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Library | Audience | Home Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Central | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | PATNE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Henington-Alief | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | PATNE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Ring | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | PATNE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Russell's summer seems doomed. He's stuck in small-town Oregon without anything fun. Then a legend about an old meteorite envelops him and he makes a dangerous trip into the mountains to find the meteorite, rumored to be rare and valuable.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Fourteen-year-old Russell and his mom are spending the summer in Port Orford, OR, to help transition Russell's grandfather into an assisted-living situation. While Californian Russell is unenthusiastic about being there, he does manage to develop a friendship with Phoebe, the daughter of his grandfather's new caregiver. Russell and Phoebe uncover a 100-plus-year-old mystery concerning a large meteorite lying somewhere in the wilderness (based on an actual historical account discussed in an author's note). Several historical chapters interspersed in the narrative cover the initial discovery. Russell, Phoebe, and her older brother head off into the woods to find it, pursued by Full Moon, a villain also looking for the large rock. After a dramatic fight, Russell must continue off-trail alone, in spite of all rules of outdoor safety and common sense. He ultimately finds what he is looking for, but any sweetness that might come with this discovery is clouded by the extreme danger of his decisions. However, kids won't mind the safety issues, and fans of Gordon Korman's "On the Run" series (Scholastic) will enjoy the sense of danger and the self-sufficiency of the main characters.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Fourteen-year-old Russell, his friend Phoebe and her brother Isaac (who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder), and blind ex-con Legs Leland search for a meteorite discovered by Russell's ancestor in 1856 (relayed in flashbacks). The search for the elusive but valuable ""piece of the sky"" involves adventure, intrigue, and death. The conclusion is weak, but the readable text is fast-paced. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Following the discovery by Dr. John Evans of a valuable ten-ton meteorite in a remote area of mountainous Port Orford, Ore., in 1856, the modern consequences swing from attempted murder motivated by greed to natural wonder born by scientific curiosity. Fourteen-year-old Russell is interested in the meteorite because his great grandfather was with the team who originally found it. He has developed a love for geology, and he's in town to help close up his sick grandfather's home. No one knows where the meteorite is except Legs, a harmless blind man, whose research in better days and foolish tenacity has kept his map secret for seven years. There is high melodramatic tension because a dangerous man is stalking Legs and his friends. This exciting treasure hunt has all the elements of a thriller, and the gun-wielding bad guy on the trail of the friends rocks the plot into hyper-mode. An entertaining light summer read. (Fiction. 11-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In 1856, 13-year-old Matthew accompanies Dr. Evans on a meteorite-hunting expedition into the mountains. Flash forward to the present, when 14-year-old Russell looks at his grandfather's heirloom, a bit of a meteorite given to Grandpa's great-grandfather Matthew by Dr. Evans. Russell, his friend Phoebe, and her older brother set out to look for the rest of that legendary meteorite, dogged by a sinister man who will stop at nothing to claim the valuable prize. Russell's first-person narrative forms the main part of the text, with several flashbacks to Matthew's story told in third person. The inclusion in both time frames of recently returned war veterans, not yet fully healed from their experiences, creates another link between the two stories. Patneaude creates a suspenseful quest tale along with a sensitive portrayal of Russell's sense of loss as his grandfather, suffering from dementia, loses touch with memories and relationships. The appended author's note discusses the Port Orford meteorite, supposedly found by Dr. John Evans in 1856 but never seen again. Set in Oregon, this old-fashioned adventure story has contemporary appeal.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2007 Booklist
