by the great horn spoon by sid fleischman

There was very little in the book that could make a parent squirm, and very little that sounded out of date. Their resolution is unpredictable and satisfying. There are also several threads that run through the whole story, maintaining suspense. There are plenty of colorful characters, and plenty of opportunities for the two main characters to grow. Every step in the journey is given full attention: the voyage from Boston to San Francisco, the trip to the gold fields, the experiences among the miners. The adventures along the way are episodic, and each episode is an amazing and believable story in itself. The plot concerns a boy who runs away during the California gold rush-with his butler!-to try to get his family out of debt. Those evenings added up to the happiest time of my life. This experience brought it all together for me, if I may speak personally: books, performing, involvement with my children, a classic story that I relished as a child myself. At several points, my children threw themselves down on the floor and yelled, 'Oh my gosh!' The story was so exciting and surprising that long reading sessions never dragged.

I am an actor, but I felt that this story would bring out the actor in anybody. The adventure truly comes out in the reader's voice.

The writing flows naturally, and encourages a great variation in expression. As much as I enjoyed reading it the first time, reading it out loud was a much richer experience. At age 40, I read the same copy to my children, ages ten and eight.

By the great horn spoon by sid fleischman