Newsgirl by Liza Ketchum

Ketchum, Liza Newsgirl 327 pgs. Viking, 2009. Violence-G; Sexual Content-G; Language-G. $17.99. Amelia Forrester is one spunky girl. But it is her spunk that enables her to survive the rough-and-tumble town that early 19th century San Francisco proves to be. After Amelia, her mother, and dear family friend, Estelle, move from the East Coast to the West Coast, Amelia finds out that being a girl comes with disadvantages in this town. But despite the fact that she is a girl, Amelia finds a way to make her way as a newsgirl...by dressing as a boy! With her newfound freedom, more opportunities open up for Amelia, as well as more adventures! After surviving an accidental hot-air balloon launch, nearly being shanghaied and surviving one of San Francisco's fires, Amelia realizes the good news for her is that she is loved and alive! 
Personally, I had a hard time really getting into this book. It moved a little bit slow, but I think that younger girls in the 10-15 age range would really like this book. The book jacket cover is fabulous though and the book is well written. EL/MS-ADVISABLE. Whitney, Library-Teacher.