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librarydosebykristy's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, clever, subtly subversive story about a non traditional family (two dads) living in the Alaskan wilderness. So sweet, so fun. Like Little House on the Prarie with an edge.
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me laugh. And cry a little. It's so very, very good.
jaij7's review against another edition
4.0
If you like Little House books, you will enjoy this book. Same premise but learning what Alaskan life is like. Sweet story.
justicepirate's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because my 9 year old enjoyed it so much and it looked cute, but I was bored. I feel badly about it because I actually tend to enjoy a lot of children's books, but this one didn't really keep my interest enough.
I enjoyed learning a lot about Alaska in 1930 where the story takes place. Bo was given up by her mother and was taken in by two miners who were told to bring her to an orphanage. They couldn't do it and instead worked to raise her themselves. This is about the people that Bo interacts with and what life in Alaska is like. It definitely would be more aimed for older middle school aged kids than younger ones by the way.
I enjoyed learning a lot about Alaska in 1930 where the story takes place. Bo was given up by her mother and was taken in by two miners who were told to bring her to an orphanage. They couldn't do it and instead worked to raise her themselves. This is about the people that Bo interacts with and what life in Alaska is like. It definitely would be more aimed for older middle school aged kids than younger ones by the way.
ketchikrista's review against another edition
5.0
I can not wait to read this to my class! This wonderful story makes the pioneer days of Alaska come to life for kids. Bo is a wonderful character to follow around. The pictures as darling. I loved this.
jesscinco's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very cute book. If you want a light, sweet, historical fiction about mining in Alaska then this is the book. The only issue is that this book is really more of a series of anecdotes rather than a cohesive story, but it still manages to be compelling.
sandraagee's review
5.0
Loved it. It's kind of like a spunky [b:Little House in the Big Woods|8337|Little House in the Big Woods (Little House, #1)|Laura Ingalls Wilder|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1266449708s/8337.jpg|1200805], full of lots of great description that really paints a picture of what it was like to be a kid in that time and place. I'm fascinated by Bo's two fathers and the way they both work together in this unique co-parenting situation.
rachelb36's review
1.0
The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous and are the reason I picked this book up in the first place. It's too bad the text wasn't as wonderful as the pictures!
This is supposedly geared for kids aged 8-12, but I didn't feel the content was appropriate. I had to edit a lot of this book while reading it out loud to my nieces.
There is quite a bit of profanity (something that I don't like even in adult reads, but is completely unacceptable in a children's book). There are references to "good time girls," cannibalism, and a paragraph stating how much the children liked to look at National Geographic magazines to see the photos of naked people. (Why include this...?)
There is also an underlying anti-Christian theme. In addition to the evolution references and the instances of God's name taken in vain (which aren't terribly uncommon in any book), at one point a character says, "If there's a heaven, which I doubt..." (p.153) And when the school is described, it's contrasted with a Christian school and the author states, "At the mission school, they had learned nothing but the catechism and Bible verses, which they didn't think were very useful." (p. 186)
The book had no plot, but was written more "memoir" style - each chapter was a little story of what happens in Ballard Creek and descriptions of the people who lived there. Normally, I like this kind of book, but I think that they need to have a strong theme that connects the stories, and this book lacked that.
This is supposedly geared for kids aged 8-12, but I didn't feel the content was appropriate. I had to edit a lot of this book while reading it out loud to my nieces.
There is quite a bit of profanity (something that I don't like even in adult reads, but is completely unacceptable in a children's book). There are references to "good time girls," cannibalism, and a paragraph stating how much the children liked to look at National Geographic magazines to see the photos of naked people. (Why include this...?)
There is also an underlying anti-Christian theme. In addition to the evolution references and the instances of God's name taken in vain (which aren't terribly uncommon in any book), at one point a character says, "If there's a heaven, which I doubt..." (p.153) And when the school is described, it's contrasted with a Christian school and the author states, "At the mission school, they had learned nothing but the catechism and Bible verses, which they didn't think were very useful." (p. 186)
The book had no plot, but was written more "memoir" style - each chapter was a little story of what happens in Ballard Creek and descriptions of the people who lived there. Normally, I like this kind of book, but I think that they need to have a strong theme that connects the stories, and this book lacked that.
compass_rose's review
4.0
Read aloud to the 6yo. We both enjoyed it. Bo is a sweet five year old and we liked following her around her town and cast of characters that make up her community-family. The setting is 1929 Alaska, a gold mining village. Hoping for a sequel. (oh! just found that there is one!)