Salvation of Miss Lucretia, The

Ted and Poudlum #4

by Ted M. Dunagan

In Ted Dunagan's The Salvation of Miss Lucretia , young friends Ted and Poudlum continue their friendship despite the racial divide in the rural segregated South of the 1940s. On a trip to the forest where they plan to train their dogs, they stumble upon Miss Lucretia, the last of the voodoo queens.

The boys fear, but later befriend Miss Lucretia, who teaches them secrets such as how to walk on fire. She also reveals that she was the granddaughter of the last slave born in Africa and brought to the United States illegally. Ted and Poudlum decide to bring Miss Lucretia out of the forest, until the arrival of Miss Lucretia's nephew, Cudjo Lewis III, who has his own selfish reasons for keeping his aunt hidden.

Through a series of adventures, Ted and Poudlum resolve to follow their own unique moral compasses and do what's right despite the pressures of the time in which they live.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Ted M. Dunagan was born in 1943 in rural southwestern Alabama. He attended Georgia State University, and served for three years in the Army as a member of the 101st Airborne Division and Special Forces Training Group. Dunagan is now retired after a career in the cosmetics and fragrance industry. He writes features and columns for The Monticello News in Monticello, Georgia, where he lives with his wife.

Dunagan is a two-time Georgia Author of the Year Award winner in the young adult category: in 2009 for his debut novel, A Yellow Watermelon, and in 2011 for Secret of the Satilfa. A Yellow Watermelon also earned a spot on the inaugural 25 Books Every Young Georgian Should Read list compiled by the Georgia Center for the Book.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1940s rural segregated Alabama, The Salvation of Miss Lucretia is an enjoyable read that reminds the reader of The Hardy Boys and Tom Sawyer. Ted and Poudlum are two young boys one white and one black who set off into the woods to train their squirrel hounds in preparation for hunting season. They hope to earn some money using their dogs to guide hunters in the fall. They set out with their families' permission and the warning to stay away from the part of the woods where Miss Lucretia the voodoo queen lives. The first hazard they encounter is an enormous timber rattler that they kill in self defense. Unbeknownst to the boys, Miss Lucretia considered that rattlesnake to be her property. From that point on the suspense and action mount as the boys are kidnapped, escape, are trapped in a pit, escape, are kidnapped again by a second party, escape and finally win out over the bad guy.

They also befriend and restore the voodoo queen to a respectable life in society. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next in the series.