E. Cody Kimmel is a descendant of Buffalo Bill Cody as well as the highly praised author of another adventure tale:
Ice Story, about Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated trip to the Antarctic. Her two previous novels are
In the Stone Circle and
Visiting Miss Caples, both of which garnered excellent reviews. Kimmel is currently writing a series of novels about the life and adventures of young Buffalo Bill Cody. Ms. Kimmel lives in Cold Spring, NY with her husband and daughter.
Grade 3-7-First in a series of novels based on the life of Bill Cody, this entry takes the eight-year-old and his family from Iowa to the Kansas Territory in 1854. Still trying to recover from the death of his older brother, young Bill welcomes the adventure and excitement presented by the journey. His family also unwillingly enters a lively political conflict, since the Territory's status is crucial to both sides of the slavery issue. Readers get plenty of historical background, mostly through adult conversations overheard by the boy. They are informative and interesting, but at times seem forced into the narrative. Bill begins to think more about the world around him as the story proceeds, taking on greater responsibility and slowly accepting his role as the only son without guilt. All of the events are relatively tame. There are no sensational occurrences along the way, but he gets a chance to prove himself and his father and others begin to treat him more like a young man. The only really tense moment comes when Bill stands up to a drunken Missouri man who questions the Codys' right to claim land in Kansas. Since Kimmel sticks closely to events detailed in historical documents, the lack of lively action is appropriate. Instead, readers get a feel for the time and place in which Bill grew up, and glimpses of the character traits that mark his later life.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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