The road from nowhere

In his newest piece of historical fiction, Avi takes us to a tiny silver-mining town in 1893 Colorado, where two brothers navigate economic changes that will turn their lives upside down. Ollie, Gus, and their ma have been scraping by in Gatchett's Gulch--a town run by a prospector with an iron fist and an eye for silver--since a dynamiting accident killed their father. Eager to help his work-worn mother, Ollie acquires a divining rod for detecting precious metals that leads him and his trusty dog to a cave that no one has ever seen before. Meanwhile, a geology professor comes to the area from the big city with sobering news about the silver market. Ollie, Gus, and their friend Alys end up on a propulsive and dangerous path that demands making big decisions. Full of adventurous moments and historical tie-ins, Avi's storytelling and world building drive the plot even when the reader might find the conclusion a bit tame based on the dangers presented throughout.

This rousing historical novel highlights the Silver Crash of 1893, a consequential moment in American history whose economic implications dramatically impact the protagonists' dreams of cultivating a better future for themselves. Thirteen-year-old Ollie Cleary lives with his mother and 11-year-old brother Gus in Gatchett's Gulch, Colo., a silver mining settlement where the family ekes out a living doing laundry for the prospectors. Ollie dreams of finding silver and becoming rich, but the camp's founder, Elijah Gatchett, forbids unauthorized mining. When Ollie and Gus stumble across an unoccupied cave containing a silver lode, they hatch a plan to register a claim and start their own rival mining operation. Enlisting their 11-year-old English-born friend Alys Thomas and adult newcomer Bertram Blake, a traveling teacher and geologist, the boys dive into their scheme, which they must complete before Gatchett finds out and shuts them down. Meanwhile, rumors of rapidly decreasing silver prices threaten the town's economy. Avi (Lost in the Empire City) organically captures the atmosphere of the era and setting via Ollie's animated narration, which maintains a sense of optimism and hope throughout his slice-of-life coming-of-age experiences and classic kid adventures. The memorably rendered characters cue as white. Ages 8--12. (Jan.)

Two young brothers vie to strike it rich in the 1893 Colorado silver mining camp of Gatchett's Gulch. Thirteen-year-old Ollie Cleary, younger brother Gus, and their friend Alys Thomas are the only children in their isolated mining settlement, "population forty or so." Ollie dreams of striking it rich by finding silver and moving far away. The boys' mother supports them by doing the miners' laundry and mending; after their father's death in a mine accident, she's adamant that her sons not take up mining. One day while the boys and Alys are out exploring, the Clearys' dog, Poco, disappears into a cave that turns out to be rich in veins of silver. But their hopes are quickly dashed by Mr. Gatchett, the menacing mine owner, who insists he owns all the land and its silver. He threatens to run out of town anyone who dares to mine for silver on their own. The author expertly weaves in historical details, creating a strong sense of time and place. The story explores the complexities of land claims and the significance of a possible repeal of the Sherman Act, which guaranteed that the U.S. government would purchase large quantities of silver. Threats, like an encounter with a rattlesnake and the presence of the controlling, sinister Mr. Gatchett, help sustain the tension. Chapter cliffhangers propel the narrative, leading to a satisfying and unanticipated ending. Characters present white. A page-turner with a well-realized setting. (author's note, author Q & A)(Historical fiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.