Emma's River

July 1, 2010
Gr 4–6—-mma Wright, 10, is excited to ride the steamboat "Sally May"up the Missouri River to Kansas City to meet her father. From there the family will travel west to California to make their fortune during the boom time of 1852. However, she loves her pony, Licorice Twist, and as she and her mother are getting settled on the boat she worries about his welfare. During a trip down to the forbidden main deck, Emma meets stowaway Patrick O'Brien, who is about 11 or 12. At first the two don't get along, but they eventually become friends and he takes care of her horse in exchange for food. When the boiler explodes, Emma finds out just how much of a friend Patrick really is. As she schemes and struggles to find a way to see her horse, readers are given a child's-eye view of a steamboat trip in the mid-1800s. True to the time, the word "Negro" is used and there are some stereotypical attitudes about Indians. Though unevenly paced and with some unbelievable aspects—particularly Emma's ignorance about her mother's pregnancy—this novel is a good introduction to the period. It is especially suited to "American Girl" series fans looking for slightly longer books. Emma is a plucky heroine and while not much happens until the very end of her story, readers will enjoy following her as she learns and grows. The ending leaves open the possibility for a sequel.—"Necia Blundy, Marlborough Public Library, MA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2010
Grades 3-5 Like Annas Blizzard (2005), Harts latest equestrian-themed adventure tells of a girl who discovers her own heroic strength. The fast-paced story, set along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, takes place before the Civil War as Emma and her mother travel on a steamboat to meet Emmas father for a bigger journey out west. A spirited but somewhat spoiled 10-year-old, Emma refuses to leave her beloved pony, Twist, behind. Once aboard, she sneaks down to his stall and befriends an Irish stowaway. Hart well conveys the sights, smells, and sounds of a nineteenth-century steamboat as well as Emmas gradual move away from willfulness and muddled thinking. Theres never a dull moment as Emma explores the floating hotel from top to bottom. After the surprising and unwelcome news that her mother has just given birth, for instance, a boiler explodes, and the ship goes down in flames. All ends satisfyingly, though. A short afterword with black-and-white illustrations tells more about steamboat travel, including the major 1852 accident that resembles the books climactic explosion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)