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Summary
Summary
Yeeeeeee-haw! Git along, little . . . turkeys? Big, brawny Simon Green, who's just completed third grade (for the fourth time), may not be book smart, but he's nobody's fool. When it's time to be done with school and make his way in the world, Simon hatches a plan that could earn him a bundle. He intends to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeysall the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they'll fetch a mighty price. In the year 1860, the hazards of such a trek are many - how does one shepherd the birds across a river, for instance? - but Simon is undaunted. Accompanied by a faithful drover, and eventually to be joined by two boon companions, he undertakes the biggest journey of his young life, in this high-spirited Wild Wild West adventure by an acclaimed author of historical fiction.
Summary
Yeeeeeee-haw! Git along, little . . . turkeys?
Big, brawny Simon Green, who's just completed third grade (for the fourth time), may not be book smart, but he's nobody's fool. When it's time to be done with school and make his way in the world, Simon hatches a plan that could earn him a bundle. He intends to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeysall the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they'll fetch a mighty price. In the year 1860, the hazards of such a trek are many - how does one shepherd the birds across a river, for instance? - but Simon is undaunted. Accompanied by a faithful drover, and eventually to be joined by two boon companions, he undertakes the biggest journey of his young life, in this high-spirited Wild Wild West adventure by an acclaimed author of historical fiction.
Author Notes
Kathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 21, 1946. She received a bachelor's degree from Catholic University in 1968 and a master's degree in English literature from Providence College. In 1971, she began working at the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C. She also taught high school and college before taking up writing. She published five works of women's fiction before moving to children's fiction. Her children's novels included It Ain't Always Easy and The Great Turkey Walk. She received the Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction in 2000 for The Boxer and the Agatha Award for best Children's/YA Mystery of the Year in 2003 for The Seventh Knot. She died on December 6, 2017 at the age of 71.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Kathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 21, 1946. She received a bachelor's degree from Catholic University in 1968 and a master's degree in English literature from Providence College. In 1971, she began working at the American Film Institute in Washington, D.C. She also taught high school and college before taking up writing. She published five works of women's fiction before moving to children's fiction. Her children's novels included It Ain't Always Easy and The Great Turkey Walk. She received the Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction in 2000 for The Boxer and the Agatha Award for best Children's/YA Mystery of the Year in 2003 for The Seventh Knot. She died on December 6, 2017 at the age of 71.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (10)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Having repeated third grade for the fourth time, 15-year-old Simon Green is told by his teacher that it's time for him to make his way in the world on his own. Simon hatches a plan to herd a bunch of turkeys from pre-Civil War Missouri to the far off boom town of Denver where they are selling for five dollars apiece. Simon proves sharp in the world of business. Coupled with this is his strong streak of human decency which attracts others to him, such as the highly redeemable town drunk who becomes fatherly on the journey; a runaway slave, eager to make it to free territory; and a teenage girl, all alone in a sod hut on the desolate prairie with the freshly dug graves of her parents and siblings at the back door. Working together as a family, these colorful have-nots manage to hold their own with Simon's thoroughly reprehensible father, a group of Potawatomi Indians, and a host of other challenges before they arrive in Denver. Set in 1860, Kathleen Karr's novel (FS&G, 1998) is read by the wonderfully versatile Tom Stechschulte who does the likeable, folksy voice of Simon, the refined schoolmarm, Miss Rogers, Simon's sly and no-good father and all the other characters as well. His is a virtuoso performance. This is sure to provide great fun for young listeners along with offering a painless, humorous understanding of such historic issues as slavery and the settling of the West.-Carol Katz, Harrison Public Library, Harrison, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"I've always been fond of birds, poultry in particular." From that first sentence, readers will gobble up Karr's (Oh, Those Harper Girls!) hilarious novel of a boy who resolves to walk 1000 turkeys from the Show-Me state to Denver, Colorado. Simon, who's 15 and newly graduated from the third grade, may not be too bright, but he figures he can make his fortune by buying Mr. Buffey's bronze turkeys for a quarter apiece and selling them in Denver for $5 each. With his schoolteacher as an investor, Simon picks up a former drunk and a runaway slave to be his partners, and starts herding those turkeys 900 miles down the road. In their travels, they encounter a raging river and a swarm of locusts, each of which the turkeys conquer. But peskiest of all, they're tailed by Simon's no-good father, a circus strongman, who decides he wants in on the deal. The gifted Karr has a cheerful, sassy down-home writing style and a perfect pitch for dialogue (she also has an authoritative knowledge of poultry, having grown up on a New Jersey chicken farm). A bonus: the tale is based in truththere really were turkey drives in the American West. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Fifteen-year-old Simon, who has lots of common sense but little book learning, narrates the story of how he makes his fortune by walking a huge flock of turkeys over a thousand miles from Missouri to Denver in 1860. Accompanied by a roguish mule driver and a runaway slave, Simon fends off turkey rustlers, a plague of locusts, and meets his long-lost pa along the way. Based on an actual event, this is a lively and entertaining story. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Karr (Spy in the Sky, 1997, etc.) embellishes her reputation for spirited, comic adventures with this tale of a young entrepreneur who drives a thousand headof turkeysfrom Missouri to Denver in 1860. Strapping Simon Green can't pass third grade (he's tried four times), but he's a canny businessman: After learning that two-bit turkeys will sell for $5.00 in Denver, he persuades his former teacher to bankroll him, hires a drunken muleskinner for help, and sets out, braving weather, rivers, rustlers, clouds of grasshoppers (not exactly a disaster, with a thousand turkeys to feed) and other hazards, picking up two orphansone a fugitive slave, the other sole survivor of her settler familyalong the way. Karr draws characters with a very broad brush, contrasting a bloodthirsty troop of US cavalry with a helpful band of Pottawattomie`` `As official peacekeepers for our territory, we feel it incumbent upon ourselves to see that nothing unorthodox occurs on our lands' ''and supplying an inept, eminently boo-able villain in Samson, Simon's unscrupulous father. Not only do the turkeys practically herd themselves, they fetch an even higher price in Denver than Simon expects; in the end, with his new partners and a few dozen birds, he decides to try ranching. A wide-open western epic, inspired by actual drives and featuring a cast of capable young people. (Fiction. 10-13)
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-8. When Miss Rogers gently informs 15-year-old Simon that it is time for him to graduate from third grade and make his way in the world of 1860, the boy decides to make his fortune by walking 1,000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver, where meat is scarce and demand is high. Bankrolled by Miss Rogers and assisted by a disreputable mule driver, a runaway slave, and an orphaned homesteader, Simon embarks on his journey. He may not be book smart, but he has a good heart and common sense. The action is nonstop as the group encounters turkey rustlers, locust swarms, rowdy soldiers, and friendly Indians, with the travelers becoming a real family in the process. Karr's lively dialogue and likeable characters make the story, which is based on an actual event, a thoroughly entertaining read. --Chris Sherman
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Having repeated third grade for the fourth time, 15-year-old Simon Green is told by his teacher that it's time for him to make his way in the world on his own. Simon hatches a plan to herd a bunch of turkeys from pre-Civil War Missouri to the far off boom town of Denver where they are selling for five dollars apiece. Simon proves sharp in the world of business. Coupled with this is his strong streak of human decency which attracts others to him, such as the highly redeemable town drunk who becomes fatherly on the journey; a runaway slave, eager to make it to free territory; and a teenage girl, all alone in a sod hut on the desolate prairie with the freshly dug graves of her parents and siblings at the back door. Working together as a family, these colorful have-nots manage to hold their own with Simon's thoroughly reprehensible father, a group of Potawatomi Indians, and a host of other challenges before they arrive in Denver. Set in 1860, Kathleen Karr's novel (FS&G, 1998) is read by the wonderfully versatile Tom Stechschulte who does the likeable, folksy voice of Simon, the refined schoolmarm, Miss Rogers, Simon's sly and no-good father and all the other characters as well. His is a virtuoso performance. This is sure to provide great fun for young listeners along with offering a painless, humorous understanding of such historic issues as slavery and the settling of the West.-Carol Katz, Harrison Public Library, Harrison, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"I've always been fond of birds, poultry in particular." From that first sentence, readers will gobble up Karr's (Oh, Those Harper Girls!) hilarious novel of a boy who resolves to walk 1000 turkeys from the Show-Me state to Denver, Colorado. Simon, who's 15 and newly graduated from the third grade, may not be too bright, but he figures he can make his fortune by buying Mr. Buffey's bronze turkeys for a quarter apiece and selling them in Denver for $5 each. With his schoolteacher as an investor, Simon picks up a former drunk and a runaway slave to be his partners, and starts herding those turkeys 900 miles down the road. In their travels, they encounter a raging river and a swarm of locusts, each of which the turkeys conquer. But peskiest of all, they're tailed by Simon's no-good father, a circus strongman, who decides he wants in on the deal. The gifted Karr has a cheerful, sassy down-home writing style and a perfect pitch for dialogue (she also has an authoritative knowledge of poultry, having grown up on a New Jersey chicken farm). A bonus: the tale is based in truththere really were turkey drives in the American West. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Fifteen-year-old Simon, who has lots of common sense but little book learning, narrates the story of how he makes his fortune by walking a huge flock of turkeys over a thousand miles from Missouri to Denver in 1860. Accompanied by a roguish mule driver and a runaway slave, Simon fends off turkey rustlers, a plague of locusts, and meets his long-lost pa along the way. Based on an actual event, this is a lively and entertaining story. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Karr (Spy in the Sky, 1997, etc.) embellishes her reputation for spirited, comic adventures with this tale of a young entrepreneur who drives a thousand headof turkeysfrom Missouri to Denver in 1860. Strapping Simon Green can't pass third grade (he's tried four times), but he's a canny businessman: After learning that two-bit turkeys will sell for $5.00 in Denver, he persuades his former teacher to bankroll him, hires a drunken muleskinner for help, and sets out, braving weather, rivers, rustlers, clouds of grasshoppers (not exactly a disaster, with a thousand turkeys to feed) and other hazards, picking up two orphansone a fugitive slave, the other sole survivor of her settler familyalong the way. Karr draws characters with a very broad brush, contrasting a bloodthirsty troop of US cavalry with a helpful band of Pottawattomie`` `As official peacekeepers for our territory, we feel it incumbent upon ourselves to see that nothing unorthodox occurs on our lands' ''and supplying an inept, eminently boo-able villain in Samson, Simon's unscrupulous father. Not only do the turkeys practically herd themselves, they fetch an even higher price in Denver than Simon expects; in the end, with his new partners and a few dozen birds, he decides to try ranching. A wide-open western epic, inspired by actual drives and featuring a cast of capable young people. (Fiction. 10-13)
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-8. When Miss Rogers gently informs 15-year-old Simon that it is time for him to graduate from third grade and make his way in the world of 1860, the boy decides to make his fortune by walking 1,000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver, where meat is scarce and demand is high. Bankrolled by Miss Rogers and assisted by a disreputable mule driver, a runaway slave, and an orphaned homesteader, Simon embarks on his journey. He may not be book smart, but he has a good heart and common sense. The action is nonstop as the group encounters turkey rustlers, locust swarms, rowdy soldiers, and friendly Indians, with the travelers becoming a real family in the process. Karr's lively dialogue and likeable characters make the story, which is based on an actual event, a thoroughly entertaining read. --Chris Sherman