Bringing Ezra Back

September 1, 2006
Gr 4-7 -A worthy sequel to "Weasel" (S & S, 1990), DeFelice -s beloved tale of Ohio -s frontier in the 1840s. As that story ends, Nathan Fowler has experienced evil incarnate in the form of Weasel, a mercenary trained to hate the area -s Shawnee. Nathan -s father nearly died by Weasel -s treachery, but Ezra Ketcham, a white neighbor who was married to a Shawnee woman, saved him, and then left to seek his wife -s people. As this story begins, Nathan has learned that a freak show is displaying Ezra as a -White Injun. - Traveling with a peddler of dubious reputation, he sets off to find him and bring him home. Only 12, Nathan has become shy of strangers after his experience with Weasel, and he must learn to read people, to hone his instincts. He relies on his practical frontier background, and a great deal of courage, to get his friend home. His biggest surprise is that Ezra seems to be only a husk of his former self. On top of the physical challenge of returning from Western Pennsylvania to his Ohio home, Nathan must reconnect to Ezra -s soul. Told in Nathan -s voice, this adventure treats readers to a double-dip cliff-hanging plot and heart-searing maturation." -Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
Gr. 4-6. In this sequel to " Weasel" (1990), 12-year-old Nathan, accompanied by peddler Owen Beckwith, journeys to Pennsylvania, searching for Ezra, the man left mute as a result of Weasel's savagery. Since the events of the previous year, Nathan has had great difficulty trusting people, so this journey offers him insight into the ways of the world and needed skills in judging human nature. When he finally locates Ezra, who is being held captive by the owner of a freak show, it takes all Nathan's new expertise and more to rescue Ezra and help him return to Ohio. As always, DeFelice's finely nuanced characters shine: Nathan both matures and heals from his earlier scarring; Beckwith, a huckster with a good heart, supplies much insight into reading people; and Ezra, beaten down by life, can nevertheless respond to Nathan's kindness. Although not as tightly focused as the earlier book, this is a thoughtful adventure that will appeal to " Weasel" fans everywhere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)