Review: Highway Robbery
Posted: under Ages 10 & Up, Ages 8 & Up, Recommended Books.
Tags: adventure, Book Review, children's books, illustration, Kate Thompson, middle grade fiction, Recommended Books, Spellbound
Highway Robbery
by Kate Thompson
Illustrated by Jonny Duddle
Suggested for Ages 10 and Up
Reviewed by Leslie H.
Kate Thompson is the author of one of my favorite YA novels of the last few years, The New Policeman. Now she’s brought her substantial gift for atmospheric and almost lyrical storytelling to a middle grade novel featuring a rascally but loveable street urchin, a legendary highwayman, and the outlaw’s equally legendary horse Black Bess. As the young narrator’s story unfolds we are irresistibly caught up in his tale of how he came to be in possession of this fine mare and his ensuing adventure… but is he telling the truth? By the end of the story, most readers won’t care–they’ll just want to go back and read it again!
The publisher recommendation for this book is for ages 10 and up, but many kids 8 and up will be able to read it on their own, and it would make a great read-aloud for those not quite ready to tackle it alone. The ample illustrations help to plunge the reader into the world of our young unnamed narrator and are well worth poring over by themselves. Duddle’s style is jaunty and whimsical but still rich with detail, showing a wonderful depth of expression on the faces of Thompson’s characters. Coming in at well under 200 pages, this gem is a reminder that good things still come in small packages.
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Aug 10 2009
Cosmo is a trained therapy dog and the star of his very own picture book, The Case of the Whatever Blues. Written by Cosmo’s human, Suzanne Kline, and illustrated by Daryl Slaton, it’s the first in a planned series.
