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Overview
He is a motherless child,
a coal miner,
a circus star,
a con artist,
a seer,
a hero,
and a survivor.
This is the tale of Billy Creekmore, a young boy with mystifying powers and the gift of storytelling. But his life in the Guardian Angels Orphanage is cruel and bleak, and when a stranger comes to claim Billy, he sets off on an extraordinary journey. From the coal mines of West Virginia to the world of a traveling circus, he searches for the secrets of his past, his future, and his own true self.
Synopsis
He is a motherless child,
a coal miner,
a circus star,
a con artist,
a seer,
a hero,
and a survivor.
This is the tale of Billy Creekmore, a young boy with mystifying powers and the gift of storytelling. But his life in the Guardian Angels Orphanage is cruel and bleak, and when a stranger comes to claim Billy, he sets off on an extraordinary journey. From the coal mines of West Virginia to the world of a traveling circus, he searches for the secrets of his past, his future, and his own true self.
Children's Literature
The Guardian Angels Home for Boys does not live up to its name—at least not for ten-year-old orphan Billy Creekmore. Underfed and overworked, he wants out, but not to the death sentence that is the local glass factory. Fortunately, a long-lost uncle collects him in time to introduce young Billy to the equally dismal coal mines of West Virginia. These are but the beginnings of Billy's travels in quest for belonging. It is a classic plot, and Tracey Porter applies herself to bringing bona fides to the early years of the twentieth-century working world with its lack of safety legislation and labor unrest. As for Billy himself, he is presented as a storyteller with a possible facility for connecting with lost spirits. His efforts at these endeavors are only middling, but the boy is a natural survivor. Younger readers should enjoy Billy's adventures in the mines and among the grafters of the circus world.
Editorials
VOYA -
Billy Creekmore, a resident of the Guardian Angels Home for Boys, knows that there must be more to life than working for an unkind "master" who keeps his charges hungry, weak, and cold. Rescued by a long-lost uncle, Billy is introduced to the mining profession, which he enjoys until his uncle is killed by anti-union guards. Forced to flee into the wilderness, Billy finds salvation in the form of the Charles Sparks World Famous Circus. With the Sparks Circus, Billy does meaningful work and feels as if he has finally found a home. When he meets his absentee father and is convinced to join him and the low-class circus for which he works, Billy must decide what to make of his future. Set in the late 1800s, this well-researched story, written with consistent language and a pleasantly challenging vocabulary, focuses on the hardships of child labor and the resiliency necessary to take responsibility for one's own life. Action-packed, with scenes from deep in old coal mines to secret union meetings and inside the sideshow tent of a famous circus, the book will hook historical fiction fans from the first page. Descriptive and humorous chapter titles offer a preview of the topics to come. This book will be a welcome addition to larger school and public libraries, especially those with a historical fiction fan base. Certain elements of the plot development feel flat or unbelievable, but the character-driven story will appeal to readers who enjoy the genre.Children's Literature -
The Guardian Angels Home for Boys does not live up to its name—at least not for ten-year-old orphan Billy Creekmore. Underfed and overworked, he wants out, but not to the death sentence that is the local glass factory. Fortunately, a long-lost uncle collects him in time to introduce young Billy to the equally dismal coal mines of West Virginia. These are but the beginnings of Billy's travels in quest for belonging. It is a classic plot, and Tracey Porter applies herself to bringing bona fides to the early years of the twentieth-century working world with its lack of safety legislation and labor unrest. As for Billy himself, he is presented as a storyteller with a possible facility for connecting with lost spirits. His efforts at these endeavors are only middling, but the boy is a natural survivor. Younger readers should enjoy Billy's adventures in the mines and among the grafters of the circus world.School Library Journal
Gr 4-7
Porter has successfully woven elements of David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Huckleberry Finn into the character of Billy Creekmore, a 10-year-old "orphan" living in the Guardian Angels Home for Boys at the beginning of the 20th century. His story takes readers on an unsentimental journey to look at defenseless children who were forced to work on hardscrabble farms with little hope of improving their condition. Unexpectedly, Billy is rescued by a hitherto unknown uncle who takes him to live in a small cottage in a West Virginia coal town. There, the boy finds others his age and younger hard at work in the mines. A recruiter from the United Mine Workers secretly gets some workers to sign up, only to have strike breakers terrorize the community and kill his uncle. Billy's journeys and troubles continue when he runs off to join a traveling circus. Memorable characters, completely villainous or kind, fill the pages of this picaresque novel. Readers will empathize with the children's bitter deprivations and feel hopeful when Billy realizes he can make his life better. This is a well-told historical tale about an engaging and resourceful protagonist who learns to appreciate his many gifts as he makes his way in the world.
—Lillian HeckerCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.