Customer Reviews: Read 50 more reviews...
 Excellent, Fascinating Tale of Adventure! August 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book and is captivating from the very first chapter.
It is the adventure filled tale of one man and one 12 year old boy who go west during the California Gold Rush to seek their fortunes.
This is an EXCELLENT story, full of historical fact and fascinating descriptions of a very colorful time period in US history.
The main characters are both outstanding - they are a testament to what can happen when someone works hard, maintains their moral standards, and keeps a positive attitude.
This is a purely outstanding book for kids and adults alike!!!
Go west with Jack and Praiseworthy August 17, 2008
That there Eastern young feller, Jack, stows away with the devoted family butler, Praiseworthy, and sails to California's gold fields in search of fortune. A well-written adventure that captures the difficulty of sailing around South America to get to California, and some of the perils, both natural and human, once the duo arrive there. Nineteenth century San Francisco is also among the settings. The two meet up with a variety of fellow gold country folks, both on the up-and-up and distinctly underhanded. Brawns and brains both have prominent roles in good ways, as do caring and hard work. Moments of good humor add much, particularly the nicknames given to Jack and Praiseworthy and those of the other 49ers. There are a number of interesting insights on social relationships, particularly the butler's pride and obligations to his position. Strongly recommended for California fourth graders responsible for state study in social studies, but anyone around that age, or older for that matter, is going to enjoy it, too. Its heart-warming ending only makes it all the better.
By the Great Hornspoon Paper back November 23, 2007
The book arrived in good condition and in a timely fashion. I am happy with my order.
A Hit! November 8, 2006
I read this book aloud to my class of 4th graders and they loved it! This book had humor, suspense, and positive messages. It also gave me the opportunity to teach a little about the history of the Gold Rush. A definite hit!
A good supplement to the Gold Rush unit October 26, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I definitely enjoyed reading By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman, and I think it would be a great supplementary source for teachers to use in the Gold Rush unit. This book is a ficitional story, but it is full of historical accounts related to the Gold Rush era. The main characters is Jack and Praiseworthy. They set out on a journey in search of striking rich when Jack's aunt became penniless. The two main characters went on a wild and exciting adventures where they encountered many life-learning lessons about themselves and the historical background of that time. This book is definitely a good resource to use in and outside of the classroom, because it provides historical information along with an inspiring story about friendships.
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