The Misadventures of Maude March

August 15, 2005
Trying her hand at a new genre of fiction, Coloumbis (Getting Near to Baby
) offers a rip-roaring Western as full of wild escapades as the dime novels of old, which her protagonist is so fond of reading. Orphans 11-year-old Sallie (who narrates) and her older sister, Maude, live with their aunt Ruthie until the day a stray bullet strikes her dead. After a brief stay with the preacher (who is bent on marrying off Maude to a "grandfatherly sort of man"), the girls decide to head west down the Oregon Trail to find their only living relative, Uncle Arlen. It doesn't take long for the girls to meet up with Aunt Ruthie's murderer, Joe Harden, who is also a dime novel author, and who turns out to be a fairly decent fellow despite the fact he's running from the law. He manages to get the girls involved in horse thievery, a bank robbery and a shootout (in which Sallie proves herself to be handy enough with a gun). Due to a series of newspaper articles, Maude gets most of the credit and soon becomes known as Mad Maude March, "a hardened criminal." Featuring equal doses of comedy and adventure, this novel written with broad strokes and tongue-in-cheek commentary about pioneer life is sure to rustle up a new herd of fans for Couloumbis. Ages 10-up.

October 16, 2006
Adams brings an inviting Wild West drawl to her reading of Couloumbis's (Getting Near to Baby
) range-riding adventure story of two orphaned sisters who inadvertently become outlaws when they run away from a foster home following the death of their guardian, Aunt Ruthie. Sallie, a spunky 11-year-old fond of reading "dimers" (dime Western novels), narrates her action-packed, suspenseful journey with her older sister, Maude, as the girls try to find a long-lost uncle in Missouri. Along the way, the sisters become wanted for having "borrowed" an old horse from their local preacher on their way out of town. They meet up with a fellow outlaw/bank-robber (and the man who killed their aunt) as well as other characters, both unsavory and kind. All the while, Maude becomes notorious via various inaccurate newspaper accounts. Adams keeps listeners saddled up for this entertaining ride and satisfying denouement, having lots of fun with the dialect and inflection in Couloumbis's realistic dialogue and her believable sibling relationship. Ages 10-up.