Review by Booklist Review
Patron returns to the locale of her Newbery-winning The Higher Power of Lucky (2006) in this Dear America series title set in Bodie, California, in 1880. Fourteen-year-old diarist and would-be dramatist Angeline Reddy does not believe her father, criminal lawyer Patrick Reddy, has been murdered. Convinced his disappearance is purposeful, Angie investigates his demise and tries to bring him back to their rough-and-tumble mining community. Assisted by friends, a dashing young Wells Fargo clerk, and the members of a local theater troupe, the witty and insouciant Angie offers a revealing look at frontier life especially preoccupations with thespian entertainments, racial and social prejudices, and vigilante justice. This complex novel, featuring multidimensional characters, is related in formal Victorian prose; Patron's style affects the tone of a comedic mystery/melodrama, well suited to the story's theme that people often hide their true selves (both good and bad) behind disguises. Appended with historical notes, period photos, and directions for making masks, this should appeal to fans of Sid Fleischman's Mr. Mysterious and Company (1962).--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Angeline Reddy, 14, is distraught when her father, a criminal lawyer in a California gold-mining town in 1880, disappears and is declared dead by the local newspapers and coroner. Angie and her mother are sure that he is alive and enlist her pals Ellie and Ling Loi to help solve the mystery. When the friends see a ghost and witness a murder by a gang of vigilantes, Angie becomes even more desperate to find her dad. Patron does not shy away from gritty topics like brothels and includes real people among her cast of characters. (In a detailed historical note, she informs readers that Patrick and Emma Reddy were famous, but childless). A fast-paced, action-packed novel.-Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In a book that is part mystery, part ghost story, Patron provides a multi-layered tale of one girl's experiences in the very wild West. Angie investigates the death of her father--who she doesn't believe is actually dead. She's a likable protagonist, and the many supporting characters give readers a good picture of life in a Gold Rush town as the boom turns to bust. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
