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 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2002
Naylor takes readers on a rollicking ride to the Wild West in this comedy-adventure starring a tiny, extremely shy eight-year-old orphan, Emily, her pet turtle, Rufus, and a wild boy named Jackson who comes to her rescue. When Emily’s mother and her wealthy lady employer are killed in a carriage accident, Emily chooses to go to her sweet Aunt Hilda in the West instead of her awful Uncle Victor. On her stagecoach ride west, Jackson, another orphan, helps Emily keep steps ahead of the terrible Child Catchers, but worse danger looms when Emily learns she’s inherited a fortune, and greedy Uncle Victor shows up on the stagecoach looking for her. Collins provides lively line drawings that capture the action, while the author provides real suspense and comedy with her population of verging-on-caricature characters. Can Emily escape her Uncle? Can she stay with Rufus? At the end of each chapter, direct-address questions in huge type and alliterative archaic phrases launch readers into the next chapter. Emily comes across as a fully developed and appealing character. Great fun. (Historical fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: June 8, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73616-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Dec. 27, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PLB 0-531-33140-7 Ketcham’s first book is based on an allegedly true story of a childhood incident in the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. It starts with a couple of pages regaling the Bach home and all the Johanns in the family, who made their fame through music. After his father’s death, Johann Sebastian goes to live with his brother, Johann Christoph, where he boasts that he is the best organist in the world. Johann Christoph contradicts him: “Old Adam Reincken is the best.” So Johann Sebastian sets out to hear the master himself. In fact, he is humbled to tears, but there is hope that he will be the world’s best organist one day. Johann Sebastian emerges as little more than a brat, Reincken as more of a suggestion than a character. Bush’s illustrations are most transporting when offering details of the landscape, but his protagonist is too impish to give the story much authority. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-531-30140-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
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