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Review: Adirondack Gold II A Summer of Strangers
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Sandra E. Graham

Reviewer Sandra E. Graham is  the author of Amos Jakey and Nicolina published by American Book Publishing. Sandra graduated from Arkansas State University in Joeboro, Arkansas. Many of her articles have been posted on various ezines. To read an interview with Sandra Click Here

 
By Sandra E. Graham
Published on December 29, 2008
 



Author: Persis Granger

ISBN: 978-0-9742085-1-0

Publisher: Beaver Meadow Publishing

Adirondack Gold II is a continuation of the saga of young Hollis Ingraham as begun in the previous Adirondack Gold.  And once again Persis Granger does a wonderful job of capturing and holding her audience’s attention with this fascinating historical fiction.  This is young adult reading at its very best and I, as a much, much older adult, found it to be a real page-turner and hard-to-put-down from beginning to end.  These are books to be enjoyed by a diverse age group.



 

Click Here To Purchase and/or Find Out More About Adirondack Gold II: A Summer of Strangers

Author: Persis Granger

ISBN: 978-0-9742085-1-0

Publisher: Beaver Meadow Publishing

Adirondack Gold II is a continuation of the saga of young Hollis Ingraham as begun in the previous Adirondack Gold.  And once again Persis Granger does a wonderful job of capturing and holding her audience’s attention with this fascinating historical fiction.  This is young adult reading at its very best and I, as a much, much older adult, found it to be a real page-turner and hard-to-put-down from beginning to end.  These are books to be enjoyed by a diverse age group.

Included in the title—A Summer of Strangers—is an apt description of the nuances between the covers.  In a few short months young Hollis meets some strangers that bring a host of secrets and changes to his life. 

Hollis must show great strength for such a young man whose slender shoulders bear a load too heavy for many much older than he.   Hollis’ mother has married a good man, Gibby Goodnow.  A man who Hollis had met and grown very fond of when he first came to live with his Grandparents a few years earlier.  And now Hollis has a new baby sister to enlarge his family.

Although, Gibby worked hard on the family farm to supply his new family, as well as his elderly parents with everything they needed, it just never seemed to be enough.  The weather never wanted to cooperate with the farming seasons.  Rain and sun came either too soon, too little, too much or too late. 

The first stranger to appear at the Goodnow farm was a cousin to Hollis’ mother--a young boy only two years Hollis’ senior.  Normally another young boy on the farm to help with the work and to become a friend and confidant would be a delightful arrangement to Hollis.  But it seems that Hollis has issues of his own that he must work through and his newly acquired cousin becomes a thorn in his side. 

Hollis’ problems begin to compound when he discovers a bum has secretly taken up residence in the very woods where Hollis goes to be alone and work on his artwork.  Before Hollis can even begin to cope with this problem, his grandfather Ingraham has a stroke and is partially paralyzed; then his best friend, Nicolas, has to quit school because his father has become injured and lost the use of his leg.  Hollis soon discovers secrets about the bum hiding in the woods and Hollis’ young cousin. 

Through all of this, only one ray of sunshine brightens Hollis’ life.

Gibby’s prize mare had a beautifully perfect colt, which Hollis named Pippin and which quickly became Hollis’ pride and joy.  But whether Hollis could keep the colt or whether it would have to be sold to make up for crop losses over the summer was a constant worry for young Hollis.

Another worry that constantly plagued Hollis was his joy of drawing, but with the constant work that was required of him on the Goodnow Farm, helping his grandparents’ on their farm, and school work, left him precious little time for himself. 

Persis Granger has written a wonderful book to help young and old learn lessons not often taught in public or private schools.  She helps us discover that true friendship can be found in the most unlikely places; that no matter what life throws your way, you can discover a strength in yourself that you never realized was there; and that heros come in all shapes, sizes, and ages.

Thanks, Persis, for another wonderful read.

 Click Here To Purchase and/or Find Out More About Adirondack Gold II: A Summer of Strangers