The Longest Ride - Hardcover

Denise Lewis Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805047158 ISBN 13: 9780805047158

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 1999

Synopsis

At fifteen, Midnight Son has already lived quite a courageous life. He has escaped bounty hunters intent on returning him to slavery and has survived a fierce tornado. It seems no challenge is insurmountable for this young cowboy. But when Midnight Son comes upon a vulnerable Indian village during the journey to find his separated family, he knows he must delay his search in order to help his new friends get safely through the final days of the Civil War.

In this companion to The Adventures of Midnight Son, Denise Lewis Patrick tells a powerful coming-of-age story about a young man who discovers the true meaning of responsibility, bravery, and honor in the face of adversity.

About this title

About the Author

Denise Lewis Patrick is the author of The Adventures of Midnight Son, which was named a New York Public Library Best Book for Teenagers and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book. She lives with her husband and four sons on Staten Island in New York.

Reviews

This weak sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (1997) wanders at first but is not without its strengths. Near the end of the Civil War, Midnight Son, a runaway slave and cowboy, and his best friend, Lou Boy, are traveling to Fort Lyon, Colorado, when they are separated in a sudden blizzard. Midnight is rescued by Arapahos, but when they are massacred by soldiers, he agrees to take Eagle Eye and Winter Mary, offspring of a former slave and an Arapaho, back to their mother's relatives in Missouri. First he intends to return to Texas, to find his own family, scattered by slave sales and the end of war. Throughout are sudden and unexplained changes of mood, and patchy charactizations. The pacing can be reckless, e.g., some ``buffalo soldiers'' are greeted and dispensed with in 12 hasty pages. The story picks up steam when Midnight begins tracking down his family, and comes sharply into focus when he is on the trail of his mother, with bittersweet reunions along the way. Those who loved the first book will want to see Midnight in action again; his story is flawed but he is still an engrossing character. (map) (Fiction. 9-13) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 5-7-This sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (Holt, 1995) opens with the teenaged runaway slave from Texas working as a cowboy in Colorado, but longing to return home and rescue his family. Lost in a springtime blizzard, he is helped by a band of Arapaho Indians. In their small camp, he meets another former slave, Raven Woman, who is married to Big Running Fox, the leader of the group. Midnight Son befriends their daughter, Winter Mary, but is distrusted by Eagle Eye, their son. When their camp is destroyed by soldiers, Raven Woman and Big Running Fox are killed, and Eagle Eye is badly wounded. The siblings decide to travel with Midnight Son to find his family and then search for their mother's relatives. Meanwhile, the Civil War has ended and they find disarray in its wake. Tension builds as they follow the trail and the protagonist is eventually reunited with his mother and sisters. Issues present themselves in a fairly simplistic fashion. Midnight Son, for example, after accepting the prevailing view of Indians and of the U.S. Army, suddenly understands that government policy is designed to eliminate the Indians. The characters, while likable, sometimes seem like tools to teach about slavery and Indian relations. Midnight Son removes a bullet from Eagle Eye's chest, a procedure that is successful but highly unrealistic. Still, there is excitement, adventure, and suspense. The plot is easy to follow and solid historical information is included. The closing chapter hints strongly at another sequel.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the sequel to The Adventures of Midnight Son (1997), escaped Texas slave Midnight Son has joined a long cattle drive. Haunted by dreams and thoughts of his beloved family, he yearns to return to Texas and help them start a new life. But a blinding snowstorm shuts the trail and separates Midnight from his white cowhand partner, Lou Boy. Rescued by some Arapahos, who first suspect him of working for the U.S. Cavalry, Midnight begins a long journey of trust building and then a literal journey back to Texas and then to Louisiana with tribe members Winter Mary and her brother, Eagle Eye, who are on a quest to find their dead mother's family. The traveling party--which has been reunited with Lou Boy--forms an overly politically correct team of wronged individuals seeking solace, peace, and roots. The characters are appealing nonetheless, and if Midnight is aided by amazing coincidence in easily finding his mother, two sisters, and a third sister who had been sold long ago, the reader will cheer him on. A useful historical novel focusing on slavery, as well as government versus Native American issues. Anne O'Malley

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805047158
• ISBN 13: 9780805047158
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176