The school is buying video equipment with the proceeds from a scrap-metal drive, and the student who collects the most cans will get to direct the first film! Suddenly discovering that she's always wanted to make movies, Jenny springs into action- -plundering her neighbors' recycling bins, nagging her sitter and parents to buy more canned goods, even recruiting everyone in her grandparents' apartment building. It's not that easy—classmate Beth has turned from best friend to rival, and even the indomitable Jenny is temporarily discouraged when two big bags of her cans are inadvertently thrown away. Though little Wilson Wynn is the surprise contest winner, Jenny regains both friend and self-confidence by the end. A generous number of amiable b&w illustrations echo this light story's cheerful humor. Sixth in a popular series. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 1991
ISBN: 0-316-15356-7
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A glorified view of one of the Old West's most violent and colorful characters. Hickok may not have started out wild (christened ``James,'' he didn't start out as ``Bill,'' either), but after an early series of rough jobs, including scouting and spying for the Union Army, he developed a taste for fancy clothes, hot baths, and gambling. Downplaying his reputation for brutality, the author cheerily recounts his career as law officer, actor, and celebrity, his half-legendary feats of marksmanship, and his untimely end—shot at a gaming table, holding the ``Dead Man's Hand'' of aces and eights. An oversimple, romanticized picture of life in the West and of one of its preeminent gunmen. Illustrations not seen. (Biography. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 16, 1992
ISBN: 0-688-10089-9
Page Count: 54
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Based on a journal and an unpublished manuscript, a brief, surprisingly lifeless account of the boyhood of one of Indianapolis's first settlers. Among other activities, Elijah Fletcher leaves home to attend a new school as a boarder; rescues his brother, who has inadvertently stowed away on a paddlewheel boat; and goes to the Marion County Fair. Unfortunately, the text jumps from one episode to another, each so sketchily narrated that it's hard to develop either much interest in Elijah or much understanding of what his life was really like. Henry does provide information like the name of the man who had the first brick house in Indianapolis—a person who doesn't figure otherwise here and, like the book, isn't likely to interest most young readers. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-02-743671-3
Page Count: 39
Publisher: Four Winds/MacMillan
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
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