Hopkinson completes her Prairie Skies trilogy with another satisfying episode in Charlie Keller’s new life in Bleeding Kansas. Charlie is growing up and his circumstances have forced him to be a responsible, self-reliant member of his family and community. Charlie and his Papa are in Lawrence for supplies when Missouri vigilantes interrupt their shopping expedition and burn down the Free State Hotel in retaliation for an earlier altercation with Mr. Keller and friends. Papa decides to lay low for a while and sends Charlie home. On the way, Charlie finds a runaway slave, Lizzie, and takes her home. The Underground Railroad is also laying low and Lizzie, unable to continue her journey to Canada, needs a safe place to stay. Dramatic cliffhanging chapters, brisk action, and exciting historical situations mesh together into a memorable, exciting tale. Readers of the earlier entries in the series (Pioneer Summer, p. 570; Cabin in the Snow, p. 1133) will enjoy following Charlie’s growth into a mature, reliable young man. Those new to the series will have no trouble following the clearly written story line. Hopkinson introduces her young audience to John Brown, Sheriff Samuel Jones, and Charles Robinson with this seamless, exciting story made up of fascinating bits of history. A winner. (recipe, author’s note, Web sites) (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-84353-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2002
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fact and fiction dovetail neatly in this tale of a wonderfully resolute child who finds a memorable way to convince her father that the newly-finished Brooklyn Bridge is safe to cross. Having watched the great bridge going up for most of her young life, Hannah is eager to walk it, but despite repeated, fact-laced appeals to reason (and Hannah is a positive fount of information about its materials and design), her father won’t be moved: “No little girl of mine will cross that metal monster!” Hannah finally hatches a far-fetched plan to convince him once and for all; can she persuade the renowned P.T. Barnum to march his corps of elephants across? She can, and does (actually, he was already planning to do it). Pham places Hannah, radiating sturdy confidence, within sepia-toned, exactly rendered period scenes that capture both the grandeur of the bridge in its various stages of construction, and the range of expressions on the faces of onlookers during its opening ceremonies and after. Readers will applaud Hannah’s polite persistence. (afterword, resources) (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-87011-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2004
Categories: CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
Stowing away with French Canadian fur traders in 1792, a loquacious red squirrel embarks on a life-changing adventure.
Each spring, Jean Pierre Petit Le Rouge, a squirrel with wanderlust, watches brave, strong voyageurs depart in canoes from Montreal and return the following autumn. Determined to be a voyageur, Le Rouge hides in a canoe paddled by eight stout voyageurs, part of a brigade of five. Soon his incessant chattering distracts the voyageurs, who become separated from the rest of the brigade, but, after ascending the highest tree, he points the crew back on course. More than once, pesky Le Rouge barely escapes becoming squirrel ragout. He’s just beginning to feel like a real voyageur when they reach the trading post on Lake Superior, where he discovers the voyageurs exchanging their cargo for animal skins to return to Montreal. Heartsick, Le Rouge decides he cannot be a voyageur if it involves trading animal skins, unless he can change things. Le Rouge relates his story with drama and flair, presenting a colorful prism through which to view the daily life of a voyageur. Peppered with historical facts and (italicized) French phrases and names, this exciting, well-documented tale (with a contemporary animal-rights subtext) proves educational and entertaining. Realistic pencil drawings highlight Le Rouge’s memorable journey.
A rousing introduction to the life of a voyageur told from a unique perspective. (map, pronunciation guide, historical and biological notes, recipe, further reading) (Historical fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4247-8
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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