School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Sallie March, 11, devotee of dime novels, narrates this rollicking Wild West adventure. The irrepressible tomboy and her ladylike older sister, Maude, have been living in Cedar Rapids with their stern Aunt Ruthie since their parents died. When she is shot dead by a random bullet, Reverend Peasley takes the girls in, but works them like servants. Then grandfatherly Mr. Wilburn proposes to Maude, and it's the last straw. The sisters take two horses and head to Independence, MO, in hopes of finding their uncle. They disguise themselves as boys and begin to live as dime-novel heroes, hooking up with Marion Hardly, aka Joe Harden (the Joe Harden, of the dimer series?), who is also their aunt's killer. Although the girls' intentions are never bad, they end up in the midst of a bank robbery and committing murder. The newspapers are full of news of Mad Maude March, gone crazy with grief. All ends well as they make it to Missouri, where everyone has a reputation anyway. Sallie's narration is delightful, with understatements that are laugh-out-loud hilarious. While this novel at first seems a departure for Couloumbis, there are many similarities to Getting Near to Baby (1999) and Say Yes (2002, both Putnam). Her strong females are memorable, largely due to her perfect pitch in conveying their unique voices. Hard to put down, and a fun read-aloud.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Trying her hand at a new genre of fiction, Coloumbis (Getting Near to Baby) offers a rip-roaring Western as full of wild escapades as the dime novels of old, which her protagonist is so fond of reading. Orphans 11-year-old Sallie (who narrates) and her older sister, Maude, live with their aunt Ruthie until the day a stray bullet strikes her dead. After a brief stay with the preacher (who is bent on marrying off Maude to a "grandfatherly sort of man"), the girls decide to head west down the Oregon Trail to find their only living relative, Uncle Arlen. It doesn't take long for the girls to meet up with Aunt Ruthie's murderer, Joe Harden, who is also a dime novel author, and who turns out to be a fairly decent fellow despite the fact he's running from the law. He manages to get the girls involved in horse thievery, a bank robbery and a shootout (in which Sallie proves herself to be handy enough with a gun). Due to a series of newspaper articles, Maude gets most of the credit and soon becomes known as Mad Maude March, "a hardened criminal." Featuring equal doses of comedy and adventure, this novel written with broad strokes and tongue-in-cheek commentary about pioneer life is sure to rustle up a new herd of fans for Couloumbis. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) A spunky heroine in the mold of Avi's Charlotte Doyle or Marthe Jocelyn's Mable Riley, Sallie March narrates this tale of Wild West adventure and mistaken identity. Orphaned twice over, eleven-year-old dime-novel aficionado Sallie and her older sister Maude strike out for Independence, Missouri, to search for Uncle Arden, their last remaining relative. Dressed as boys and riding technically stolen horses, the two fall in with Joe Harden, who shares a name with the hero of Sallie's ""dimers"" and inadvertently involves them in a bank robbery. Increasingly lurid accounts of Maude's criminal exploits (to her chagrin, Sallie's contributions are never mentioned) follow them in newspapers across the West as they ride rough, survive a blizzard, and kill a desperado. Sallie is a practical-minded narrator, and, beneath a gloss of normal sibling squabbling, her admiration for her crack-shot sister suffuses the tale. Though the plot has elements of farce in the string of coincidences and errors that make outlaws of the girls, for the most part it's played straight; the humor arises from the contrast between the sobriety of Sallie's voice and the frenetic action. Readers will become deeply involved in Sallie and Maude's adventures, drawn in by the sisters' strong bond, their continuing bad luck, and hints of a potential romance between Maude and outlaw Joe Harden. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.