Book Review- Nancy Belgue- Summer on the Run

Nancy Belgue- Summer on the Run (Orca Book Publishers 2005) 3.5 Stars

The depression is running rampant and surviving is getting tough, forcing people to find alternate ways of making money. Their father riding the rails and their mother struggling to keep food on the table, Doris and Douglas must find a way to get by. Douglas has decided to start rum-running and Doris must try to keep him from getting busted. Forced to leave their home, they must flee to Point Pelee for the summer.

I never really got to the point where I felt captivated by this book. It was a decent read, but not one that I would pick up and read again. The plot was kind of interesting as it shows you what life was like during the depression from a child’s perspective. It had a couple of twists, but you pretty much knew what was going to happen in the end, still you want to find out just how it is going to come about. The characters were definitely a high point in this book, they were very well done. The setting of course was great to see. Canada is quite often forgotten about in book s about the depression era. Overall this book is a good educational tool for teaching about the depression, and is a decent read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Tony Earley- Jim the Boy

Tony Earley- Jim the Boy (Little, Brown and Company 2001) 4.75 Stars

After Jim Glass passed away leaving behind an expecting wife, Cissy sees no other choice than to call her son Jim Glass in honour of the man she loved. Now Jim is ten years old and he lives with his mother during the Great Depression. His three uncles are left to teach him the responsibilities of being a man. He is trying to learn the breaks and now his school has been combined with all of the outlying schools, including the mountain country where his father was raised, bringing in students who know more about Jim’s family history than he does, including stories of a grumpy grandfather whom his mother has forbidden to ever see him. Being a ten-year-old boy is turning out to be harder than he could have ever imagined.

I read Blue Star the heart warming sequel to Jim the Boy last year and I knew that I just had to read this one. Earley has such a talent for story telling. It made me feel like I was right there along with Jim Glass going through his preteen lessons and heartaches. I enjoyed this book immensely and was up late last night as I could not get enough of it. The characters are so rich and full of life that they jump off of every page; you cannot help but feel like they are right there with you. I enjoyed seeing this one year period of Jim Glass’ life and was touched by how he had to learn just what life is like, with heartache, regrets, joys, and most importantly a loving family. This gives Blue Star some background and will make rereading it more enjoyable. I will be rereading both books with my wife and definitely recommend reading these two books to everyone.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html