Riding the Flume - Hardcover

Pfitsch, Patricia Curtis; Bowers, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689838239 ISBN 13: 9780689838231

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2002

Synopsis

During the summer of 1894, the giant sequoia trees -- the oldest living things on earth -- are being felled for lumber in northern California. Francie finds a note in a hole of an old sequoia stump and recognizes her sister's handwriting. But Carrie died in an accident six years earlier. Could the secret still be important? Francie is determined to find out. When her search turns dangerous and she needs to get to St. Joseph fast, she's faced with the choice to either give up -- or to ride the flume, the rickety track that carries lumber from the mills in the mountains to the lumberyard in St. Joseph. Should Francie risk her life for the secret her sister fought to keep?

* * *

"She'd only heard of two men riding the flume successfully -- those two last summer. They had been arrested as soon as they got to St. Joseph. Two others had tried before that. One had ended up in the hospital, and the other man had been killed....

"Her heart began to beat in slow, painful thuds. Was it such a crazy idea? Did she dare try it? Could she ride the flume to St. Joseph?"

During the summer of 1894, the giant sequoia trees -- the oldest living things on earth -- are being felled for lumber in northern California. Francie finds a note in a hole of an old sequoia stump and recognizes her sister's handwriting. But Carrie died in an accident six years earlier. Could the secret still be important? Francie is determined to find out. When her search turns dangerous and she needs to get to St. Joseph fast, she's faced with the choice to either give up -- or to ride the flume, the rickety track that carries lumber from the mills in the mountains to the lumberyard in St. Joseph. Should Francie risk her life for the secret her sister fought to keep?

* * *

"She'd only heard of two men riding the flume successfully -- those two last summer. They had been arrested as soon as they got to St. Joseph. Two others had tried before that. One had ended up in the hospital, and the other man had been killed....

"Her heart began to beat in slow, painful thuds. Was it such a crazy idea? Did she dare try it? Could she ride the flume to St. Joseph?"

About this title

About the Author:

Patricia Curtis Pfitsch lives on a ridge top farm in southwest Wisconsin with her partner, Jack, their dog, Gaea, and two annoying but lovable cats. They have three grown children, Hollis, Woody, and Jane. Ms. Pfitsch's award-winning stories and articles have appeared in various children's magazines, including Highlights and Cricket. She is also the author of Keeper of the Light and The Deeper Song.

"I was fascinated when I found out that the giant sequoias in California live to be thousands of years old," writes Patricia Curtis Pfitsch. "But I was horrified when I learned that in the 1890s, thousands of sequoias were cut down, even though their wood was so brittle that more than half of the trees shattered when they fell. Why would humans waste the long lives of such beautiful and ancient creatures? In my search for the answer to that question, Riding the Flume was born."

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-Between 1890 and 1903, whole forests of giant sequoia trees were felled for lumber in northern California. In this exciting adventure story, Francie, 15, begins to unravel a mystery when she finds a hidden note left by her sister, now deceased, in the hole of a tree and sets out to stop the logging of the biggest giant. Set in 1894, the novel is a fast read, ending with a daredevil ride on the loggers' flume. Francie is a brave, high-spirited teen who values commitment, history, the environment, and the legacy of her sister's memory. A subplot involves the family dealing with the loss of Carrie six years earlier. The uneasy decision between whether to save the tree in memory of Carrie or save the economy and the loggers' jobs is handled objectively. Pfitsch has researched her subject well and gives the California mountain landscape and its inhabitants a note of realism. However, the book is weakened by too simple a resolution, the downplaying of natural hazards in the wild, and many dangers either glossed over or omitted. The writing is sometimes repetitious, but it is easy, making the story an accessible and enjoyable read. Some moral-value issues, such as telling the truth and minding parents, are nicely handled. The attractive jacket depicting the dangerous ride on the flume should draw readers and help sell the book.
Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0689838239
• ISBN 13: 9780689838231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240