THAD OWEN

One of a good series- family stories- this centers on Thad, the cantankerous, often lazy, and not particularly lovable younger brother who was rarely out of hot water. I confess that his mischief seems to me to be of an anything but admirable order. He accidentally shoots a neighbor's cow, and hides the evidence and his guilt for several months. He smokes out the schoolhouse to avoid saying a piece. He balks at his punishments and sulks a bit. At the end, his courage is unquestionable, when he saves horses and his beloved Morgan cult from a blazing barn. But his reward seems too great for the measure of his balance of guilt and redemption. I don't like the William Sharp line illustrations. Too ugly- without being soundly realistic.