Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman - ADVISABLE

Bowman, Erin Vengeance Road, 327 pages.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.  $17.99.  Language:  R (100+ swears, 0 “f”);  Mature Content:  R; Violence:  R.  

 Strong and spunky Kate Thompson is out for vengeance and justice for the death of her father by the hands of  the infamous Rose Rider gang.  Disguising herself as a boy, Kate has to navigate the harsh wild west landscape with the help of the Colton brothers and an Apache girl as they endure bloody shootouts, dust storms, raging fires and a cheating card game.  Kate finds herself mixed up in a bloody quest for gold when all she wants is justice for Pa’s death.

 I loved this fast paced bloody book of revenge.  What made it even better was the strong gutsy female protagonist, Kate,  who will stop at nothing to avenge her father’s death.  I kept turning the pages to see if she would survive long enough to find the Rose Rider gang.  The wild desolate west was beautifully captured as I read this epic western story.  As typical with many westerns there is a lot of violence, brothels, drinking, smoking, and whoring,  Caution is advised, but it is a very enjoyable read.

HS - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: JenniferB

Leaving Eldorado by Joann Mazzie - OPTIONAL

Mazzie, Joann Leaving Eldorado, 170 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (1993) 2014. $8.99. Language: PG (2 swears); Mature Content: PG (Prostitutes); Violence: PG.  

In a series of letters to her dead mother, fourteen-year-old Maude documents her days left alone in a spent mining town when her father and uncle try their luck at the Yukon gold fields.  Left with a large debt at the mercantile, an old cow and property that might not be hers,  Maude must find a job to support herself, but her dreams of becoming an artist and independant woman might come crashing down in the face of reality.  

Full of historical details about the time period and the role of women and minorities at the turn of the 20th century, this western is a good slice of life.  

MS - OPTIONAL  Lisa Librarian

Prisoner 88 by Leah Pileggi - ADVISABLE

Pileggi, Leah Prisoner 88, 142 pgs. 2013. Charlesbridge Publishing; $16.95. 

Language: PG (5 swears no Fs); Violence: PG; Mature Content: G.  

In 1885 Idaho, 10-year-old Jake has been sentenced to prison for killing a man.  Although the prison is over-crowded, Jake has a small cell to himself, but he is not safe from the violence and hardships that are part of prison life.  

Based on a real life prisoner, Pileggi captures the child’s perspective as she tells the story through Jake’s voice.  A little violent (fighting and animal death) and mild swearing, this would be a nice addition to either the Elementary or Middle School library.  

EL MS - ADVISABLE 

Lisa Librarian

P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man by Caroline Lawrence - ADVISABLE

Lawrence, Caroline P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man, 306 pgs, G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2012. $16.99. Language: PG (edited and misspelled swears) Mature Content: PG; Violence PG.

12-year-old P.K. Pinkerton - Master of Disguise, has vanquished the Desperados in the first book and has now set up business as a Private Detective in Virginia City, Nevada - 1862.  His first real client has witnessed a murder and fears for her life! Can “Pinky” solve the case before he kills again? 

This second book in the series stands easily on its own.  The old west feel is still there; gunfights, saloons, jail and a deputy marshall.  The seedier aspects of the western experience are told through the voice of our 12-year-old, so Lawrence is able to maintain the grit of a western while maintaining appeal for a younger audience.   

EL, MS - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake –OPTIONAL

Timberlake, Amy One Came Home 272 pgs. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013. $11.55.  Content: Language: G (0 swears);  Mature Content: G ;  Violence: PG13.

Set in the late 1800’s in a small frontier town, Georgie and her older sister Agatha are best friends. After a group of Pigeoners comes to town, following the gigantic flock of pigeons, Agatha goes missing. Georgie knows Agatha is a free spirit, but when no letters arrive and a body is found, Georgie is determined to prove everyone wrong.

I just didn’t bond with Georgie. The name Agatha is said SO many times, that I couldn’t for the life of me remember our heroine’s name! The story was fairly slow moving, and overly suffused with information about Agatha and pigeons. I found myself feeling pretty ambivalent about the outcome. It’s my opinion that between the pace and the pigeons, students will give up on this book quickly.

Elementary, MS- OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

Gullible Gus by Maxine Rose Schur

Schur, Maxine Rose Gullible Gus illustrated by Andrew Glass. 48 pgs. Clarion Books, 2009. $15.00. Language - G; Sexual Content - G; Violence - G. Cowboy Gus believes everything that people tell him. He was actually the most gullible person in Texas. The only way for him to get cured is to find someone that will tell him a tall tale so impossible that he will have to admit that he doesn't believe it. He hears stories about a town that takes smart and dumb pills, a grouchy man who took his chair everywhere, and girl named backwards Hannah who did everything backwards. In the end he able to see through the tall tale and is not gullible anymore. It was well written and it is a good beginner chapter book. EL - ESSENTIAL. Anna Mattheus, Elementary Teacher.

Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

Meserve, Jessica. Can Anybody Hear Me? 28 pgs. Clarion Books, 2008. $16.00.

Jack’s family is very loud and they don’t listen very well. So when Jack tells them he’s going up the mountain, no one hears. Jack takes his best friend Chester (stuffed animal) and climbs the mountain. Jack sees a wolf cub alone and howls to let the mama wolf know where to find him. Then Jack meets a bear and Chester tells him to growl and scare the bear away. A fun story about the importance of listening, kids will love to howl and growl with Jack. The western illustrations are charming.

EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.