starla was such a spunky character, with her “red-rage” when encountering unfair situations and her need to be loved. As a reader, you just had to root for her and hope that things turn out right in the end.”—Deb, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD was a book that pulled out every emotion in me. I laughed and cried throughout the whole book. It was inspiring. I felt as though I could really see through Starla’s eyes. I was pained to feel the reality of how mean others could be and how Starla learned for herself how she felt. I was moved and proud to watch Eula start to come out of her shell after living such an abusive life. I read this book in two days because I could not put it done. —Kim, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

This book grabbed me from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put it down. The journey of the black woman who befriends the 9 year old Starla, as she is running away from her grandmother’s house and hoping to unite with her mother in Nashville, is heart wrenching, and a lovingly told story of bonds that tie people together as a family. —Carol, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I LOVED reading this book. I really looked forward to picking up the book during the day when I was forced to put it down. I was the same age as Starla in 1963, but unlike Starla I grew up in Southern California and had no idea at that time of the prejudice. I liked the character development and still find myself thinking of some of the characters long afterward …”—Judy, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I loved the character of Starla and I thought the book brought more of the racial hatred of the time into play. I thought that the book was even handed while dealing with the issue of racial prejudice, white for black and black for white. This book would make a good YA cross-over since the violence and sexual content was more implied than described.”—Sharon, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

I was pulled into the story from the very beginning. It is a heartbreaking and rewarding story at the same time.—Irene, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I really enjoyed it WHISTLING PAST THEY GRAVEYARD. I thought it was poignant and sweet. She captured Starla’s voice very well. Starla was a very believable and lovable character.”—Amber, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I felt the dialogue sounded authentic, the characters well-developed, the amount of suspense was just right and I loved Starla.—Jennie, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD was a great book filled with suspense and tons of twist and turns. At first I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it since it’s based around a little girl; however, the more I read the more I didn’t want to put it down. I love how the little girl let love and compassion win over discrimination. Fabulous book!!—Shawna, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I found the young heroine, Starla, to be captivating. She was so full of energy and driven toward her goal of finding her mother. Through all that happens to her on her journey, she discovers true love and friendship, and she learns a lot about herself.”—Christina, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

“I cried, I laughed, and I was angry at all the adults in Starla’s life that let her down and weren’t there. It took the most thinkable person, in the Deep South, and a black person at that to bring her love and to show her that there was nothing wrong with her.”—Jamie, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader

I was intrigued from the first paragraph to the last. Starla is an amazingly strong character in a time where children were to be obedient, no matter what, she found courage beyond her years.—Violet, Bookreporter.com Focus Group Reader