Reviewed by Harriet Engle
This is a story about Pearl, a nine-year-old girl with three older brothers. With three older brothers, she had to be nervy. Pearl and her family live on a ranch in southern California where they raise cattle, sheep, and ostriches. Pearl takes care of the ostriches as her daily chore – feeding them, collecting their eggs, and cleaning out their pen.
This book was written about a time before automobiles became the common way to travel, early 1900s. It also was a time before smart phones, “You Tube,” instant entertainment, and, of course, two-car garages. In fact, if anyone wanted to get anywhere, they rode a horse. It is about silent movies, the entertainment of the time. The silent-movie producer comes to town to make movies, and he needs fast-riding cowboys. He hires Pearl’s brothers. An unexpected fast and nervy ride of her own puts Pearl in the sights of the camera and the producer, and before she knows it, she is in the movies.
Ms. Wiley lived in this part of the country for more than ten years, and to write this piece of historical fiction, she thoroughly researched the silent movie industry. She catches the attention of the reader with some tricky stunts that only a nervy little farm girl with three older brothers can do.
From the publisher:
- Reading age : 8 – 12 years
- Lexile measure : 900L
- Grade level : 3 – 7