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The Witches of Moonlight Ridge
Second book in the Moonlight Ridge Series follows the adventures of Lily Claire Nash and her cousin, Willie T. Nock, two precocious children in the woods of 1950s Alabama. Ghosts, hauntings, scary tales told 'round the evening fire, witches, and famous legends weave a story of mystery, romance, and tragedy.
181 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2016
2 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Ramey Channell
8 books37 followersRamey Channell is an author, poet, and artist, who was born in a small Alabama town, grew up in the magical backwoods of 1950s rural Alabama, and began writing poetry and short stories at an early age. Ramey's published works include three southern fiction novels in The Moonlight Ridge Series, the children's picture book "Mice from the Planet Zimlac," and numerous short stories in award-winning collections and journals.
Ramey is the youngest of three sisters, and she inherited her love of poetry, literature, and creative writing from her grandmother, mother, and older sisters. She inherited her foolishness and artistic talent from her father.
"I am infinitely grateful for everything I learned from the mountain folk who made up my family and community, and the animals who were our constant companions. I can't stop writing about the surprising magic and mystery of the world I was born into."
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 17, 2016
In this long-awaited second book in Ramey Channell's Moonlight Ridge series, Lily Clare Nash and her cousin and best friend Willie T. Nock, return to solve the mystery of the the Three Wayward Sisters who live out on Moor's Gap Road above Moonlight Ridge. This southern author's story-telling skills are some of the best in the literary world today. Her language is lyrical and alive. The characters are compelling and oftentimes funny. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
August 17, 2018
The setting of Moonlight Ridge is a pervading force in this charming novel. It’s a believable setting, filled with loving parents and happy, adventurous children. But it’s also a mysterious land of ruins, a magical forest, witches, sinister lawmen, KKK, monsters, all swirling in history, legends, and myths that its characters can almost reach out and touch.
The timeline of the story is also important in that the tale unfolds back in the 1950s in a Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn kind of world when parents didn’t hover over their children and
think it necessary that every movement of their children be somehow supervised. An example is when the grandmother prepared a picnic lunch for the children and told them to go find the cat, knowing they would be wandering the woods all day. I’m not sure this could happen today, and I can almost hear readers wonder “where are the parents?”
The first-person narrator, Lily Claire, is a young girl. She’s convincing in her narrative and the wonder she finds in the world around her. She is drawn so deftly that at no time does the author intrude on Lily’s story. Her sidekick is her cousin, Willie T. All of the characters are sharply drawn, and the dialogue artfully rendered so as to project regionalism without implying ignorance. My favorite character, and the most complex member of the cast, is Erskine Batson, the garbage man/reluctant school teacher who falls in love with the beautiful witch, Evy.
A delightful and charming story for the young reader as well as certain seventy-two year old men who enjoy a little magic mixed with memories of a rural childhood.
The timeline of the story is also important in that the tale unfolds back in the 1950s in a Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn kind of world when parents didn’t hover over their children and
think it necessary that every movement of their children be somehow supervised. An example is when the grandmother prepared a picnic lunch for the children and told them to go find the cat, knowing they would be wandering the woods all day. I’m not sure this could happen today, and I can almost hear readers wonder “where are the parents?”
The first-person narrator, Lily Claire, is a young girl. She’s convincing in her narrative and the wonder she finds in the world around her. She is drawn so deftly that at no time does the author intrude on Lily’s story. Her sidekick is her cousin, Willie T. All of the characters are sharply drawn, and the dialogue artfully rendered so as to project regionalism without implying ignorance. My favorite character, and the most complex member of the cast, is Erskine Batson, the garbage man/reluctant school teacher who falls in love with the beautiful witch, Evy.
A delightful and charming story for the young reader as well as certain seventy-two year old men who enjoy a little magic mixed with memories of a rural childhood.
September 26, 2017
Lilly Claire and Willie T are back, running around their mountain with their imaginations flying ahead in this perfect Halloween companion. Warnings to stay away from an abandoned stagecoach station because there have been strange happenings and sightings on Moonlight Ridge act as a magnet for the children and away they go! What they encounter there could be echoes of
legend, ghosts, witches. Or could it be real?
legend, ghosts, witches. Or could it be real?
October 11, 2017
This very Southern story is told from the viewpoint of two fourth graders. Willie T. and Lillie C. were born on the same day and are best friends. This is the tale of their adventures living in the Alabama mountains. The author draws on superstitions and colloquial beliefs and sayings from the past- I'm guessing the 1930s? Willie and Lillie become interested in archeology as a result of a lesson in school by their new teacher, twenty-year-old garbage man turned educator Erskine Batson.
The teacher they had looked forward to having broke her leg. The principal Mr. Voles, dragged Erskine in literally off the street and made him their teacher because Erskine had a year of college education. To say that Erskine's curriculum and teaching methods are unusual is an understatement. The twosome's interest in archeology leads them to exploring the ruins of an old stage coach inn. They build a secret fort there. They see the dark figure of a ghost that reminds them of the local story reminiscent of Alfred Noyes's "The Highway Man." They frequently encounter Erskine in that vacinity and he and the children become friends. In addition to the The story continues with much humor and mystery as the children discover the truth behind the ghost and other stories of inhabitants in the woods covering the mountains. (There is also a tornado and a mysterious snow storm)
The teacher they had looked forward to having broke her leg. The principal Mr. Voles, dragged Erskine in literally off the street and made him their teacher because Erskine had a year of college education. To say that Erskine's curriculum and teaching methods are unusual is an understatement. The twosome's interest in archeology leads them to exploring the ruins of an old stage coach inn. They build a secret fort there. They see the dark figure of a ghost that reminds them of the local story reminiscent of Alfred Noyes's "The Highway Man." They frequently encounter Erskine in that vacinity and he and the children become friends. In addition to the The story continues with much humor and mystery as the children discover the truth behind the ghost and other stories of inhabitants in the woods covering the mountains. (There is also a tornado and a mysterious snow storm)
September 18, 2018
"The Witches of Moonlight Ridge" is a charming and delightful southern tale. This is the sequel to the hilarious and surprising "Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge." Autumn has arrived and Lily Claire and her cousin Willie T. are excited about starting fourth grade. They are happy that their teacher is the lovable and jolly Miss Tomkins. Sadly, a week after school begins, tragedy strikes. Miss Tomkins suffers a fall, breaks her hip, and is unable to teach. However, Miss Tomkins' successor, Erskine Batson, the driver of the Eden garbage truck, is a fascinating replacement, and for Lily Claire and Willie T., not all of his lessons into the strange and mysterious stop in the classroom. At an ancient , deserted inn, Lily Claire, Willie T., and Erskine experience bizarre and inexplicable events that have them believing the place is haunted. But what is haunting the old ruins and the woods around them? Ghosts or witches?
"The Witches of Moonlight Ridge" is a surprising, entertaining southern novel. The author's knowledge of the mountains and the superstitions of its people give this story an eerie and mysterious aura that charms the reader and lulls them into believing the inexplicable. With its spooky ambiance, it is the perfect book to curl up with on a dark windy night. All the characters are fully developed, multi-faceted, and complex. Erskine Batson is a prime example, quoting Shakespeare, Pythagoras, and Euclid during the week, then picking up garbage for the town of Eden on the weekends. This is a sensational novel that will enchant and delight readers of all ages. If you have enjoyed Earl Hamner's "The Waltons," Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," or if you read "The Bobbsey Twins" as a child, you'll be a fan of "Witches of Moonlight Ridge."
"The Witches of Moonlight Ridge" is a surprising, entertaining southern novel. The author's knowledge of the mountains and the superstitions of its people give this story an eerie and mysterious aura that charms the reader and lulls them into believing the inexplicable. With its spooky ambiance, it is the perfect book to curl up with on a dark windy night. All the characters are fully developed, multi-faceted, and complex. Erskine Batson is a prime example, quoting Shakespeare, Pythagoras, and Euclid during the week, then picking up garbage for the town of Eden on the weekends. This is a sensational novel that will enchant and delight readers of all ages. If you have enjoyed Earl Hamner's "The Waltons," Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," or if you read "The Bobbsey Twins" as a child, you'll be a fan of "Witches of Moonlight Ridge."
April 30, 2020
If you want to know what really goes on when the witching season arrives in backwoods Alabama, you'll love reading The Witches of Moonlight Ridge!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews