THAT'S THE WAY, JOSHUWAY

by Rhoda Wooldridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 1965

13-year-old Josh Carver was a man with only a boy's rights. In mid-19th century Missouri, to spare the rod was to spoil the childs so no one interfered when his Uncle Sol beat him, even though Josh knew the leather trade better than his uncle did. Uncle Sol was the last of a series of guardians at a time when illness was generally followed by death. What weakens this basically sturdy story is that although Josh is allowed to lose both relatives and friends to death, a series of meaningless coincidences brings back all the few material possessions he scatters during his runaway Journey. His eventual destination was the gold fields that were opening up, but Josh never got any further than Independences Missouri. Old family friends, the Crawfords, needed his help, skill and strength when he reached them. The head of the house was too ill to do the frontier tasks. Following Josh in the round of hunting, farming and building Jobs that he assumed for Matt Crawford makes a satisfying know-how and how-it-was-then story for boys who will not be inclined to object to the over-happy ending. By the author of the well-received Hannah's Brave Year. (1963, 816, J-260).

Pub Date: May 7, 1965

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1965

Categories: FICTION