We have just finished listening to By The Great Horn Spoon! during our car travels. What a fun story! We are currently enjoying the era of the California gold rush for our history studies and this book by Sid Fleischman was a great way to personalize that time period.
The story begins with young Jack becoming a stow away on a ship headed for "the diggins" out in CA. He wants to strike it rich to help his family out of financial ruin. He is not alone, though. The faithful family butler, Praiseworthy, comes along for the ride to keep Master Jack safe. Well, lots of excitement and exaggeration follow in this tongue-in-cheek adventure story.
I have to say, my intention was to read this book aloud to the boys, but I inadvertently ordered the audio book from the library. What a happy accident that was! There are so many "characters" in this book such as Cut-Eye Higgins, Pitch-Pine Billy, Mountain Ox , Captain Swain and "Jimmy From Town". Each is given their own fabulous voice styling. (Praiseworthy's butler voice is sublime!) I could never have kept all the voices straight for these guys, or brought them to life like the Full Cast Audio folks. There are 24 readers, plus the narrator, and the range of personalities really made for an engaging story!
So, do they make their fortune? Is the family saved from ruin? Just what will they do with that bag of hair? Please listen to this audiobook and find out! It is really so much fun. Whether it fits in with a study of history or not, it is a great "read" and should not be missed!
3 comments:
We will have to find that audio version. My kids love this story and would enjoy listening to it. Thanks for the plug!
We love this book! Matilda did a book club about it with real gold panning in her kitchen. Who does that? The kids had a blast.
Who was that guy from near your town that we were talking about... the jack-of-all-trades?
Fat Boy! I am on a quest to find Fat Boy and take a picture so I can post it on my blog! I am only afraid that he will turn out to be so frightfully normal that it will ruin it for me!
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