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Another Review
at MyShelf.Com
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To
the Frontier E. Cody Kimmel, who may be a distant relative of the frontiersman, shows that the problems kids face today may have changed since the states debated the slavery question, but the emotions of growing up stay the same. Young Bill yearns to play at being his hero Kit Carson with sister Julia, but he's impatient to have his Ma treat him like a man. Trouble is, Ma has memories of Bill's brother Sam, who died too young while riding a defiant temperamental horse. The frontier of America and of manhood (and womanhood as Julia discovers) rides rough over fears, especially with pro-slavery drunks at trading posts spoiling for a fight, treacherous river crossings, and haughty relatives urging Bill's father to pretend to support slavery. If there's ever a right time to grow up fast, the 19th century is it. The time young Bill lives in is exciting, offering an unusual innocence, with real-life heroes rather than the athletes and pop stars that the media presents as people our youth should aspire to be. If young Bill had posters on the wall of his newly built frontier home, they would show Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, frontiersmen and gentlemen both, also Bill's cousin Horace Billings...and Bill's beloved father Isaac. Like Richard Peck and Harper Lee, Kimmel provides a simple definition of manhood (and womanhood): Stand your ground, keep your cool, do what's needed. One could envision Kevin Costner in the role of Horace or Isaac. Unlike today's hair-trigger instant-microwave world, the 19th century has Horace and Isaac and even Bill talk their way out of danger, rather than reach for fists and firearms. The feeling of adventure and the sense that Bill has embarked on a great journey do not end with the series’ first volume. This fine book expands the frontiers of the heart for all ages. |
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