Stop the Train!

Rating:
Summary: A book that will entertain readers of many ages.
Review: Cissy doesn't quite know what to expect as she and her family clatter across the prairie in a train towards Florence, Oklahoma. They are going to claim some land on the new frontier and start a new life in the township. But when Cissy, her father, her mother, and a handful of other people get off the train, travel-weary and unsure of themselves, all they find is open prairie. Florence does not exist; it is a place they have to create for themselves.

At first the people feel totally unequipped for such a state of affairs. Cissy's own parents cannot seem to get along at all, her mother being very upset that they came to this dreadful spot in the first place and making her feelings vociferously and abundantly clear at frequent intervals. But with each other's help, they begin their new lives and Florence starts rising up out of the prairie. The townspeople agree that though they don't have much of a town yet, they are all sure it will grow once the train station is built. Commerce will come and Florence will prosper.

However, angered by the fact that the people of Florence have turned down his offer to buy their claims, the railroad owner refuses to allow his train to stop in Florence. He intends to cut the town off from the world. Now the townsfolk have to find a way to get that train to stop in their town before the town dies.

STOP THAT TRAIN! is a gripping story that pulls one along towards an extraordinary and unexpected finale. Part mystery and part western, with delightful characters who leap off the pages, this book is hard to put down. Armed with a delightful sense of humor and a keen understanding of human nature and its foibles, author Geraldine McCaughrean has created a book that will entertain readers of many ages.

--- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful read for kids and adults
Review: Cissy, her parents and a handful of other colorful characters are the first to arrive in the not yet town of Florence. They've come to homestead and build a life out of nothing but vast Oklahoma prarie, but the first night after their arrival, a man from the railroad attempts to buy each of their shares for $50 a piece. When all but one refuse to sell, the spiteful railroad owner refuses to stop the train in the town. No train means certain doom for the new town and all of its inhabitants so they set out with a series of schemes to get the train to stop.

This is a very enjoyable historical fiction book for kids 9 to 90. I couldn't wait to see what the folks of Florence would come up with next in their quest to stop the train. The characters really made this story come alive. Some of my favorites were Virgil and Loucien, the school teacher. I particularly loved her unorthodox, but extremely useful lesson plans.