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The Great Turkey Walk
Yeeeeeee-haw! Git along, little . . . turkeys?
Big, brawny Simon Green, who's just completed third grade (for the fourth time), may not be book smart, but he's nobody's fool. When it's time to be done with school and make his way in the world, Simon hatches a plan that could earn him a bundle. He intends to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeysall the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they'll fetch a mighty price. In the year 1860, the hazards of such a trek are many - how does one shepherd the birds across a river, for instance? - but Simon is undaunted. Accompanied by a faithful drover, and eventually to be joined by two boon companions, he undertakes the biggest journey of his young life, in this high-spirited Wild Wild West adventure by an acclaimed author of historical fiction.
Big, brawny Simon Green, who's just completed third grade (for the fourth time), may not be book smart, but he's nobody's fool. When it's time to be done with school and make his way in the world, Simon hatches a plan that could earn him a bundle. He intends to herd a huge flock of bronze turkeysall the way from his home in eastern Missouri to the boomtown of Denver, where they'll fetch a mighty price. In the year 1860, the hazards of such a trek are many - how does one shepherd the birds across a river, for instance? - but Simon is undaunted. Accompanied by a faithful drover, and eventually to be joined by two boon companions, he undertakes the biggest journey of his young life, in this high-spirited Wild Wild West adventure by an acclaimed author of historical fiction.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Kathleen Karr
31 books22 followersKathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and grew up on a chicken farm in Dorothy, New Jersey. After escaping to college, she worked in the film industry, and also taught in high school and college. She seriously began writing fiction on a dare from her husband. After honing her skills in women’s fiction, her children asked her to write a book for them, (It Ain’t Always Easy, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990), and she discovered she loved writing for young readers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
November 14, 2020
What is better, when you are physically stuck, than to read a story of a great journey on foot or horseback?
Not much.
God, did we want to be out on the trail with these three men (and later one woman), walking 1,000 turkeys from the state of Missouri to our backdoor of Denver, Colorado!
This story's got a little bit of everything: self-discovery, new friendships, loss, thieves, Native Americans, runaway slaves, young love, the U.S. Cavalry, turkeys, mules, horses, and a dog named Emmett.
This middle grades novel surprised my girls and me and it became an overnight “top 5” favorite from our Kids Read Across America project.
My 12-year-old summed it up nicely when she said, “Mom, I feel like you could read a few pages out of this book to me. . . like, every day. . . forever.”
Got it?
Not much.
God, did we want to be out on the trail with these three men (and later one woman), walking 1,000 turkeys from the state of Missouri to our backdoor of Denver, Colorado!
This story's got a little bit of everything: self-discovery, new friendships, loss, thieves, Native Americans, runaway slaves, young love, the U.S. Cavalry, turkeys, mules, horses, and a dog named Emmett.
This middle grades novel surprised my girls and me and it became an overnight “top 5” favorite from our Kids Read Across America project.
My 12-year-old summed it up nicely when she said, “Mom, I feel like you could read a few pages out of this book to me. . . like, every day. . . forever.”
Got it?
December 29, 2009
Reason for Reading: Read aloud to the 9yo to go along with our history studies.
Summary: Set in 1860, the book starts with 15-year-old Simon Green being politely graduated from school and told to go find his place in the world. Simon is quite taken aback, as he has just finished third grade for the fourth time and he'd figured on being in school quite some time to get the rest of the grades completed. Simple-minded Simon comes upon a plan to walk a flock of a thousand turkeys from his hometown in Missouri, where he can purchase them for two bits a head, all the way to Denver where they say turkeys will go for five dollars a head. The story follows him on his Wild West adventure across the country making friends and escaping dangers along the way.
Comment: This was a fun book to read aloud! Written in Simon's voice: a frontier, uneducated drawl with most of the other character's following suit. While Simon may be simple-minded he isn't as stupid as the folks back home think he is. He's a quick judge of a man's character and he's got a lot of honest to goodness common sense and these prove him well on his business venture. I enjoyed the book, the adventures they got caught up in were a riot and the runaway slave boy they meet up with and take with them as they head north also adds some varying points of view of the time period covered in the book. The author's note at the end explains how she based her story on similar events that really happened.
My son on the other hand was only so-so about the book. He even said at one point that he didn't like it, but whenever we were reading it he was laughing and having a good time. The story just didn't hold with him when we were away from it. I think it would have benefited from illustrations, even just one line drawing per chapter. Ds usually likes these wild west types of stories and it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what he didn't connect with in this one but I'm thinking the age of Simon had something to do with it, even though Simon was mentally younger than his age. So, I'm thinking the most appreciative age for this book is going to be ten and overs.
Summary: Set in 1860, the book starts with 15-year-old Simon Green being politely graduated from school and told to go find his place in the world. Simon is quite taken aback, as he has just finished third grade for the fourth time and he'd figured on being in school quite some time to get the rest of the grades completed. Simple-minded Simon comes upon a plan to walk a flock of a thousand turkeys from his hometown in Missouri, where he can purchase them for two bits a head, all the way to Denver where they say turkeys will go for five dollars a head. The story follows him on his Wild West adventure across the country making friends and escaping dangers along the way.
Comment: This was a fun book to read aloud! Written in Simon's voice: a frontier, uneducated drawl with most of the other character's following suit. While Simon may be simple-minded he isn't as stupid as the folks back home think he is. He's a quick judge of a man's character and he's got a lot of honest to goodness common sense and these prove him well on his business venture. I enjoyed the book, the adventures they got caught up in were a riot and the runaway slave boy they meet up with and take with them as they head north also adds some varying points of view of the time period covered in the book. The author's note at the end explains how she based her story on similar events that really happened.
My son on the other hand was only so-so about the book. He even said at one point that he didn't like it, but whenever we were reading it he was laughing and having a good time. The story just didn't hold with him when we were away from it. I think it would have benefited from illustrations, even just one line drawing per chapter. Ds usually likes these wild west types of stories and it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly what he didn't connect with in this one but I'm thinking the age of Simon had something to do with it, even though Simon was mentally younger than his age. So, I'm thinking the most appreciative age for this book is going to be ten and overs.
April 23, 2013
My kids found this funny and I thought it was moderately educational (Westward expansion, pioneer life, etc). Very young children might be upset or confused by the fact that the lead villain is the lead hero's father. The violence is done in a cartoon-y way with no one actually getting hurt (again possibly not a good choice for very young children though). What is sweet about the story is it's a bunch of seeming losers/misfits (a teenage boy considered stupid by most of his hometown, a man who became an alcoholic when his family died, and a runaway slave) who make it big, and their best prize of all is the family that they form in the process.
June 22, 2022
I absolutely adored this tale! It was amusing as a rag tag group formed as a couple more loners joined in with this make shift family of sorts:) Their adventures were remarkable is it based upon actual turkey walks that were needed back in 1860....Their trek had perils and dangers of course; the main character Simon wasn't regarded as the brightest (having finally finished grade 3 for the 4th time ;) However, he did have more common sense that some educated ones. Such a heartwarming story, totally wholesome as well as enlightening. It is a favourite!
July 5, 2019
Yeeeee-haw! Set in the 1860s with all the high adventure of any good western, this is the delightful story of a grade-school drop-out, a reformed alcoholic, and a runaway slave driving 1,000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver. Once I started, I didn't want to put it down.
February 17, 2022
The Great Turkey Walk is a hilarious, fun, and enjoyable book to read aloud as a family!
March 8, 2018
Une épopée vivifiante, racontée sur le ton de l'humour cocasse, mais qui décrit très bien l'ambiance western avec ses espoirs et ses désillusions. On partage avec notre équipe de bras cassés un élan de convivialité, d'optimisme et d'aventure qui fait un bien fou ! Franchement top.
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November 4, 2021
This was a book that I had read as a child and it has stayed with me although not in the details. Instead I have recommended the book for my youngest niece and I hope she will like it, especially since after re-reading it I have found myself quite amazed by the book's historical grasp.
To summarize it in detail the book is a clear historical adventure based on true adventures while taking place with the conflict of Missouri and Kansas just heating up. There is also westward travel to the gold mines of Denver when it was in Kansas territory, a grasshopper plague, the question of slavery, the civilization of the Native Americans, the ramifications of being a single settler and a sad tribute to the loss of the bison herds. Plus the book raises up good questions about what the American government really meant with the Native people, what makes a good man a good man no matter the skin color, the morals of people living in civilized conditions, the strength of women and also the difficulties of responding to a bureaucracy institution that cannot maintain their own.
All in all the writing is very easy and also simple to understand while will also keep the reader quite engaged in the story. I most definitely recommend this story for those who are into historical fiction, intriguing historical events and just anyone who wants a great armchair adventure to pass the hours away.
To summarize it in detail the book is a clear historical adventure based on true adventures while taking place with the conflict of Missouri and Kansas just heating up. There is also westward travel to the gold mines of Denver when it was in Kansas territory, a grasshopper plague, the question of slavery, the civilization of the Native Americans, the ramifications of being a single settler and a sad tribute to the loss of the bison herds. Plus the book raises up good questions about what the American government really meant with the Native people, what makes a good man a good man no matter the skin color, the morals of people living in civilized conditions, the strength of women and also the difficulties of responding to a bureaucracy institution that cannot maintain their own.
All in all the writing is very easy and also simple to understand while will also keep the reader quite engaged in the story. I most definitely recommend this story for those who are into historical fiction, intriguing historical events and just anyone who wants a great armchair adventure to pass the hours away.
October 27, 2011
This was hilarious! Excellent as an audiobook.
After completing the third grade for the fourth time, fifteen year old Simon Green is summarily graduated by his teacher. “Go out in the world and spread your wings, Simon,” she says. She is sorry to see him go, Simon has always been her kindest and most helpful student. (After all, he single-handedly cuts all the firewood in the winter.) Once Simon finds that Missouri turkeys sell for twenty times the local price in the hungry boom town of Denver, he hatches his first business scheme. Even at fifteen, Simon towers over his uncle and cousins, but they tease him about being all brawn and no brains. No one thinks Simon has much chance of success except his teacher. She has such faith that she invests her entire life savings of $250 in a flock of 1,000 birds for Simon to herd by foot all the way to Denver. Along the way Simon meets up with a host of colorful characters including a runaway slave, Indians, the U.S. Cavalry, lions, tigers, camels, and the father who abandoned him when his mother died 10 years ago. Will Simple Simon fail miserably in the real world or surprise everyone?
After completing the third grade for the fourth time, fifteen year old Simon Green is summarily graduated by his teacher. “Go out in the world and spread your wings, Simon,” she says. She is sorry to see him go, Simon has always been her kindest and most helpful student. (After all, he single-handedly cuts all the firewood in the winter.) Once Simon finds that Missouri turkeys sell for twenty times the local price in the hungry boom town of Denver, he hatches his first business scheme. Even at fifteen, Simon towers over his uncle and cousins, but they tease him about being all brawn and no brains. No one thinks Simon has much chance of success except his teacher. She has such faith that she invests her entire life savings of $250 in a flock of 1,000 birds for Simon to herd by foot all the way to Denver. Along the way Simon meets up with a host of colorful characters including a runaway slave, Indians, the U.S. Cavalry, lions, tigers, camels, and the father who abandoned him when his mother died 10 years ago. Will Simple Simon fail miserably in the real world or surprise everyone?
May 24, 2019
Very funny. Good free read for 9-12 y.o.
15 y.o Simon Green isn't good at school but he is strong, hardworking, fairly sensible, and good with birds. He takes a thousand turkeys on foot from Missouri to Denver to sell at a profit. Along the way he helps and is helped by a recovering drunk (recovering because Simon ties him up until sober), a 15 y.o.black boy escaping slavery, and a 16 y.o. girl experiencing prairie madness.
They meet Indians, locust, the cavalry (who behave ignobly), avaritious townsmen, a circus, would be turkey rustlers, and more.
It is a delightful story delightfully told.
My only quibble is that the tale is set in 1860 but every one of the main characters has all the sensibilities and ethical values and standards of the average educated American of 1990. It is as though they were just lifted straight out of a 1990 sociology class and dropped into 1860. But it is still a really fun read.
15 y.o Simon Green isn't good at school but he is strong, hardworking, fairly sensible, and good with birds. He takes a thousand turkeys on foot from Missouri to Denver to sell at a profit. Along the way he helps and is helped by a recovering drunk (recovering because Simon ties him up until sober), a 15 y.o.black boy escaping slavery, and a 16 y.o. girl experiencing prairie madness.
They meet Indians, locust, the cavalry (who behave ignobly), avaritious townsmen, a circus, would be turkey rustlers, and more.
It is a delightful story delightfully told.
My only quibble is that the tale is set in 1860 but every one of the main characters has all the sensibilities and ethical values and standards of the average educated American of 1990. It is as though they were just lifted straight out of a 1990 sociology class and dropped into 1860. But it is still a really fun read.
May 27, 2021
Aimed probably at ages 8-12 but a fun read. Who knew there were turkey drives out West to get meat to market? Simon, a 15 year old, sets out from Missouri with 1,000 bronze turkeys to cross the prairie & sell them at a high price to hungry miners in Denver. He's got a good-hearted mule skinner & a dog to help him keep those turkeys in line & along the way is joined by a young runaway slave & a 16 year old girl suffering from temporary prairie madness after the death of her family. Serious stuff but the general mood of the story is optimistic.
Simon's long lost father keeps showing up in story, too, trying to steal the turkeys; he's the villain of story but a rather comic figure.
Wish there had been a map in the book but I got out my old atlas and followed the trek along the rivers & old trails.
Simon's long lost father keeps showing up in story, too, trying to steal the turkeys; he's the villain of story but a rather comic figure.
Wish there had been a map in the book but I got out my old atlas and followed the trek along the rivers & old trails.
October 23, 2017
I read this aloud to my four kiddos. When I finished, my nine-year-old:
1. said he was sad because it's over,
2. hoped there was a sequel, and
3. is now contemplating a career in turkey farming.
All that to say, we loved this book. Simon Green, our narrator, is 15-year-old, and admittedly "not too smart" but he's also endearing and so likable. His voice comes through immediately.That made it a fun read-aloud. As a mother of a child with dyslexia, I loved that Simon wasn't exactly "book smart (I suspect he too was dyslexic)," but he was gifted in so many other ways--hardworking, enterprising, a natural-born leader.
Also, the book is full of "teachable" moments about history and geography and touches on slavery and Native American relations among other things.
Such a great read. (Now I'm off to help a kid research a "turkey ranch." Oh, boy . . . .)
1. said he was sad because it's over,
2. hoped there was a sequel, and
3. is now contemplating a career in turkey farming.
All that to say, we loved this book. Simon Green, our narrator, is 15-year-old, and admittedly "not too smart" but he's also endearing and so likable. His voice comes through immediately.That made it a fun read-aloud. As a mother of a child with dyslexia, I loved that Simon wasn't exactly "book smart (I suspect he too was dyslexic)," but he was gifted in so many other ways--hardworking, enterprising, a natural-born leader.
Also, the book is full of "teachable" moments about history and geography and touches on slavery and Native American relations among other things.
Such a great read. (Now I'm off to help a kid research a "turkey ranch." Oh, boy . . . .)
September 21, 2018
I love browsing for books at used bookstores while on vacation, and getting this fun, quirky book was the result of stopping in at Booked on 25th in Ogden, Utah, last weekend.
The mob of turkeys on the cover grabbed my attention. Turkeys can almost always guarantee humor. This adventure of herding those turkeys is well-paced. It has its hurdles and challenges, but is optimistic and lighthearted.
And, as a bonus, the last page talks a little about historical turkey walks that the book was loosely based on. Herding turkeys was a real thing!
G
The mob of turkeys on the cover grabbed my attention. Turkeys can almost always guarantee humor. This adventure of herding those turkeys is well-paced. It has its hurdles and challenges, but is optimistic and lighthearted.
And, as a bonus, the last page talks a little about historical turkey walks that the book was loosely based on. Herding turkeys was a real thing!
G
September 11, 2020
I’ve read this to myself once and twice aloud to children. It’s excellent. It’s light hearted and fun, but deals with some serious topics, such as abandonment, race, having a criminal father, ptsd/alcoholism, entrepreneurship, that intelligence and book smarts are not always the same thing, and that the law and what’s right are not always the same thing. It’s almost told in a tall-tale fashion that allows for discussion on deeper topics but is not a tear-jerker type of book. In addition, it’s based loosely on an actual historical event and teaches a bit of history along with lessons in grit and resilience.
November 21, 2020
This was a wonderful story that my son (11) and I both enjoyed immensely. Simon is a lovely character and all of his friends are wonderful as well. There are many misadventures throughout this tale, and his little group gets through them with luck and spunk. They are all good people, in spite of flaws, and I think this book shows that good things come to good people. This is a really lovely book for young people, and it sets a good example. I highly recommend it!
January 1, 2023
This is such a fun book! I read it with the kids and we laughed and laughed. Hello, herding TURKEYS?
Great lessons on honesty, hard work, and determination. We'll be reading this one again sometime.
Great lessons on honesty, hard work, and determination. We'll be reading this one again sometime.
December 7, 2018
This was recommended to me by my 13 yr old nephew, J.D. We loved it! Simon proves everyone wrong by succeeding in his huge venture.
Read to my children at lunch.
2018 - A book based on a true story.
Read to my children at lunch.
2018 - A book based on a true story.
February 5, 2016
My kids love this book. Great (and funny) read-aloud.
September 3, 2017
Great story, historical, funny. I wish it were a movie because I could see every scene in my head as we read.
Read
May 17, 2018i didnt really like this book the only part i liked was when he took the turkeys to denver
December 31, 2018
By far JD’s favorite!!
December 21, 2020
The Great Turkey Walk is another book that is part of our homeschool history curriculum. I thought it was a funny story when we started reading, but it turned out to be a wonderful book- and based on a true story!
Simon ages out of school instead of graduating after repeating multiple grades multiple times. Book learning is definitely a challenge for Simon, but he is determined to make something out of his life. Simon lives with his uncle and his family because his mother passed and his father abandoned him. His aunt and uncle and cousins aren’t very fond of Simon, and think of him more as a boarder than family.
Simon runs into a neighbor who has a flock of 1000 turkeys that he is unable to sell. The neighbor explains that he is unable to sell them near their home, but they could bring big money elsewhere. Simon has a spectacular idea- he can buy the turkeys for $.25 each and walk them 1000 miles to Denver where they will bring $5 apiece. Simon begins his adventures and secures his flock of turkeys, mules and wagon of corn, and a helper to go with him.
The story that follows is full of trials and joys. We read about Indians, long-lost fathers, prairie life, wildlife, challenges of crossing the plains, and more! I loved how Simon’s mind worked. He may have been “Simple Simon,” but his heart was amazing. Simon proves that determination and hard work pays off. Also that friendships can develop in the least likely of places.
I was very surprised to see that turkey walks were a thing! While scrolling through Facebook around Thanksgiving, I found an article by a local newspaper that told of turkey walks in the past in a nearby town. A company would advertise for all area farmers to bring their turkeys to town where they would be penned in a park. Then the turkeys would be loaded onto boats and shipped up and down the Mississippi River to where they could be sold. The author also tells of real turkey walks in the note at the end of the book.
Simon ages out of school instead of graduating after repeating multiple grades multiple times. Book learning is definitely a challenge for Simon, but he is determined to make something out of his life. Simon lives with his uncle and his family because his mother passed and his father abandoned him. His aunt and uncle and cousins aren’t very fond of Simon, and think of him more as a boarder than family.
Simon runs into a neighbor who has a flock of 1000 turkeys that he is unable to sell. The neighbor explains that he is unable to sell them near their home, but they could bring big money elsewhere. Simon has a spectacular idea- he can buy the turkeys for $.25 each and walk them 1000 miles to Denver where they will bring $5 apiece. Simon begins his adventures and secures his flock of turkeys, mules and wagon of corn, and a helper to go with him.
The story that follows is full of trials and joys. We read about Indians, long-lost fathers, prairie life, wildlife, challenges of crossing the plains, and more! I loved how Simon’s mind worked. He may have been “Simple Simon,” but his heart was amazing. Simon proves that determination and hard work pays off. Also that friendships can develop in the least likely of places.
I was very surprised to see that turkey walks were a thing! While scrolling through Facebook around Thanksgiving, I found an article by a local newspaper that told of turkey walks in the past in a nearby town. A company would advertise for all area farmers to bring their turkeys to town where they would be penned in a park. Then the turkeys would be loaded onto boats and shipped up and down the Mississippi River to where they could be sold. The author also tells of real turkey walks in the note at the end of the book.
December 22, 2017
I actually had a blast reading this to my sons. I sometimes put on an accent even while reading it.
Simon is not a smart kid and was left back a lot. When it came to the time that he was fifteen years old, his teacher said she couldn't teach him any longer, as that is how far she taught for school. Since he graduated, he decided he had to make something out of his life. His teacher was always really inspiring to him and told him to spread his wings. That is when he noticed all the turkeys on a farm in his town and decided that he would make a business out of those turkeys. With the support of his teacher, he was able to make a purchase of a thousand turkeys and decided to take them with him to Denver where he was sure he'd be able to make a profit.
I loved the characters throughout this book. They were really likeable or unlikable. Simon had some really great times on the trail and some really terrible ones too. This was such a unique tale about the late 1800s when people really did do Turkey Walks like he did. My sons really had a fun time listening to this story and I like seeing them so engaged because it makes reading to them so much more fun. Definitely a good one to read to your kids! It brings up great discussions too about various situations that came up and certain people that they came across too.
Simon is not a smart kid and was left back a lot. When it came to the time that he was fifteen years old, his teacher said she couldn't teach him any longer, as that is how far she taught for school. Since he graduated, he decided he had to make something out of his life. His teacher was always really inspiring to him and told him to spread his wings. That is when he noticed all the turkeys on a farm in his town and decided that he would make a business out of those turkeys. With the support of his teacher, he was able to make a purchase of a thousand turkeys and decided to take them with him to Denver where he was sure he'd be able to make a profit.
I loved the characters throughout this book. They were really likeable or unlikable. Simon had some really great times on the trail and some really terrible ones too. This was such a unique tale about the late 1800s when people really did do Turkey Walks like he did. My sons really had a fun time listening to this story and I like seeing them so engaged because it makes reading to them so much more fun. Definitely a good one to read to your kids! It brings up great discussions too about various situations that came up and certain people that they came across too.
Read
May 16, 2019 In the “The Great Turkey Walk” by Kathleen Karr, in the beginning a 15 year old, Simon, who just finished third grade for the fourth time; decided that he would take a whole batch of turkeys and walk to Denver so that he would be able to sell the Turkey’s and begin a new Business with Mr. Peece who drove the mules so Simon can keep control of the Turkeys and lead them. Simons Mother died 10 years ago and his father left, leaving him with his aunt and uncle, who he left. As their on their journey to Denver, Simon meets a slave named Jabeth around the same age as him, who joins him on his journey . Simon somehow met face to face with his father again, Samson. As Samson finds out the money Simons gonna make with all the Turkeys he becomes more engaged and asking to join him on this adventure. The next morning they left early with purposely not leaving Samson. Simons father and Cleaver caught up to them and some unfortunate events occurred. My opinion on this book is that I enjoyed the love between Lizzie and Simon. And I felt a lot of emotions reading the book. Especially the relationship between Simons and his father’s relationship made me upset that Simon had to go through knowing that his father really doesn’t love him at all But unfortunately, I went through a lot of boredom reading this book, but there were still some parts that I enjoyed reading.
May 14, 2019
I thought the book was great. However certain parts of the story were not very realistic. The story starts out with Simon Greene, a fifteen-year-old boy who has just finished up his fourth year of third grade. His mother died and his father left him, so he lives with his aunt and uncle and their kids. He gets an idea one night to go take turkeys to Denver where they are worth five dollars a piece. Five dollars nowadays for a Turkey is almost nothing but back then it was the equivalent of 160 dollars in the modern day. All he brings along with him are a mule, a mule driver who is addicted to alcohol, a dog, and 1000 turkeys and a little bit of money for emergencies. Along the way, they face many troubles like turkey thieves, a grasshopper storm, a U.S Army Fort. However, they pick up some others along the way named Jabeth and Lizzie. When they make it to Denver, they auction them off. In the end, they invest in Simons new enterprise. The book is interesting, crazy and a great story.
January 18, 2021
Someone left this in my Little Free Library and I was in the mood for a quick read. Very funny book. I'm having a hard time visualizing 1000 turkeys (yes, that's one thousand) trotting along a wagon track from Missouri to Denver. Glad they had rivers all along the way since per this book each turkey will drink a gallon of water a day and there's no way they could carry that.
Simon's a likeable main character, and the problems he and his traveling companions encounter are amusing.
Kids who like this book might also like a similar one Scholastic published many years ago called "Secret in the Barrel" about a young boy and his uncle going out to the Colorado silver mines, not to seek their fortune mining but to sell supplies and tools to the miners.
Simon's a likeable main character, and the problems he and his traveling companions encounter are amusing.
Kids who like this book might also like a similar one Scholastic published many years ago called "Secret in the Barrel" about a young boy and his uncle going out to the Colorado silver mines, not to seek their fortune mining but to sell supplies and tools to the miners.
December 12, 2008
A fun filled story, written to draw the reader in and keep you wondering what is going to face the unlikely group of travelers. I and my son truely loved it.
January 29, 2018
We all (me and my 3rd and 5th grade boys) really enjoyed this tale of a Civil War era Turkey drive. It reads like a cartoon, not like a serious and realistic book.
January 30, 2024
This is such a great read-aloud! I had never heard of it before last time through our history cycle. Someone said it was a good read to go along with prairie antebellum life, and it certainly is! Loved even more The second time around. The girls and I loved "simple" Simon and the compatriots who join him along the way --a drunk trail guide who sobers up to become a wonderful father figure, a fugitive slave whose talents balance out Simon's and who becomes such a believable best friend, and the feisty girl who almost gave up hope after burying her entire family only to be rescued by Simon and Co in the middle of a grasshopper storm. Along the way, the encounters with native American tribes, the US cavalry, carnival charlatans, and the people of MO and Denver add so much detail to the fun story. Now that we've had chickens ourselves, we have an extra love for Simon's herd. Just delightful from start to finish!
February 18, 2023
A fun and enjoyable read for the kids and I! Historical fiction is our favorite genre and we appreciated the 1860s eastern Missouri to Denver setting. Some humor and wise words along the way, too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews