The Madman of Piney Woods

In Buxton and Chatham, the Madman of Piney Woods is a household name. He’s a man who lives in the woods, who supposedly eats children and who can tear apart wild animals with his bare hands.

In Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Alvin “Red” Stockard hates his grandmother, who becomes mad at seemingly everything he does. Over in the nearby town of Buxton, Benji Alston is tired of being in the shadow of his master woodcarver siblings. They couldn’t be more different, but Benji and Red do have one thing in common: both have seen the Madman of Piney Woods, and both are wondering if there’s more to his story. Together, can they uncover the real identity of the Madman of Piney Woods?

I really liked how, in this book, the author alternated first person perspectives between Red and Benji, and used diction to convey the separate personalities and characteristics of both characters. However, I would note that there are some parts that describe the Civil War with a lot of detail, so I would not recommend this book for very young children.