In 1852, Jericho Wetherby, 12, and his family set off for Texas—where Pa's long been hankering to settle. After Uncle Dan writes that he has land they can buy, they stay in Tennessee just long enough to help Grandma bring in the harvest. Then, trying to outrace winter, they keep up a brutal pace, with Jericho walking most of the way, through rain and mud, frost and snow. They cross rivers by ferry and terrifyingly teetery bridges and suffer fevers, toll collectors, and skinflint storekeepers; meanwhile, Jericho meets many different sorts of people, grows in courage and self-assurance, and learns to play a fiddle he finds along the trail. The book has the same strengths and weaknesses as Wisler's earlier novels (e.g., Piper's Ferry, 1990): the characters remain a bit sketchy, but this fast-paced, action-packed pioneer story has believable, well-researched episodes and, in Jericho, a likable narrator with a consistent voice. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-525-67428-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993
The success of Mah’s memoirs (Falling Leaves, 1997, for adults and Chinese Cinderella, 1999, for kids) led to her well-received novel Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (2005) and historical overview China: Land of Dragons and Emperors (2008). Here, she tries to combine them all, blithely and unwisely stepping beyond her literary capabilities. Readers initially meet CC (the character from the previous novel) on what seems to be a mission in World War II China. Chased, she falls and enters a coma. A doctor hypnotizes her, and readers shift to the Song dynasty and CC’s previous life in a star-crossed romance, observing the scene in the famous painting Along the River at the Qing Ming Festival. Both setting and emotional tension rely heavily on cliché and exclamation points. The author abuses dialogue to cram in historical details (a visitor exclaiming “Good tea!” is treated to an encyclopedic definiton of white tea). It is unclear what story she is trying to tell: the romance? the story of the painting? the bookend of CC’s coma, which will be inexplicable to readers unfamiliar with the previous novel? As none succeed, the question may go unanswered. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-73895-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Elsie doesn't know what's worse: living in the garage with your mom, grandmother and uncle behind the house that used to be home or having your father abandon you. Then her mother and uncle also leave, supposedly for jobs. Her miserable situation is all because of the Depression, which is affecting families everywhere. Her best friend, Scout, who is going to be a newspaperman, helps her search for her dad. But when Rev. Hampton takes them to see the dance marathon to show how exploitative it is, clues begin to add up. The Canadian setting and dialogue establish context for the terms hoboes, shantytowns and the phrase, "could you spare a dime." Though today’s readers won’t be familiar with the Depression, dance marathons or references to Bing Crosby, cribbage and Eaton’s catalog, the search for family and relationships in tough times rings true. The evocative title refers to the coins thrown at a favored dance couple. Once past the unappealing cover, readers will find an absorbing and perceptive story. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55469-280-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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