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JAYHAWKER

Name: JAYHAWKER
Author: Patricia Beatty
ISBN: 0-688-09850-9

by Patricia Beatty ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 1991

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From the late author of many fine historicals, an authentic picture of a boy caught in the turmoil of the Civil War— abolitionist Lije Tulley, 13, already experienced in the bitter strife between Missouri and Kansas, is sent to Missouri to spy on Quantrill's raiders. Strong adherents of the fanatical John Brown, the Tulleys are among the ``Jayhawkers'' who rescue slaves from Missouri before the war. Lije sees his Pa killed during a raid; later, in retaliation, the family's house is burned by Missouri ``Bushwackers.'' Hoping to avenge these wrongs and help the Union, Lije agrees in 1861 to pose as a Bushwacker supporter. During two years on a Missouri farm, he meets raiders Frank and Jesse James and Jim (later ``Wild Bill'') Hickok as well as Quantrill, fearfully participating in their activities but successfully evading hurting anyone on his true side. When Jesse catches Lije passing information, Hickok surprises Lije by helping to convince Jesse that it's just a love note. Unable to evade the sharp-eyed, suspicious Jesse, Lije is forced to join the terrible raid on Lawrence, Kansas, where he is wounded but manages to escape to his family. The characters here take second place to the excitement of skillfully reconstructed historical events; ``Bloody Kansas'' emerges in a story richly endowed with real events and people (carefully differentiated from the fictional characters in a lengthy author's note). A gripping story; an excellent supplement to texts or histories of the period. (Fiction. 10+)

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 1991

ISBN: 0-688-09850-9

Page Count: 214

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING

by Shelley Pearsall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2015

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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Traumatized by his father’s recent death, a boy throws a brick at an old man who collects junk in his neighborhood and winds up on probation working for him.

Pearsall bases the book on a famed real work of folk art, the Throne of the Third Heaven, by James Hampton, a janitor who built his work in a garage in Washington, D.C., from bits of light bulbs, foil, mirrors, wood, bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard—the titular seven most important things. In late 1963, 13-year-old Arthur finds himself looking for junk for Mr. Hampton, who needs help with his artistic masterpiece, begun during World War II. The book focuses on redemption rather than art, as Hampton forgives the fictional Arthur for his crime, getting the boy to participate in his work at first reluctantly, later with love. Arthur struggles with his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s new boyfriend. Readers watch as Arthur transfers much of his love for his father to Mr. Hampton and accepts responsibility for saving the art when it becomes endangered. Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding of the most important things in life.

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)