From Publishers Weekly
Before he's hanged, murderer and outlaw Jake Barnette vows to come back from the dead and get the varmints who put him in the grave. Ben, the 11-year-old narrator, and his younger sister, Annabelle, don't quite believe him, but since their dad is the town sheriff, they are just a little worried. Set in 1877, Vande Velde's (Smart Dog) ghost story whips up enough excitement to override the stock characters that populate it?a gypsy girl who reads Tarot cards so dire her face pales in fear and she folds the deck; the nasty Barnette, whose coffin turns up empty after a violent rainstorm; and the pink supernatural presence of the dearly departed Mama, who floats in to save the family from a gruesome demise at the hands of the angry outlaw ghost. A touch of humor greases the story's wheels; for instance, when the family knows that Barnette's ghost is on the loose, Annabelle urges her dad to leave town. The previously rational Pa "hate[s] to admit it," but says they can't assume that "someone who can travel back from the grave can't cross town lines." From the auspicious opener ("Pa said we were too young to go to the hanging") to the screaming conclusion, it's a fun fright. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-When the infamous outlaw Jake Barnette is sentenced to be hanged in the summer of 1877, no one pays attention to his threat of coming back and killing the men who brought him to justice and their families as well. The following spring, a "tinker" woman predicts danger for the town. Soon, the river floods for the first time ever and several coffins come up out of the wet ground of the cemetery, including Jake's. Still, 11-year-old Ben and his little sister aren't too worried-even when Zandra, a gypsy girl, gives them each a less-than-favorable tarot reading. After all, their father is the sheriff. Suddenly, the foreman of the jury that convicted Jake dies of seemingly natural causes. Then Judge Wade falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his neck. People try to blame the town's misfortunes on the gypsies. Before leaving, Zandra seeks out Ben and warns him that if he doesn't rebury Jake, the consequences will be dire-if it isn't already too late. There is no remove-the-rubber-mask-and-reveal-the-human-culprit ending here. Jake really is a malevolent apparition come back from the dead to seek revenge and Ben and his family are saved only by the spirit of his dead mother. This unsettling novel has many appealing elements: an evil ghost, a Wild West setting, and a young male narrator who demonstrates courage in the face of danger, but knows it's okay to be afraid.
Carrie Schadle, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
