Down the Rabbit Hole

January 15, 2013
After the deaths of their parents, 14-year-old Pringle Rose and her 10-year-old brother, Gideon, head to Chicago, just in time for the great fire. "I was Alice, tumbling headlong down a deep, dark rabbit hole," Pringle says, upon hearing that her parents were killed in a carriage accident. Pringle and Gideon seek a new life in Chicago, hoping to learn to live without parents. But all does not go smoothly: She survives a train crash, a change in living arrangements, labor unrest, startling news about her parents' "accident" and the great fire. Through it all, her intelligence and grit serve her well. The many apt allusions to Alice in Wonderland, Pringle's cherished gift from her mother, elevate and deepen the story as, more than once, Pringle's life is turned upside down, and things are often not what they seem to be. Pringle's diary entries are a constant in her topsy-turvy life. Standard backmatter for the series includes historical notes, black-and white reproductions of magazine illustrations and maps, and an author's note. Bartoletti's writing is always clear and at times elegant, as she creates an immensely likable young protagonist against a well-drawn historical backdrop. This strong entry in the Dear America series makes history come alive through one plucky girl and her little brother. (Historical fiction. 8-14)

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March 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-Pringle Rose and her brother, Gideon, who has Down's syndrome, have had a privileged upbringing in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1871. Their parents' death in a suspicious carriage accident changes everything. Gideon survives, but has not spoken since the accident. On a visit to the cemetery, Pringle meets Rabbit, for whom she develops romantic feelings. The siblings' uncaring Uncle Edward and his vicious wife move in, and when it becomes clear that they plan to send Gideon away, Pringle plans their escape. On the way to Chicago, they befriend Gwen Pritchard, a woman traveling with her children in the same train car, and their closeness is solidified after they survive a terrifying crash. When their mother's friend is unable to provide refuge, Pringle and Gideon find a home with the Pritchards. As Pringle learns more about the conditions of mine workers, she begins to rethink what her father, a mine owner, taught her. When they learn the truth about their parents' accident and the role Rabbit played, Gideon runs away. As Pringle tries to find him, the Chicago Fire rages. The epilogue sums up the rest of their story, and the historical note provides context and inspiration. Readers will enjoy this novel with its multiple historical events and engaging personal story.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Grades 4-7 One day everything changes: Pringle, the daughter of a wealthy Scranton coal-mining family, learns that her parents have perished in a carriage accident, and she and her brother, Gideon, are shifted to the care of cruel relatives. Rather than submit to abuse, and worried that Gideon, a child with Down syndrome, will be institutionalized, Pringle takes her brother and flees to Chicago in hopes of independence and a future opportunity to access her inheritance. Bartoletti's Dear America entry plunks the high-action historical diary tale into the swirl of events surrounding the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the general labor unrest of the day. Lively writing and strong characterizations, especially that of our plucky heroine, keep the pages turning. The connection to Alice in Wonderland, per the title, is a bit overworked and involves a shadowy character with a connection to the accidental death of the parents. Plot coincidences abound, but this and the other Dear America titles continue to offer spirited adventures of kids and young adults who help flesh out America's story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)