Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Tales of Young Americans) - Hardcover

Dandi Daley Mackall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585362867 ISBN 13: 9781585362868

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2007

Synopsis

In 1932, Akron, Ohio was no better off than other parts of the country. Since Black Tuesday in '29, companies are closed, men all over the state are out of work, and families are running out of hope. Thirteen-year-old Rudy wants to help but doesn't know where to turn. His father, sullen and withdrawn, spends his time sulking on their front porch. His mother is desperate, not knowing how she will feed and care for her family. When Rudy learns of other boys leaving town and heading west to seek their fortunes, he hops a train figuring at least there will be one less mouth to feed at home. As Rudy lives the hobo life while he "rides the rails" to California, young readers are given a snapshot view and testament of Depression-era America.Writer Dandi Daley Mackall met the real "Ramblin' Rudy" in 2000 and was inspired to capture his story and the spirit of adventure shown by many during the Great Depression. She conducts writing workshops across the United States and speaks at numerous conferences. Dandi lives in West Salem, Ohio. Rudy Rides the Rails is Chris Ellison's second book with Sleeping Bear Press. He also illustrated Let Them Play, which was named to the 2006 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People list. Chris is presently working on another Tales of Young Americans story about the Oklahoma Land Run. He lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

About this title

About the Authors

Dandi Daley Mackall has published more than 350 books for children and grown-ups, with sales of $3 million in 22 countries. Her publishers include Prentice-Hall, Simon & Schuster, Dutton/Penguin-Putnam, HarperCollins, Harcourt, DreamWorks, Disney, Warner Brothers and Hanna Barbera. Although she has always been interested in Native American culture and history (with the rumor of a distant Native American branch in her own family tree), The Legend of Ohio is her first Native American legend.

Dandi is a frequent guest on radio talk shows; has hosted more than 200 radio phone-in programs; and has made dozens of appearances on TV. She was an instructor for Highlights conference and teaches novel writing for the Institute of Children's Literature. Dandi conducts writing assemblies and workshops across the U.S. and keynotes at conferences and young author events. She writes from rural Ohio with her husband, Joe, children Jen, Katy and Dan and their horses, dogs and cats.

Chris Ellison received his formal art training at the Harris School of Art in Franklin, Tennessee, and then later at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has illustrated both children's picture books and adult historical fiction for nearly 20 years. Chris has illustrated several books for Sleeping Bear Press including M is for Mom: A Child's Alphabet; The Lucky Star, Rudy Rides the Rails, Pappy’s Handkerchief, a 2007 Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. His first book with Sleeping Bear Press, Let Them Play, was named a 2006 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Chris lives in Petal, Mississippi, with his wife, Lesley, and two young sons.

Reviews

Grade 3–6—Set in 1932, this picture book tells of a teenager who leaves his home in Akron, OH, and takes to the rails to find work and hopefully a better life in California. Despite his father's advice, "look out for you and yours, and nobody else," Rudy learns that people who are down and out have to lean on others sometimes. As he travels west, stopping to take odd jobs, he meets other travelers who help him endure life on the road. They show him the signs left behind by other hoboes, warning of danger and indicating those homes where food would be offered. With their assistance, Rudy, like many other displaced persons, survives, eventually returning home to carve the "kindness here" symbol on his own front porch. Realistic, painterly illustrations depict the teen's cross-country journey, showing the many different trains he rides through the changing North American landscape. Beginning with the despair on the faces of the men waiting in line for work, the paintings clearly convey the characters' emotions. The symbols appear throughout and are defined on an appended page, along with a "Hobo Glossary." The writing is clear and vivid, and an author's note provides context for the story. A wonderful addition to the study of the Great Depression.—Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Based on the experience of Ramblin' Rudy, one of more than a quarter of a million teens who left home in the 1930s, this picture book in the Tales of Young America series shows the hard times of the Depression as well as the adventure of the journey. The stirring full-page watercolor paintings capture the period with realism and a tinge of sentiment, starting with Rudy, 13, in a winding line of men and boys desperate for work. In a close-up portrait, unemployed, seething Pa tells Rudy, "You gotta look out for you and yours, and nobody else." Rudy hops the trains out West, crouched in a boxcar or on the roof, jumping off to avoid the police. He finds odd jobs, sends some money home. He does not strike it rich in California. Lots of doors slam in his face. But the hoboes and some locals help each other, and readers will be moved by Rudy's discovery that despite what Pa says, there is kindness and community. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585362867
• ISBN 13: 9781585362868
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Chris Ellison
• Number of pages: 40