Pam Munoz Ryan
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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Horses -> Fiction
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 85
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
emotional 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Charley/Charlotte is a very brave and daring person. When I read the novel Riding Freedom it moved me a lot. I couldn't put the book down until I finished Riding Freedom. I even wanted to look and see if there was a sequal to this intresting book! I hope people enjoy it as much as I did!
Taut and Mythic 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
What a fabulous character Ryan has put into words in this kid's novel of the life of Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst! I particualrly loved the taut, mythic quality of the opening chapters and Charlotte's persistence in pursuing her dream.
Susan Williams, Wind Rider (Laura Geringer/Harper Collins Children's Books)
Wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Many books entertain, and many teach, but few can do both well. This outstanding book is one of the few.
The main character is Charlotte Parkhurst. She grew up in an orphanage in New England during the late 1810's. She loved horses. Though she enjoyed working in the stables, she did not like having to work in the kitchen "where girls belonged". However, her troubles really started when she rode a sick horse in a race, when she thought he was okay. The horse later died. As a punishment, the owner of the orphanage said she could no longer visit the stables. Heartbroken, Charlotte decided to run away, disguised as a boy.
She found a job in a stagecoach company's stable, where she took care of horses and drove stagecoaches. When two other workers in the stable decided to move to California and open their own stagecoach company, Charlotte went with them. When she got there, a number of wild horses that were going to be stagecoach horses had to be shoed. Charlotte was trying to shoe one when it kicked her in the eye. Consequently, she went blind in her eye.
After her accident, the owners of the new stagecoach company refused to let her drive their stagecoaches. But the determined Charlotte practiced for months, then persuaded her boss to let her try driving just one stagecoach. Though it was foggy and raining, Charlotte was able to drive well, because she had learned to tell what road she was on from the sound of the horses' hooves. When she reached a dangerous bridge, she forced her passengers to get out of the coach and go across the bridge before her. She came after them, driving the stagecoach. When she reached the other side, the bridge broke. The passengers realized that Charlotte had saved their lives. Afterwards, she became famous in that area as "One-Eyed Charley" who could drive a stagecoach over a gold piece using only "his" good eye.
When she was fifty-five, Charlotte, still disguised as a man, voted for the President in a small town in California. She was the first woman to vote in the United States, and that was before the amendment to the Constitution that allowed woman to vote. You'll have to read this amazing book to find out how Charlotte's lifelong dream came true, though.
Ryan did an excellent job of masterfully mixing pleasure and information into an exciting book. I was surprised to find out that this masterpiece was her first novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing a fresh, pleasurable read.
Editorial Review:
Extensively researched, this fast-paced historical novel about Charlotte (Charley) Parkhurst combines all the known facts of a daring woman's colorful life in the Wild West with Pam Munoz Ryan's own spirited imaginings Ages 8-12. Pub: 2/98. .
