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prairiedances's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't read Megan's part of the series the first time around years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. Poor Meg got the "Beth March" edit, the shy, quiet, boring one, and as a result, is easily overlooked both in the story and to the reader. It is a shame, because In the Face of Danger is not only better written than the first two books in the series, but also a great (and realistic) tale.
In In the Face of Danger, Meg is sent to live far away from her brothers and sisters to the territory of Kansas. Also unlike Peg and Danny, and Frances Mary and Petey, she is adopted without a sibling to cling too. Meg believes herself to be a "bad luck penny" because of what a "gypsy" told her when she was younger. Because of this, Meg fears that all the family's troubles are because her her. Adding this to her general characterization of being shy and sensitive, Meg is the child both Frances Mary and their mother worry the most about.
However, after reading the story in which Megan meets head on all the obstacles of prairie life with a refreshing sense of humbleness and practicality, it is clear that Meg is the one Kelly child who will be just fine. She's brave and takes to action (see the climax in which Meg singlehandly takes down a rouge outlaw) while Frances Mary merely lets life happen to her. Mike's still the most interesting sibling, but through Meg, the reader is allowed to experience the frontier in a realistic and entertaining way. A must read for young adults who wish to see first hand how the Kansas prairie may have been like on the eve of the Civil War.
In In the Face of Danger, Meg is sent to live far away from her brothers and sisters to the territory of Kansas. Also unlike Peg and Danny, and Frances Mary and Petey, she is adopted without a sibling to cling too. Meg believes herself to be a "bad luck penny" because of what a "gypsy" told her when she was younger. Because of this, Meg fears that all the family's troubles are because her her. Adding this to her general characterization of being shy and sensitive, Meg is the child both Frances Mary and their mother worry the most about.
However, after reading the story in which Megan meets head on all the obstacles of prairie life with a refreshing sense of humbleness and practicality, it is clear that Meg is the one Kelly child who will be just fine. She's brave and takes to action (see the climax in which Meg singlehandly takes down a rouge outlaw) while Frances Mary merely lets life happen to her. Mike's still the most interesting sibling, but through Meg, the reader is allowed to experience the frontier in a realistic and entertaining way. A must read for young adults who wish to see first hand how the Kansas prairie may have been like on the eve of the Civil War.
ahaycraft's review against another edition
5.0
This one was one of my favorites as a child and I still really enjoyed it. The whole Indian and curse thing was really harped on and slightly annoying but it did end well.
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