Two Halves Beating As One

When book nerds take a break it's a safe assumption reading will be involved.  Sometimes a couple of chapters stretch into an hour.  The task at hand is resumed but completed as quickly as possible so the reluctantly-paused reading can begin again.  An evening vanishes as well as most of the following morning until the final word is read.  In less than twenty-four hours a two hundred thirty-four page book is consumed.

This kind of book makes everything else disappear as you drop into the story.  This kind of book is worth SHOUTING about long and loud.  Some Kind Of Courage (Scholastic Press, January 26, 2016) written by Dan Gemeinhart, author of the highly successful The Honest Truth (Scholastic Press, January 25, 2015), is one of those books.

CHAPTER 1
OCTOBER, 1890
OLD MISSION, WASHINGTON

I reckoned it was the coldest, darkest hour of the night.  That still hour just before dawn.  Mama always called it the "angels and devils hour," on account of how only angels or demons would have any work worth doing at a time like that.

Twelve, nearly thirteen, Joseph Johnson is about to embark on a perilous journey but first he needs to escape the horrible clutches of his ne'er-do-well guardian, an avid fan of alcohol and plain questionable living.  Joseph aims to take the money and a gun.  Before you jump to any conclusions, the money was attained when Mr. Grissom sold Sarah, Joseph's horse, without his knowledge and the gun belonged to Joseph's deceased papa.  It's more than a little tense when Grissom wakes from a drunken stupor but the young man prevails determined with every fiber of his being to get his beloved pony back. Now he just has to track down the devilish scoundrel, Ezra Bishop, more thief than honest horseman who has Sarah.

Several early morning encounters bring him sadness and thankfulness in equal measure as he heads toward the nearest town, Wenatchee.  There, at the trading post, he befriends a Chinese youth about his age, "Ah-Kee", lost and alone.  Through Joseph's acts of kindness, the two head south out of town following the Columbia River in pursuit of what they love the most, neither understanding a word the other says but instinctively knowing they are better together.

Each day brings them sometimes closer, other times farther away from their individual goals.  A wake-up bathroom break is prelude to a too-close for comfort meeting with an angry grizzly.  They've hardly had time to recover from this when the next morning hearing calls of distress they offer assistance to a Native American youth, older and larger than either Joseph or "Ah-Kee" and his younger sister.  A race does result in them no longer having to travel on foot.  Their arrival in Ellensburg brings them heart-stopping near to death for the second time completely altering their plans.

Mother Nature levels huge distractions on the boys not once but twice where death and life hang in balance for them and others they meet in their further travels toward the town of Yakima. (By now I've had a map out following along with the duo.)  A parting of ways, a terrifying ride, and the ringing of gun shots will literally cause your heart to pause.  So will the conclusion.


As soon as I read the date and location on the first chapter page, I knew I was in for a wild ride back into the West. Within two paragraphs readers are transfixed by Joseph's situation.  This is the second paragraph.

I'd been lying too many sleepless hours in my sorry straw-stuffed bed, waiting for the old man to finally fall asleep.  My plan had been burning all night in my mind like the last glowing embers in the fireplace, keeping my heart awake.  Truth be told, my hands were a bit shaky as I finally crept, as quiet as could be, across the cabin's dirt floor toward where he lay snoring.  And it weren't just the cold making 'em shake, neither.  But my heart was as steady as a true horse, heading toward home.

This writing style supplied by Dan Gemeinhart gives us two things:  valuable insights into the character of Joseph and his dilemma and a vivid picture of his surroundings.  We are unquestionably captivated and compelled to keep reading.  He has a knack for ending and beginning chapters with white-knuckle sentences.

Throughout the story dialogue and first-person musings attach us to Joseph.  We cheer for those in his favor and condemn those who wish him harm.  As Joseph meets people, characters either kind and caring, too gruff for goodness, nasty to the core or one in particular whose goodness pierces his evil demeanor in slivers, he is in frequent conversations with his conscience relying on the voices of his parent's teachings to help him make decisions.  These perceptions engage readers, encouraging them to speculate how they might react in similar positions.

Gemeinhart allows us to see how Joseph's trek is not only measured in miles but in the growth of his personality.  We, like Joseph, are not only shaped but the physical places in which we reside and visit but in the people who cross those paths.  Another technique employed by Gemeinhart is to reveal Joseph's past as he converses with "Ah-Kee".  The Chinese youth can't understand Joseph but his facial features and body posture imply compassion, putting Joseph at ease.  Here are three additional passages from the book.

"Angel feathers," I said quietly, watching it fall.  Ah-Kee looked at me.  "That's what my sister called it. Katie."  Saying her name out loud like that, after so long, made me want to smile and cry at the same time.  It made me feel a whole different kind of alone.  "When there was snow like this in the morning, I used to say it looked like sugar, like the whole world had gotten candied overnight.  But she insisted it was feathers from the wings of angels, flying around at night watching over people."  Ah-Kee sat there and listened with his solemn eyes.  I blew my breath out in a foggy cloud.  "Let's stoke the fire and eat some grub and hit the road."

The air was a deep kind of cold, the sort of cold that tells your bones that fall is ending and winter is coming right up behind it.  A mostly full moon threw its silver light on the snow-topped hills, the pines, the grass around the cabin.  Off in the distance I could hear the river, tumbling its way through the night toward Yakima.
I stood alone in the darkness. Well, with the moon it weren't all-the-way darkness.  But I felt sure enough all-the-way alone.
I wanted my horse back right then more than ever.

The ax head shined bright as a bullet in the morning light.  It glinted as it rose up, swift and deadly, then flashed as it came slicing down.  I grunted and gasped. 


There is something for everyone in Some Kind Of Courage written by Dan Gemeinhart.  It's abundant adventure, total love of a horse for his boy and a boy for his horse, prevalent doses of how to decide right from wrong, inclusion of the discrimination against the Chinese and its introduction of persons residing in these particular Western settings, Native Americans, homesteaders, horse traders, agents, merchants and townsfolk, and outlaws, contribute to the excellence found within this historical fiction.  It's downright suspenseful and flawlessly heartwarming.

To learn more about Dan Gemeinhart please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.

UPDATE:  Dan Gemeinhart is interviewed at Book Q & A With Deborah Kalb.  

Taming Of The Wild West

The story area is filled with boys and girls restlessly waiting.  The teller strides in; the heels of her boots thudding across the floor.  Sitting squarely on her head is a well-loved Stetson, pulled down a tad bit on her forehead.  Around her neck a large kerchief hangs low but not so low as to cover the shiny sheriff badge fastened to her vest.  Black jeans and a button-down chambray shirt complete her outfit.

Pausing she looks each member of the audience straight in the eyes.  "Are you ready to hear a story that is going to knock your socks off?" she yells out.  After shouted replies of "Yes!" she settles down to begin Kid Sheriff And The Terrible Toads (Roaring Brook Press) written by Bob Shea with illustrations by Lane Smith.  "Wait a minute", one child says.  "Did you say terrible toads?"  "That I did", she replies. "They're so horrible people in town are quivering in fear."  Silence fills the room.

Drywater Gulch had a toad problem.

Now you might think the narrator is talking about the amphibious creatures of land and water.  If so, your thinking would be mistaken.  These toads begin with a capital T as in the Toad brothers; three of the nastiest varmints walking the West.

Mayor McMuffin is beside himself with worry.  Who knows what treasure will be taken, livestock smooched or chili slighted when they strike next?  But...wait a minute...someone is riding into town...someone riding on a tortoise. 

When the mayor greets and questions the stranger, he finds himself in the presence of their new sheriff.  Of course the only skill at which the youngster excels is his vast expertise on dinosaurs.  In the next moment a resounding 

BOOM!

fills the air. 

Robberies are happening left and right.  As Kid Sheriff starts tacking up wanted posters, minus the Toad trio's portraits but featuring a variety of prehistoric land giants, the criminals appear voicing their complaints.

 Dineysaurs

didn't commit those crimes.  Misters Mean, Weird and Ugly want credit given where credit is due.

The lawman matter-of-factly continues preparations for the detainment of the dastardly reptiles.  Three outraged, sputtering outlaws make a serious error in what little judgment they possess.  You never know when a passion for dinosaurs will save the day.

Bob Shea really understands kids and he loves making books for them.  It's obvious with every single word chosen and sentence written in this book.  He has the teller of this tall tale speaking precisely as much as necessary in the beginning before his crisp dialogue laden with the language of the locale picks up the story.  A single sentence spoken by the original voice concludes the book brilliantly.  Here is a short sample.

"A hole this big means one thing---T. rex," said the sheriff.
"Or dynamite," said the mayor.
"T. rex don't need no dynamite.  Largest predator of the Cretaceous period," said the sheriff.
"Wow, you're good," said the mayor.


From the minute you open the matching dust jacket and book case, you will be hard pressed to not burst out laughing.  (The best part is the whole book is like this.) On the left you have the three outlaws stacked together sneering at our young hero clad in white, boot resting on his trusty stead...er...tortoise.  On the back Kid Sheriff is riding into town across a desert scene on top of his four-footed, shelled pal.  Plain warm brown opening and closing endpapers continue the thematic color palette used throughout of rich browns, reds, deep golden yellows, black and cream.  It's like looking at an old photograph album filled with sepia-tone pictures.

Lane Smith fills single pages, double pages and crosses the gutter with his images without borders.  The layout of each visual gives readers a true feel not only for the story but the place in which it is set. The prominent elements in each picture are bolder and darker with those in the background lighter.  I can only imagine how much fun he had adding all the historic details; those more noticeable like the clothing and buildings or those much smaller like the stolen money.  Be sure to notice Kid Sheriff's belt buckle.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Kid Sheriff is measuring the size of the doorway into the jail.  He is holding one end of the tape and his tortoise is holding the other end.  We readers are seeing this through three sets of legs; those of the terrible Toad brothers.  The perspective is fantastic.


Kid Sheriff And The Terrible Toads written by Bob Shea with illustrations by Lane Smith is a rootin' tootin' rip-roaring outrageously fun read.  No matter how many times I've read this, I still laugh out loud with the line stated as Kid Sheriff comes into town and when he and the mayor are engaged in their original question and answer conversation.  So step back into the Wild West created by this dynamic collaborative team and get ready for your children to beg you to read this over and over again.

For more information about either Bob Shea or Lane Smith, follow the links embedded in their names to access their websites.  Hilarity ensues in this Q & A with Bob Shea and Lane Smith at Publishers Weekly about this title.  Follow this link to the publisher's website to view more illustrations including a portion of my favorite.  At Watch. Connect. Read. hosted by teacher librarian John Schumacher, Lane Smith is interviewed.  He talks about his process in creating the illustrations for this book.  Bob Shea was a guest interviewee at educator Colby Sharp's blog, sharpread.  Then head on over to the Nerdy Book Club to read Bob Shea's guest post, Stop what you are doing right now, and burn all your books. (Or how to tell if a picture book is good simply by reading it).