Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express - Hardcover

Gregory, Kristiana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590465775 ISBN 13: 9780590465779

Publisher: Scholastic, 1994

Synopsis

Having returned from living with his friends the Shoshoni, seventeen-year-old Jimmy Spoon grows restless again and seeks adventure by taking a job with the Pony Express.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 5-7-Jimmy, whose story began in The Legend of Jimmy Spoon (Harcourt, 1990), is here 17 and is restless and bored working at his father's fancy-goods store in Salt Lake City. When he sees a newspaper advertisement for "young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18..." wanted to ride the Pony Express, he is all fired up to go. His two years living with the Shoshone (described in the earlier book) qualify him for the job, and he enters the dangerous and rigorous life of a rider. But he is haunted by memories of the Shoshone, especially by thoughts of beautiful Nahanee, and throughout his adventures he wrestles with the decision to return to them. His exploits are exciting, the characters are well drawn, and period details are well integrated into the plot. While this title can stand alone, it brings readers full circle and those who have not read Legend will certainly want to do so after finishing this one.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-8. In Gregory's fine sequel to The Legend of Jimmy Spoon (1990), 17-year-old Jimmy is working in his father's store and pining for adventure. The two years he spent with Washakie's tribe were far more enjoyable than his life in Salt Lake City, and he longs to return to his Shoshoni family. An advertisement seeking riders for the Pony Express offers an irresistible challenge: the work seems both dangerous and heroic, and it provides an opportunity to travel through Shoshoni territory. There are some exciting adventures and new friendships for Jimmy, but there's also the discovery that carrying the mail doesn't quite live up to Jimmy's glamorous expectations. Gregory packs her short chapters with enough action, drama, and humor to please even hard-core reluctant readers, and her afterword provides additional information about real historical figures who appeared in her story. She also includes a glossary and an extensive bibliography. A painless way to learn about American history and the Pony Express. Chris Sherman

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590465775
• ISBN 13: 9780590465779
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 127