This was a fun read. I loved the playful endings to each chapter. ( )

When Emily's mother dies, there is no one left to take care of her -- only her terrible uncle (who just wants her money) and so she must run away to an "aunt" who will take her in and treat her right. Along with the help of
Jackson, another orphan travelling by buggy, Emily must trick her uncle and keep away from Miss Catchum (who also just wants her money) of child services.

I did not like the hokey chapter endings...if they didn't exist I think I would have given the book three stars. The whole thing just felt very fake and forced, though young readers might get a kick out of it. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-6

Plot Summary: Emily's mom died in a carriage accident. Now that she's an orphan and Miss Luella Nash (her mom's boss) died too, she has to find someone to live with. Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire decide to send her to her friendly aunt in Redbud, but before Emily has a chance to leave the house, someone from the Child-Catching Services shows up. The ladies sneak Emily to the train station and send her with a little food and a train and carriage ticket to her aunt. Not sure she's ready for the long trip, Emily is glad she has her pet turtle with her. When the long day on the train ends, Emily waits for the carriage to leave. A boy about her age is also waiting and he teachers her how to avoid the Child-Catching Services when they show up again. Jackson discovers Emily's name in a newspaper saying she is the lucky person to inherit Miss Luella Nash's fortune. Now, lots of people are after Emily for her fortune. Is Jackson one of the good guys? Will her uncle recognize her under her disguise of a boy? Will she make it to her aunt's house before her uncle finds her?

Setting: wild west 1800s

Characters:
Emily - 8 y/o, orphan, able to read
Rufus - Emily's pet turtle, illiterate
Miss Luella Nash - wealthy old woman, Emily's boss
Uncle Victor - mean uncle that Emily has only met once
Aunt Hilda - Emily's aunt that sends cookies for Christmas and gives big hugs
Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, Mrs. Fire - three women who worked for Miss Nash and quietly try to help Emily, always give advice the same way (Ready repeated the problem, Aim asks the question, Fire had an answer)
Jackson - boy a little older and taller than Emily, orphan, knows the ropes and how to find food and avoid the orphan catchers

Recurring Themes: orphan, wild west, pets

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: This would be a great readaloud in a 3rd or 4th grade classroom. There is a lot of adventure, suspenseful ends to chapters, and funny slang questions at the end of each chapter. The characters are likable and well developed. The story has a decent amount of action.

Genre: historical fiction (wild west), a tad bit of humor and adventure

Pacing: fast/medium
Characters: well developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

Grades 3-4
After Emily is orphaned, the kindly neighbor ladies (Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire) help her plan her journey to Aunt Hilda in Redbud-- and just in the nick of time, for the Catchum Child-Catching Services is hot on her heels. Mrs. Catchum doesn't care if she has a loving aunt in Redbud who wants her; she gets a "super-duper-dinger-zinger bonus" if she gets Emily to her closest living blood relative. That would be evil Uncle Victor, and Emily does NOT want to live with him. While she is on her perilous stagecoach journey to Redbud, she is befriended by another orphan, Jackson. Emily also finds out that the reason that Uncle Victor is so set on finding her is that she is the sole heir to the $10 million left by her mother's employer. It's a rootin' tootin' Wild West adventure as Emily and Jackson try to outrun, then outsmart, Uncle Victor and make it safely to Aunt Hilda's. ( )

Fun adventure yarn about an orphan girl in the old west. I could have done without the colloquial turns of phrase. ( )