Dirty Deed, A - Hardcover

Stenhouse, Ted

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155337360X ISBN 13: 9781553373605

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2003

Synopsis

This novel by Ted Stenhouse is the sequel to Across the Steel River. This time, the boys uncover generations of disgrace and realize that everyone has something to hide.

About this title

About the Author:

Ted Stenhouse grew up in Gleichen, Alberta. He now lives in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9-Stenhouse returns to 1952 Grayson, a Canadian town, in this companion to Across the Steel River (Kids Can, 2001). While out stargazing, best friends Will and Arthur, who is a Blackfoot Indian, witness the beating of a teen, Catface, by Old Man Howe, the town's richest man. The seventh graders end up with a land deed that Howe claims Catface stole, but the deeper the boys dig, the more questions arise, and the more cruelty and shame they uncover. Deception, prejudice, and evil pepper Howe's past dealings with his own family, particularly his daughter who married an Indian and is Catface's grandmother. Will and Arthur manage to set things right, but at great risk to themselves and their friendship. The town's intense prejudice sometimes comes close to overshadowing an otherwise exciting plot and intriguing characters. Though that bigotry plays an integral part in Howe's past, and hence Will's and Arthur's present, there is so much anger in the characters that the story loses focus in several places. While the book promotes an understanding of racial prejudice, it's a heavy, unpleasant read.
Linda Bindner, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 155337360X
• ISBN 13: 9781553373605
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192