Sid FleischmanReviews

This is a book I've had since I was a kid, and I have a soft spot for the tall tales Josh McBroom spins about his amazing one-acre farm and the things he can grow there -- popcorn, jumping beans, and tomatoes, this time -- all in under an hour. This go-round he also has to deal with a shady neighbor who covets his farm and tries to trick him into losing ownership.

Funny and silly.

#1316 in our old book database. Rated: Good.
#236 for Adele. Rated: Good.

Two short Fawcett Gold Medal novels from the early 50s. They're fun but slight, fast-paced with a nice sense of place (Indonesia). His characters are interesting, but they fall 'in love' too quickly and the women seem to start out tough and become meek when they fall for the heroes. Still, I liked the stories.

Jingo Hawks is out of luck when Mrs. Daggatt from the orphan house hires him out as a chimney sweep to the awful General Dirty-Face Scurlock. But it's gypsy luck that puts Jingo into the right chimney and then into the care of the mysterious Mr. Peacock, who claims to know Jingo's scoundrel father. Together they set out on a treasure hunt for buried gold. But they are not alone -- those nasty gold diggers Mrs. Daggatt and General Scurlock are hot on their trail.

I loved other books by this author, but this was underwhelming. I like that it is a short, fun book for younger readers that won a Newbery, but it did not .maintain my interest. That being said, the illustrations were lovely.

I loved this charming adventure of the California Gold Rush through the eyes of 12 year old Jack and his butler. They travel the ocean, solve puzzles and use their wits, kindness, an intelligence to get through sticky and dangerous situations. A very fun read with lots of lively history.

A Prince and a Pauper . . . Prince Brat and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like each other. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

Orphaned and barefoot, Chancy Dundee sets out to track down his brother and sisters -- and quickly finds himself followed by a mysterious stranger with a hawk's feather in his hat. The big man proves to be the grandest rascal on either side of the Mississippi River -- and Chancy's own long-lost Uncle Will. Joining forces to re-unite the family, they run smack into snorting villains, seat-of-the-pants adventure, and laughter by the barrelful.

The year is 1849. Young Jack Flagg sets out to recoup his Aunt Arabella's fortune on a ship bound from Boston to the California gold fields. Thus begin the wild, swashbuckling adventures of a determined 12-year-old and his intrepid butler.

While this easy to follow biography did not esteem Houdini in my eyes in the least, the author, Sid Fleischman, is superb, bumping up the rating from three stars to four. I easily moved through this book in just a few hours today, despite many distractions and interruptions. The only thing that bugged me about the author was his repeated use of the word, fakir. Is he misspelling "faker"? Is he repeatedly comparing the Jewish American Houdini or his rivals to Muslim or Hindu beggars? It's a weird choice of a word---especially when used over and over.

I think it's good to read biographies of legendary people because it helps us see them in an ordinary light. Houdini sure had his share of undesirable character traits. If Fleischman's research is to be believed, he was a very dishonest person---to the point of embellishing even his own journal to boost his ego! Makes me curious about his relationship with his wife---was she on to him and just loyal or was she ignorant and often mercilessly duped by him?

I resisted the urge to look up most of his tricks as I may someday find myself at a similar show and don't want to be let down knowing all the secrets. However, I just had to look up the disappearing elephant trick and found it to be simple but genius! Other than Houdini's general lack of integrity, I was also seriously disgusted by the story of the sea monster trick. It was hideous physically as well as ethically. Houdini really sounds like a creep.

Ha! Super fun book! I'd not read this since about the 5th grade, but read through it last night in preparation for my kids' Battle of the Books competition this summer. It was one I read for BotB in 5th grade so I thought it would be fun to assign to them. Love the funny names like, Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutthroat...and one I didn't "get" when I was a kid: Captain Harry Nips. Ha!!!!

A Prince and a Pauper . . . Prince Brat and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like each other. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other. "A rollicking tale of adventure and mistaken identity . . . . Robust scenes and characters are vividly evoked."—Kirkus Reviews½

A Prince and a Pauper . . . Prince Brat and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like each other. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

Month of January 2022: Young Reader’s Classics

READING LEVEL: 5.1 AR POINTS: 6.0
(8-12 years, grade 3-7)
Originally published in 1963. Gave to my Hodge grandsons.

Super cute adventure novel, especially for young boys, that takes place in 1949 during the California gold rush. Jack and his two sisters live with their Aunt Arabella on account of their parent’s dying of cholera. She’s about to lose the house, so Jack decides to help. He heads out, with the family butler, Praiseworthy, on the vessel, Lady Wilma, to San Francisco by way of the treacherous Cape Horn.

Half the book is about Jack and Praiseworthy’s adventures out at sea. The other half is on their gold digging adventures as they earn the respect of the other miners and earn the nicknames Jamoka Jack and Bullwhip.

A very nostalgic read because it reads just as if you were watching one of those great oldie, but goodie, Disney movies back in the day.

BOOK-TO-MOVIE

“The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin” (1967), an American Western comedy produced by Disney, starring Roddy McDowall, Susanne Pleshette, Hermiine Baddeley and Karl Malden

In this McBroom tall tale, Josh McBroom tells yet another story about life on the farm, this time detailing their experiences with prairie winds so strong that they broke his leg. Includes a jump-rope skipping bear and migrating rabbits.

A didactic fable-like story about a boy named Jemmy who's whipped in place of Prince Brat (what everyone calls him, I'm not sure we are told his real name) whenever the spoiled prince pulls pranks or acts out. When the prince decides he's had enough and leaves the palace, he brings Jemmy along with them and the two of them fall in with outlaws. The outlaws can't quite believe that the prince is really who he says he is, so they treat Jemmy as the prince instead. Will the boys band together or will Jemmy make a break for it?

Meh. The story was pretty bland, predictable and well, kinda dumb. I listened with half an ear to the narration, and that wasn't a great production either. Spike McClure does a reasonable job of all the voices, but he sounds very much like an old man trying to sound like a boy, I could hear the effort of the narration (breathing or swallows, perhaps), and the thing that sticks with me most is that he pronounced the voiceless "w". I didn't hate it, but I'll probably forget most of it by the end of the month.

A tall tale for children who like a small scare.

This review is from my 11 year old.

“I liked it. I’d give 4/5 stars. I liked the intelligence of the whipping boy, the prince was pretty dumb - he didn’t know squat. “

By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman (1988)

Newberry Medal book. A Prince and a Pauper . . . Prince Brat and his whipping boy inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like each other. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

4 copies

Fleischman has written a thorough story of Houdini. I like that he showed the human side of Houdini (flaws and all) as well as his greatness.

A childhood favorite with memorable characters and exciting adventures. An award winner for a reason. Recommended for children and former children.½

Clever story about a clever boy, with captivating 70's illustrations.

I was entranced by this book as a kid. How fun it must be, I thought, to be in a traveling magic show! I cheered the family on as they traveled. I kept thinking a bustle was a bustier, but misspelled. It is quite a different garment altogether. Whenever I read the part about Jane telling the sherriff she'd brush the filly every day, I always interpreted it as her trying to flirt. Now that I'm an adult, that part just comes off as creepy. Jane, you are twelve. The sherriff is much older! I don't remember when I outgrew this book, but I did. I thought it'd be fun to read it again. Over time, it turns out that I'd forgotten enough of the book to think that three separate subplots were actually entirely different novels on their own. No, it's all in one.

This is a quick read, and it's--boring. It's definitely for children, but I don't intend to be derisive. It's just odd to return to, when I remembered something so different. Much was made of Jane wanting to wear her hair up, not in a braid, and I--okay, sure. I don't know a lot about the history of hairstyles. I figured the reason Jane has to wait until she's fifteen is probably because that's when girls started being called on or courted. As a kid, I tried to start an Abracadabra Day in my household. My parents were not amused. As an adult, I remembered Paul's Abracadabra Day vaguely, but that was it. What a treat it was to read about Anne's and Jane's! How clever, and well-characterized. Anne's made me laugh, and I actually read the passage twice. But I wasn't attached to anyone in the book. I didn't care overall. There were interesting moments, and I'm glad I read it again. But if I want to read about a family on a wagon trail, I'll stick to "Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie" of the Dear America series.